Managing Contact Form Submissions in WordPress

Your contact form is collecting submissions—great! But now what? Where do you find them? How do you organize hundreds of entries? Can you export them to a spreadsheet?

Submission management is just as important as form creation. In this guide, you’ll learn how to view, organize, search, filter, and export your WordPress form submissions efficiently.

Why Submission Management Matters

Without proper management, form submissions become chaos:

• Missed leads – Important inquiries buried in the pile
• Slow response times – Can’t find submissions quickly
• No organization – All entries look the same
• Data trapped – Can’t export for analysis or backup
• Duplicate work – Responding to entries you’ve already handled

Good submission management means faster responses, better organization, and actionable data.

Accessing Your Submissions

With Auto Form Builder, all submissions are stored in your WordPress dashboard:

Step 1: Install Auto Form Builder

If you haven’t already:

1. Go to Plugins → Add New
2. Search for “AFB” (the short name for Auto Form Builder)
3. Find “AFB – Auto Form Builder – Drag & Drop Form Creator“
4. Click Install Now, then Activate

Step 2: Navigate to Submissions

1. In your WordPress admin, go to Auto Form Builder → Submissions
2. You’ll see a list of all form submissions

The submissions page shows:

• Entry ID
• Form name
• Submission date/time
• Key field data (name, email)
• Status (read/unread)
• Actions (view, delete)

Viewing Individual Submissions

Click any submission to see full details:

What You’ll See

• All field responses – Every answer the user submitted
• Submission metadata – Date, time, form name
• User information – IP address, browser, referrer URL
• File attachments – Download links for uploaded files

Quick Actions

From the submission detail view, you can:

• Mark as read/unread – Track which entries you’ve reviewed
• Delete – Remove unwanted submissions
• Print – Generate a printable version
• Reply – Open email client to respond

Filtering Submissions

When you have hundreds of submissions, filters help you find what you need:

Filter by Form

If you have multiple forms (contact, support, quote request), filter to see submissions from just one form:

• Select form from dropdown
• Click “Filter” or results update automatically

Use case: Show only support ticket submissions to your support team.

Filter by Date

View submissions from a specific time period:

• Today – See what came in today
• This week – Recent submissions
• This month – Monthly overview
• Custom range – Pick specific start and end dates

Use case: Review all submissions from last month for reporting.

Filter by Status

Track which submissions you’ve handled:

• Unread – New submissions not yet reviewed
• Read – Submissions you’ve already seen
• All – Everything

Use case: Start each day by reviewing unread submissions.

Search Submissions

Find specific entries by searching:

• Search by name
• Search by email
• Search by any text in the submission

Use case: Customer calls asking about their submission—search their email to find it instantly.

Organizing Submissions

Read/Unread Status

The simplest organization method:

• New submissions arrive as Unread
• After reviewing, mark as Read
• Unread count shows in your dashboard

This creates a basic workflow: review unread → take action → mark read.

Sorting Options

Sort the submissions list by:

• Date (newest first) – See latest submissions
• Date (oldest first) – Process in order received
• Form name – Group by form type

Pagination

Control how many entries appear per page:

• 20 per page – Quick scanning
• 50 per page – See more at once
• 100 per page – Bulk review

Bulk Actions

Handle multiple submissions at once:

Select Multiple Entries

1. Check the boxes next to submissions
2. Or use “Select All” to select the entire page

Available Bulk Actions

• Mark as Read – Update status for selected entries
• Mark as Unread – Reset status
• Delete – Remove selected submissions
• Export – Download selected entries

Use case: Select all spam submissions, bulk delete.

Exporting Submissions

Get your data out of WordPress for analysis, backup, or sharing:

Export Formats

CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

Best for: Spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets)

• Opens directly in Excel
• Easy to sort, filter, analyze
• Compatible with almost everything

JSON

Best for: Developers, API integrations

• Structured data format
• Preserves complex data types
• Easy to process programmatically

XML

Best for: Enterprise systems, data interchange

• Standard format for many business systems
• Self-describing data structure

Export Options

Export All Submissions

Download every submission from a form—useful for backups and complete data analysis.

Export Filtered Results

Apply filters first, then export only matching submissions:

• Export this month’s submissions
• Export from a specific form
• Export search results

Export Selected

Check specific submissions and export just those entries.

