JnK Plugins
How to Save Contact Form 7 Submissions to the Database
Contact Form 7 is the most-installed form plugin on WordPress — and one of the few that stores nothing by default. It emails each submission and then forgets it. If that email bounces, lands in spam, or gets deleted, the enquiry is gone for good.
The good news: you don’t have to switch away from CF7 to fix this. This guide shows how to save Contact Form 7 submissions to the WordPress database — with searchable records, CSV export, and zero changes to your existing forms — using the free EntryVault plugin.
Why doesn’t Contact Form 7 save submissions?
By design. CF7 is a lightweight form renderer and mailer — it builds the form, validates input, and sends a notification email. It deliberately keeps no database of entries, which is why it stays small and fast. The trade-off is that every submission is only as reliable as your mail delivery, and you have no record to search, follow up on, or export.
The classic fixes are a dedicated storage add-on (like Flamingo) or moving to a form plugin that stores natively. EntryVault takes the first path but goes further: it captures CF7 and ten other builders into one place. If you’d rather leave CF7 entirely, our Contact Form 7 alternative guide weighs that option instead.
How to save Contact Form 7 entries to the database
Step 1 — Keep your existing CF7 forms exactly as they are
You don’t touch your forms. No new fields, no shortcode changes, no re-mapping. EntryVault reads submissions through CF7’s own hooks, so whatever you already have keeps working.
Step 2 — Install EntryVault
From your dashboard go to Plugins → Add New, search for EntryVault, then install and activate the free build. It runs alongside Contact Form 7 — you’re adding a database, not replacing your form plugin.
Step 3 — There’s no configuration step
This is the part people expect to be fiddly, and isn’t. EntryVault auto-detects that Contact Form 7 is active and loads only the CF7 adapter — no API keys, no per-form setup. Submit a test entry on any CF7 form and it lands in EntryVault immediately.
Step 4 — See every CF7 submission in one place
Open EntryVault → Submissions. Each entry is stored with its full field values, the source form, and a timestamp — searchable by name or email and filterable by date. If you also run WPForms, Gravity, Ninja, or others, their entries sit right alongside your CF7 ones in the same board.
Step 5 — Export to CSV
Need the data in a spreadsheet, your email tool, or handed to a colleague? Hit Export CSV on the Submissions screen to download everything — or a filtered view — as a clean, portable file. This is the report CF7 alone can never give you.
The detail that actually matters: capture happens before the email
Most CF7 storage add-ons record a submission only after — or only if — the notification email is sent. EntryVault captures on the wpcf7_before_send_mail step, the same hook Flamingo uses, which means:
Your lead is recorded even when the notification email fails to send — which is exactly the moment you’d otherwise lose it. A misconfigured SMTP setup or a bouncing inbox no longer costs you the enquiry.
That single design choice is the difference between “I think we missed some contacts last month” and a complete, dependable record.
Do more with the entries (optional, Pro)
Storing and exporting is free forever. When you want to work the submissions rather than just keep them, EntryVault Pro adds a light CRM layer on top of the same board:
- Pipelines — drag cards through stages (New → Contacted → Won).
- Owners — assign entries to teammates, with round-robin.
- Automations — trigger actions when a submission arrives or changes stage.
- IMAP reply sync — connect a mailbox so email replies attach to the right entry.
Contact Form 7 storage: the quick comparison
| Approach | Stores entries | Survives a failed email | CSV export | Multiple builders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CF7 alone | No | — | No | — |
| Flamingo | Yes | Yes | Limited | CF7 only |
| EntryVault | Yes | Yes | Yes | 11 builders |
For a fuller feature-by-feature look at the storage-add-on route, see EntryVault vs Flamingo.
Pricing
EntryVault has a free-forever core that stores your Contact Form 7 entries, gives you the unified board, and exports to CSV. Pro unlocks the CRM workflow — pipelines, owners, automations, and IMAP reply sync — starting at $79/year for a single site, with a $319 lifetime option. See the pricing page for all tiers.
The bottom line
You don’t have to abandon Contact Form 7 to stop losing submissions — you just have to give it a database. EntryVault does that in about five minutes, keeps every entry even when email fails, and lets you export whenever you need to. And it’s free to start.
Ready to try it? Explore EntryVault or download the free edition.
Frequently asked questions
How do I save Contact Form 7 submissions to the database?
Install a storage plugin such as EntryVault (or Flamingo), which hooks into Contact Form 7 and records every submission automatically — no changes to your existing forms. With EntryVault the entries are searchable and exportable to CSV out of the box.
Does storing CF7 entries change my forms?
No. EntryVault reads submissions through CF7’s own hooks, so you keep your existing forms exactly as they are — no new fields, no shortcode changes, no re-mapping.
What happens if the notification email fails?
Your lead is still saved. EntryVault captures on the wpcf7_before_send_mail step — before the email is sent — so a bouncing inbox or misconfigured SMTP no longer costs you the enquiry, which is exactly when you’d otherwise lose it.
Related reading
- Does Contact Form 7 store data? — the short answer, and how to check what your site is saving
- Migrating form entries between plugins — taking stored CF7 entries with you to a new builder
