Troubleshooting

This section covers the most common issues Fillin Forge users encounter, along with step-by-step solutions. Most problems have simple fixes. Work through the relevant steps in order, and you will likely resolve the issue without needing to contact support.

When troubleshooting, the most important rule is: change one thing at a time and test after each change. This way you know exactly what fixed the problem.

Form Does Not Appear on the Page

This is the most common issue, and it is almost always a simple fix.

1. Check the shortcode ID. Go to Fillin Forge > All Forms and compare the shortcode shown there with what you pasted on the page. The IDs must match exactly. A mismatch means the page is looking for a form that does not exist at that ID.
2. Make sure the form is saved. If you created the form but did not click Save Form, it may not have an ID yet. Go back to the builder and save.
3. Clear your cache. If you use a caching plugin (WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, WP Rocket, etc.), clear the cache after adding the form. Cached pages serve the old version without the form.
4. Check for JavaScript errors. Open your browser’s developer console (press F12 or Cmd+Option+I, then click the Console tab) and look for red error messages. A JavaScript conflict with another plugin or theme can prevent the form from rendering.
5. Try a default theme. Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four) to rule out a theme conflict. If the form appears with the default theme, your theme has a conflict.

Submissions Are Not Being Saved

1. Check for JavaScript errors in the browser console when you click Submit. Errors prevent the form from completing its AJAX submission.
2. Temporarily disable spam protection. Go to Fillin Forge > Settings, find the Google reCAPTCHA v3 card and clear the Site Key and Secret Key. If submissions start working, the issue is your reCAPTCHA configuration (check your keys).
3. Check server error logs. Contact your hosting provider or check your hosting control panel for PHP error logs. Look for errors mentioning Fillin Forge.
4. Test with all other plugins deactivated. Deactivate all plugins except Fillin Forge and test again. If it works, reactivate plugins one by one to find the conflict.

Stripe Payments Failing

1. Verify you are using the correct key pair. Test keys start with pk_test_ and sk_test_. Live keys start with pk_live_ and sk_live_. Do not mix test and live keys.
2. Check the Webhook Signing Secret. It must match exactly what Stripe shows. Regenerate it if in doubt.
3. Check the browser console (F12 > Console) for Stripe.js errors. These usually explain exactly what is wrong.
4. Test with Stripe’s test card numbers: 4242 4242 4242 4242 for success, 4000 0000 0000 0002 for decline. Use any future expiration date and any 3-digit CVC.
5. Verify the webhook endpoint is reachable. In your Stripe Dashboard under Webhooks, check for failed delivery attempts. If deliveries are failing, your server may be blocking external requests.

Not Receiving Email Notifications

1. Install WP Mail SMTP. This is the single most effective fix. WordPress’s default email function is unreliable on many hosting providers. WP Mail SMTP routes emails through a proper email service like Gmail, SendGrid, or Mailgun.
2. Check your spam/junk folder. Notification emails from WordPress often end up in spam, especially if your domain does not have proper SPF/DKIM records.
3. Verify the notification email address. Open the form in the builder, find the Email Notifications card, and confirm that Notify admin on submission is toggled on and that the Notification email is correct and has no typos.
4. Send a test email. Many SMTP plugins have a “Send Test Email” feature. Use it to verify your email setup works at all.
5. Check your hosting provider’s email limits. Some shared hosting plans limit the number of emails per hour.