Export Settings

Customize your export:

• Include timestamps – Add submission date/time
• Include metadata – IP address, browser info
• Anonymize data – Remove personal information for GDPR compliance

Submission Workflows

Create efficient processes for handling submissions:

Daily Review Workflow

1. Check dashboard for unread count
2. Go to Submissions → Filter: Unread
3. Review each submission
4. Take action (respond, forward, etc.)
5. Mark as Read

Team Workflow

When multiple people handle submissions:

1. Assign forms to team members (support tickets to support team)
2. Each person filters by their assigned form
3. Use read/unread status to avoid duplicate work
4. Export weekly reports for management

Monthly Reporting Workflow

1. Filter by date: This month
2. Export to CSV
3. Open in Excel/Sheets
4. Create charts and summaries
5. Share with stakeholders

Email Notifications vs. Dashboard

You have two ways to stay informed about submissions:

Email Notifications

Pros:

• Instant alerts when submissions arrive
• Can respond directly from email
• Works when you’re away from WordPress

Cons:

• Can get buried in inbox
• No organization features
• Can’t export from email

Dashboard Management

Pros:

• All submissions in one place
• Powerful filtering and search
• Export capabilities
• Bulk actions
• Permanent record

Cons:

• Must log into WordPress to see submissions
• No push notifications

Best practice: Use both! Email notifications alert you immediately; dashboard manages the long-term record.

Handling Spam Submissions

Some submissions will be spam. Here’s how to handle them:

Identify Spam

Common spam indicators:

• Gibberish text
• Suspicious links
• Unrelated content
• Foreign characters in unexpected places
• Multiple submissions from same source

Delete Spam

1. Select spam submissions
2. Use bulk delete action

Prevent Future Spam

• Enable honeypot fields (built into Auto Form Builder)
• Add reCAPTCHA
• Add Cloudflare Turnstile
• Use required fields strategically

Data Retention and Privacy

How Long to Keep Submissions

Consider:

• Legal requirements – Some industries require keeping records
• Business needs – How long is data useful?
• Privacy regulations – GDPR limits data retention

Regular Cleanup

Periodically delete old submissions:

1. Export old submissions (backup)
2. Filter by date (older than X months)
3. Bulk delete

GDPR Compliance

If you serve EU users:

• Export user data on request
• Delete user data on request
• Use anonymization when exporting for analysis
• Don’t keep data longer than necessary

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Can’t Find a Submission

Try:

• Clear all filters
• Search by email or name
• Check if accidentally deleted
• Verify the form was submitted successfully

Missing Submissions

Possible causes:

• Form validation errors (submission never completed)
• Server issues during submission
• Browser issues on user’s end

Export Issues

If export fails:

• Try a smaller date range
• Try a different format (CSV vs JSON)
• Check server memory limits

Best Practices Summary

Daily Habits

• Check unread submissions each morning
• Respond within 24 hours
• Mark entries as read after handling

Weekly Tasks

• Delete spam submissions
• Review submission volume trends
• Export backup if needed

Monthly Tasks

• Export for reporting
• Clean up old submissions
• Review form performance (submission counts)

Frequently Asked Questions

Are submissions stored in my database?

Yes, all submissions are saved in your WordPress database. They persist even if email delivery fails.

Can I edit submissions after they’re received?

Typically no—submissions are a record of what the user entered. You can add notes or tags, but the original data remains intact.

How many submissions can I store?

There’s no hard limit. Your database can handle thousands of submissions. Very large volumes may slow down the admin interface.

Will submissions be lost if I deactivate the plugin?

Submissions stay in your database when you deactivate. They’re only removed if you uninstall the plugin and choose to delete data.

Can multiple team members access submissions?

Yes, anyone with WordPress admin access can view submissions. For more granular permissions, you’d need a role management plugin.

Summary

Effective submission management:

1. Access submissions in Auto Form Builder → Submissions
2. Filter by form, date, status, or search
3. Use read/unread status to track what you’ve reviewed
4. Bulk actions save time on repetitive tasks
5. Export regularly for backup and analysis
6. Clean up spam and old entries periodically

Conclusion

Collecting form submissions is only half the job. Managing them effectively ensures no lead is missed, responses are timely, and your data is organized and accessible.

Auto Form Builder provides a complete submission management dashboard—view, filter, search, organize, and export your form data without leaving WordPress.

Ready to take control of your submissions? Download Auto Form Builder and start managing your form submissions like a pro.