Troubleshooting Ninja Forms: 5 Common Issues

With over 50,000 WordPress plugins to choose from it’s no surprise that one of the most common WordPress website or contact form issues that occur is plugin compatibility.

In today’s article, we will take a look at how to fix plugin compatibility issues, as well as common issues when troubleshooting Ninja Forms such as how to fix ninja forms not sending email, submissions not downloading, submissions not displaying/showing blank, and more. Ready to dive in? Let’s go!

Table of contents

1. Plugin conflict
2. Ninja Forms not sending an email
3. Can’t download Ninja Forms submissions
4. Ninja Forms submissions not displaying/showing blank issue
5. reCAPTCHA not working on my WordPress form

1. Plugin compatibility issues (plugin conflict) with Ninja Forms

Let’s first address what exactly are compatibility issues, as they are one of the most common reasons why WordPress plugins fail to function as expected. It happens when two or more plugins installed on your website interfere with each other’s functionality, causing errors, crashes, or unexpected behavior. It is quite frustrating when you have spent hours configuring your website, only to realize that your contact form plugin no longer works as expected.

We pride ourselves to be one of the best contact form plugins for WordPress, but no one is immune to compatibility issues. Not even Ninja Forms. The problems can arise due to several reasons, including outdated plugins, conflicting plugins or themes, or even an outdated WordPress version, resulting in errors, conflicts, and unexpected results.

How to solve compatibility issues with Ninja Forms plugin

Compatibility issues can be quite frustrating, but there are several options to help you solve them. Here are some tips on how to fix the most common plugin compatibility issues with the Ninja Forms plugin:

Update Your Plugins

Outdated plugins can cause compatibility issues. Update your Ninja Forms plugin and all other plugins to their latest versions. Developers regularly update their plugins to improve performance, fix bugs, and enhance compatibility with other plugins.

Use a Compatible Theme

While Ninja Forms is compatible with the majority of WordPress themes, occasionally a theme will make a choice about how to handle a page element that Ninja Forms does not expect. This can cause forms to appear or behave strangely or even not display at all.

If you suspect compatibility issues with your site theme, try switching to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Two. If the issue no longer appears, it’s a good indication that your theme could be causing the problem.

For some themes, you might then be able to fix the issue by making changes to the theme’s configuration, or you may wish to reach out to the theme creator for assistance. You can find more information about how Ninja Forms interacts with themes and handles styling in general here: Styling Your Forms.

Disable Conflicting Plugins

Conflicting plugins can cause compatibility issues. If you suspect a plugin is causing problems, disable it temporarily to see if it resolves the issue. If disabling the plugin solves the problem, then it is incompatible with the Ninja Forms plugin. You can either find a compatible alternative or contact the conflicting plugin’s developer for assistance.

One of the most common compatibility issues with Ninja Forms is a conflict with caching plugins. Caching plugins can be essential for speeding up your website. However, they can also interfere with the functionality of other plugins, including contact form plugins. If you are experiencing issues with Ninja Forms, try disabling your caching plugin temporarily to see if it resolves the issues.

Check Your WordPress Version

WordPress regularly releases updates to improve performance, fix bugs, and enhance security. If you are using an outdated version of WordPress, it could cause compatibility issues with Ninja Forms. Make sure you are using the latest version of WordPress to avoid compatibility issues.

2. Ninja Forms not sending an email

First, a quick recap on how WordPress email works. WordPress uses the PHP mail() function to send emails. PHP is the language of WordPress, so sending emails using this function is the default for WordPress sites. However, each hosting provider needs to ensure that the PHP mail function is properly configured.

With that being said, Ninja Forms is not responsible for sending emails. We pass the data onto your local WordPress -> PHP installation, via the wp_mail() function. Your server then looks at the settings it has for email and sends out the email. This step is usually managed by your web host or an SMTP plugin.

Solution for Ninja Forms not sending an email

First, make sure you have enabled an email action on your form. If that is set up correctly, get yourself into the character of Inspector Clouseaut and start investigating whether the emails are processing properly. We make it easy for you. You can use a plugin such as WP Mail Logging to see what data is being sent out through wp_mail().

If the email shows up in the WP Mail Logging plugin’s log, then Ninja Forms has successfully handed off the email to the wp_mail function and has no more control over its deliverability. However, if the email is present in the log without errors but you are not receiving it (and you have verified that the email is being directed to the correct email and is not being improperly filtered by a spam filter, for example), please contact your host, as it is likely that the problem results from an issue in your email server.