Integration Not Working (Google Sheets, Mailchimp, HubSpot)

1. Check the connection status in Fillin Forge > Settings. Each service has its own card there. A connected card shows “Connected to Mailchimp” with the account name, “Connected to HubSpot”, or “Connected as” with your Google account (or “Google account connected”), and a Disconnect button. If the card shows an API Key field (Mailchimp), a Private App Access Token field (HubSpot) or a Connect Google Account button instead, connect the service again. For WhatsApp, confirm that Enable WhatsApp integration globally is on and that the recipient number is saved with a country code.
2. Verify the integration is enabled on the specific form. Open the form in the builder, find the card of that integration and confirm its toggle is on.
3. Check which fields are sent. The builder has no field mapping screen. Mailchimp gets the email address from the field chosen under Email Field in the Mailchimp card (or from the first Email field that has a value), and HubSpot from the first Email field that has a value. Google Sheets gets one row: the submission ID, the date and time, and one cell for each field of the form that takes an answer, in the order of the form (a field the visitor did not see leaves an empty cell).
4. Re-authorize if needed. For Google integrations, try disconnecting and reconnecting in the Google (Sheets + Calendar) card in Fillin Forge > Settings. OAuth tokens can expire.
5. Reconnect Avakode if the card mentions a site capability token. If PRO was activated via an older path, use Connect to Avakode to bind the site token — manual key activation is no longer available. Open Fillin Forge > License, click Connect to Avakode, then return to Settings.
6. Check the external service. Make sure your Mailchimp audience exists, the spreadsheet chosen in the Google Sheets card still exists (Fillin Forge adds each submission as a new row and does not read your header row), or your HubSpot Private App has the correct scopes.
7. Check the integration log. Mailchimp and HubSpot attempts are recorded in the formforge_integration_log option (the last 75 entries), which has no screen in the dashboard. A skipped entry gives the reason: license_missing_mailchimp or license_missing_hubspot (the license check for that integration failed), disabled_for_form (the integration is off for that form), missing_list_id (Mailchimp has no audience chosen) or missing_valid_email (the submission has no valid email address). A failed request is recorded as an error with the error text, for example “Could not verify this site before using Mailchimp. Reconnect your Avakode license and try again.”

AI Submission Analysis Fails

1. Confirm the feature is available. AI Submission Analysis is PRO-only. On Free installs, the analysis button should not appear in Submissions, Analytics shortcuts, or the editor shortcut.
2. Check the submission count. A form needs at least 10 submissions before the analysis has enough data.
3. Check credits. A fresh analysis starts at 5 credits. If your remaining balance is below the action cost, the API returns credits_exhausted with the remaining and required credit counts.
4. No daily limit applies. Paid AI has no daily cap, so usage earlier in the day never blocks a new analysis. If AI Submission Analysis doesn’t run, confirm you have enough credits for the 5-credit action — otherwise it’s a temporary AI issue.
5. Retry temporary failures. If the panel says the AI service is temporarily unavailable, wait a few minutes and run the analysis again. Failed analysis jobs do not spend credits.

Form Looks Broken or Unstyled

1. Check for CSS conflicts. Other plugins or your theme may override Fillin Forge’s styles. Use your browser’s developer tools (F12 > Elements) to inspect the form elements and look for overridden styles.
2. Clear your cache. Stale CSS files can cause display issues.
3. Test with a default theme. If the form looks correct with Twenty Twenty-Four, your theme’s CSS is conflicting.
4. Check for missing assets. In the browser console, look for 404 errors on CSS or JavaScript files.

> Tip: When troubleshooting, change one thing at a time and test after each change. This way you know exactly what fixed the problem. If you change three things at once and the problem goes away, you will not know which fix was the right one.

> Good to know: PRO users have access to priority email support. If you have worked through the relevant troubleshooting steps and the issue persists, contact support with a description of the problem, what you have already tried, and any error messages you have seen. This helps the support team resolve your issue faster.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming the problem is Fillin Forge when it is actually a theme or plugin conflict. Always test with other plugins deactivated and a default theme before concluding that Fillin Forge has a bug.
• Making multiple changes at once. Methodical, one-at-a-time troubleshooting is faster in the long run.
• Ignoring the browser console. Most JavaScript-related issues show clear error messages in the console that point directly to the cause.

[Screenshot: A browser developer console open alongside a form page, showing a JavaScript error with a clear message about the conflict source]

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