Why is my contact form not sending emails?

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

Store owners report contact forms appearing to submit successfully but emails not arriving. The issue stems from multiple causes requiring different solutions:

Primary Technical Causes:

  • Incorrect SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records in DNS settings preventing Shopify from sending emails using the store’s domain
  • Stores being placed on Shopify’s “suppression list” after repeated email bouncebacks
  • Email providers (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) blocking or filtering Shopify-sent emails as spam

Recommended Solutions:

  1. Update DNS TXT records to include Shopify authorization:
    • For Gmail: v=spf1 a mx include:_spf.google.com include:shops.shopify.com ~all
    • For Outlook: v=spf1 a mx include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:shops.shopify.com ~all
  2. Ensure only ONE SPF record exists (multiple records cause conflicts)
  3. Wait 48 hours for DNS propagation after changes
  4. Contact Shopify support via chat to request removal from suppression list if emails still don’t arrive
  5. Verify emails aren’t landing in spam folders

Key Points:

  • The issue is typically NOT Shopify’s fault but rather domain/email provider configuration
  • Stores on development/trial plans may experience different behavior than paid plans
  • Some users successfully resolved issues by using alternative sender email addresses or third-party form apps, though these have privacy/speed tradeoffs
Summarized with AI on November 1. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
174

Basically,

Do in a shopify chat, not tickets, response is too slow and misunderstood via the ticket system ( aka shopify is useless )

– get the sender name the contact form uses ( via shopify chat ) mailer [email removed] myshopify .com ???

– get the “to” address ( your store setup ) they send to your [email removed] email .com is it going to xyz [email removed] hanahlife .com ???

– get the “subject” line the form always uses

Then contact Google email support and ask them to whitelist the sender / subject. OR at least ask why are they blocking shopify.

– fix what concerns Google has ( if any )

When Google email is happy,

– then go back to shopify to remove from supression list again, and test IN A CHAT, not email tickets.

Only once you are happy with google , then they remove from supression on shopify, then they test IN A CHAT, and then report any concerns.

Google is starting to ask for DMARC records, if thats the case, then we’ll do that too.

PM back, this is not forum useful.

:slightly_smiling_face:

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