How to add reCAPTCHA to WordPress forms

How to add reCAPTCHA to WordPress forms

Google reCAPTCHA helps stop spam bots submitting your forms.

Step 1: Get keys

  1. Go to google.com/recaptcha/admin and register your site.
  2. Choose the reCAPTCHA type your form plugin supports (v2 "I'm not a robot" checkbox or v3).
  3. Add your domain(s) and submit to get a site key and secret key.

Step 2: Add them to your form plugin

  • Contact Form 7: Contact › Integration › reCAPTCHA › Setup Integration, paste both keys and save. (Contact Form 7 uses v3.)
  • WPForms, Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms: look in the plugin's settings under CAPTCHA or Integrations.

Protecting the login page

Security plugins such as Wordfence or dedicated reCAPTCHA plugins can add a challenge to wp-login.php as well.

Alternatives that don't need Google include Cloudflare Turnstile and honeypot fields, which many form plugins support.

    • Related Articles

    • How to send WordPress emails via SMTP

      In WordPress, go to Plugins › Add New Plugin, search for WP Mail SMTP and install and activate it. Go to WP Mail SMTP › Settings. Set From Email to a mailbox on your domain and tick Force From Email. Under Mailer, choose Other SMTP. Enter: SMTP Host: ...
    • How to use SVG images in WordPress

      WordPress blocks SVG uploads by default because SVG files can contain code, which could be used to attack a site. To allow them safely: Go to Plugins › Add New Plugin and search for Safe SVG. Install and activate it. Upload SVGs through the Media ...
    • How to increase the PHP memory limit in WordPress

      If you see "Allowed memory size exhausted", WordPress needs more PHP memory. Step 1: Raise PHP's limit In cPanel, open MultiPHP INI Editor in the Software section. Choose your domain. Set memory_limit to 256M (or 512M for heavy sites) and click ...
    • How to install WordPress

      You can install WordPress in a few clicks from cPanel. Option 1: WordPress Toolkit (recommended) In cPanel, open WordPress Management (WP Toolkit) in the Domains section. Click Install. Choose the domain and, if needed, a sub-folder. Leave the folder ...
    • How to add your email to an iPhone or iPad

      Open Settings › Apps › Mail › Mail Accounts › Add Account (on older iOS versions: Settings › Mail › Accounts › Add Account). Tap Other › Add Mail Account. Enter your name, full email address, password and a description, then tap Next. Make sure IMAP ...