Does your email appear to be processed properly, but you are unable to resolve the issue with your host? Try using the SendWP service to send your email. This service will make sure that your emails are delivered as you expect!

Are you eager to explore more information about sending WordPress emails? We got your back with our troubleshooting guide to email here:

• Troubleshooting Ninja Form Submission Notification Emails
• Troubleshooting Ninja Forms Email: A Comprehensive How-To Part 1
• Troubleshooting Ninja Forms Email: A Comprehensive How-To Part 2
• Troubleshooting Ninja Forms Email: A Comprehensive How-To Part 3

3. Can’t download Ninja Forms submissions

Are you getting an error message “Submissions download failed” when trying to export your form submissions? Frequently, problems arise from issues with older versions of PHP, including display, data management and access, and other issues.

First, ensure you’re using at least PHP 7.4. Your host should be able to help you upgrade your PHP version. WordPress and Ninja Forms require PHP version 7.4 or later. Also, make sure your Ninja Forms core plugin and any add-ons are updated to their latest versions.

If you’re using a supported version of PHP but can’t seem to find a way out of this issue, deactivate all your plugins temporarily that are not Ninja Forms add-ons and switch to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Two.

Did this solve the problem? If the answer is yes, the problem was caused by an issue in one of those plugins or your theme. Make sure you reactivate them one at a time until the issue returns to determine which plugin is causing the conflict.

4. Ninja Forms submissions not displaying/showing blank issue

If your WordPress submissions are not displaying, or your form is stuck on processing, you can execute the same approach as above. Make sure your form plugin and any add-ons are updated to the latest version. If this does not solve the issue do the following:

Try temporarily deactivating all your plugins that are not Ninja Forms add-ons and switch to a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-Two. If you do not have a development environment for your site (this is best practice and highly recommended), you can use the Health Check plugin to temporarily disable plugins and your theme for a single-user session, instead of all users using your site.

If this step solves your issue, then the problem was caused by an issue in one of those plugins or your theme. Reactivate them one at a time until the issue returns to determine which plugin is causing the conflict.

If you are still having issues, we have created a temporary workaround for Ninja Forms to use the old Submissions section. This option is located under Ninja Forms > Settings > Advanced Settings  > Show Legacy Submissions Page. However, we recommend you reach out to our support team to troubleshoot further if the issue continues to persist.

5. reCAPTCHA not working on my WordPress form

You keep getting errors, and you aren’t sure why reCAPTCHA is not working on your WordPress form. The most common error you can find in either v2 or v3 of reCAPTCHA is the error for site owner (invalid domain), which means the domain or site URL you added to the admin console is incorrect.

The other one is when your reCaptcha isn’t visible anywhere on your page or post, which often means you have an invalid site key. If you have both reCaptcha v2 and v3 loaded simultaneously, this will also lead to failed Recaptcha validation.

How to fix when reCAPTCHA is not working on your form?

If you want to learn step-by-step how to fix the most common errors, head to this article Why reCAPTCHA Isn’t Working on Your WordPress Form.

As reCAPTCHA is one of the most popular ways to protect websites from spam and bots among WordPress users, we wanted to explore this topic further. Here is the list of reCaptcha articles you might find interesting:

• How to Easily Add reCAPTCHA v3 to Your WordPress Form
• How to reCaptcha to Secure Login Forms
• How to Use reCAPTCHA to Protect WordPress Forms from Spam, Brute Force Logins, and Carding Attacks
• How to Stop WordPress Form Spam

You’ve just learned to troubleshoot Ninja Forms and fix common plugin compatibility issues in WordPress!

At Ninja Forms, we are committed to transparency and honesty. So let’s be real here. Compatibility and other issues with the WordPress plugins are like living with a pre-existing condition. But you can always take action to minimize the risk of encountering these issues and keep your website running smoothly.

With so many plugins out there, you’ve probably faced some sort of struggle at least once in your WordPress career, but the golden rule is to maintain a sense of humor to make the stress easier to handle. And with this hilarious list of best WordPress memes of 2024, you’ll be sure to laugh through the tears when you feel frustrated.

We hope with the tips outlined in today’s article, you’ll know how to quickly solve common plugin compatibility issues so you can continue enjoying its excellent functionality with your WordPress website.