Sometimes you need more than what a visitor types into your form. Maybe you want to capture their IP address for security tracking, log the exact page URL where they submitted from, or record which post the form was embedded in. That’s exactly what Contact Form 7 Special Mail Tags are built for.
Unlike regular mail tags, Special Mail Tags aren’t tied to a form field at all. Instead, they automatically pull data from your WordPress site, the visitor’s browser session, or the submission itself — and you can drop them anywhere a mail tag is allowed, including your email body, subject line, or additional headers.
Free vs PRO Support for Special Mail Tags
In the Free version of CF7 Google Sheet Connector, only the [_date] special mail tag works, and it needs to be added manually.
In CF7 Google Sheet Connector PRO, you get a lot more flexibility. You can:
- Select from the full list of supported special mail tags.
- Enable or disable each tag individually as needed.
- Rearrange their order and save your settings.
Once saved, your selected special mail tags are added as headers in your connected Google Sheet. If your sheet already has data in it, we recommend adding new tags to the last columns to keep your existing data organized.
[_serial_number] tag, make sure the Flamingo addon plugin (version 1.5 or higher) is installed and activated — it’s required for serial number support.
Special Mail Tags for Submissions
[_remote_ip]— Displays the submitter’s IP address.[_user_agent]— Displays browser and device information.[_url]— Displays the page URL where the form was submitted.[_date]— Displays the submission date (uses your WordPress Date Format setting).[_time]— Displays the submission time (uses your WordPress Time Format setting).[_invalid_fields]— Shows how many fields failed validation.[_contact_form_title]— Displays the form’s title.[_serial_number]— Adds an auto-incrementing submission number. (Requires the Flamingo 1.5+ plugin.)
Post-Related Special Mail Tags
These tags only work when the form is embedded inside post or page content.
[_post_id]— Post ID.[_post_name]— Post slug.[_post_title]— Post title.[_post_url]— Post permalink.[_post_author]— Author name.[_post_author_email]— Author email.
Site-Related Special Mail Tags
These are especially useful if you reuse the same form across multiple sites.
[_site_title]— Website title.[_site_description]— Site tagline or description.[_site_url]— Website home URL.[_site_domain]— Domain name without “www”.[_site_admin_email]— Primary admin email.
User-Related Special Mail Tags
These tags only work if the person submitting the form is logged in to your website.
[_user_login]— Username / login ID.[_user_email]— User’s email address.[_user_url]— User’s website.[_user_first_name]— User’s first name.[_user_last_name]— User’s last name.[_user_nickname]— User’s nickname.[_user_display_name]— User’s display name.
What’s Next?
Want to go beyond the built-in tags and pull in your own custom data — like UTM parameters or third-party plugin values? See the Hooks to Use Custom Mail Tags guide. To enable and reorder these tags for your form, head to the Plugin Settings – PRO Version guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Special Mail Tags and regular mail tags?
Regular mail tags pull their value from a specific form field. Special Mail Tags aren’t tied to any field — they automatically capture data like the IP address, submission date, or page URL directly from your WordPress site or the visitor’s session.
Which Special Mail Tags work in the Free version?
Only the [_date] tag works in the Free version, and it must be added manually. All other Special Mail Tags require CF7 Google Sheet Connector PRO.
Do I need another plugin to use the _serial_number tag?
Yes. The [_serial_number] tag requires the Flamingo addon plugin, version 1.5 or higher, to be installed and activated.
Why aren't my post-related tags showing any data?
Post-related tags such as [_post_id] and [_post_title] only work when your Contact Form 7 form is embedded directly inside a post or page’s content — not when placed in a widget or template area.
Why aren't my user-related tags capturing any data?
User-related tags only work when the visitor submitting the form is logged in. Make sure Subscribers-only mode or the Nonce setting is enabled in Contact Form 7 to ensure this data is captured correctly.
Can I rearrange the order of my Special Mail Tags?
Yes, in the PRO version. You can enable, disable, and reorder Special Mail Tags from the plugin settings, and the order you set determines the column order in your Google Sheet.
I already have data in my Google Sheet — where should new tags be added?
We recommend adding any newly enabled Special Mail Tags to the last columns of your existing sheet, so your current data stays organized and unaffected.
Can I use Special Mail Tags in my email subject line or headers?
Yes. Special Mail Tags can be used anywhere a regular mail tag is allowed, including the email body, subject line, and additional headers.
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