01 / Getting started
Install the plugin
From WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New and search for Advanced Email Filter for Elementor Forms. Install and activate the plugin, then open Email Filter → Settings.
- 01Install and activate the plugin.
- 02Configure your site-wide filtering rules.
- 03Edit an Elementor Form when it needs different rules.
- 04Test accepted and rejected addresses before publishing.
RequirementsWordPress 5.6+Elementor Pro 3.0+PHP 7.4+
Screenshot placeholderWordPress plugin settings screenReplace with /public/images/docs/plugin-settings.png
02 / Feature overview
Everything included in the Free plugin
The Free plugin covers the core email-validation workflow for Elementor Forms. These features can work together, with allowlist rules taking priority when a trusted address must pass.
Global allowlistLet trusted addresses and domains pass across every supported form.
Global blocklistReject known addresses, domains, partial patterns and top-level domains site-wide.
Per-form rulesGive an individual Elementor Form its own allowlist, blocklist and filtering behavior.
Wildcard matchingMatch full addresses, domains, partial values and TLD patterns without listing every address.
Business email filterReject common personal mailbox providers when a form requires company email addresses.
Disposable email filterBlock temporary and throwaway email services using maintained domain lists.
Local list cachingCache the latest valid public domain lists locally and retain a safe fallback if refresh fails.
03 / Global settings
Protect every form with site-wide rules
Open Email Filter → Settings to configure the defaults used across the website.
Global allowlist
Add trusted email addresses, domains or patterns that should always be accepted. An allowlist match overrides blocking rules.
Global blocklist
Add addresses, domains, partial patterns or TLDs that should be rejected across supported forms.
Rule priorityAllowlist matches take priority. After that, the plugin evaluates configured blocklists, business-email rules and disposable-email rules.
04 / Per-form settings
Give each Elementor Form the rules it needs
Edit the Elementor Form widget and open its Email Filtering settings. Use form-level controls when a lead form, registration form or campaign form needs different behavior from the site default.
Form-level blocklistAdd restrictions that apply only to the selected form.
Form-level allowlistPermit trusted addresses or domains for this form.
Business email modeRequire business addresses on selected B2B forms.
Disposable blockingEnable temporary-email protection where lead quality matters most.
Screenshot placeholderElementor Form email-filtering controlsReplace with /public/images/docs/form-rules.png
05 / Pattern syntax
Choose how broadly a rule should match
Start with the most precise rule possible. Patterns are not case-sensitive, and multiple entries should be separated with commas.
user@domain.comOne exact email address
Matches only user@domain.com. Use this when you know the specific address you want to allow or block.
@spamdomain.comEvery address from one domain
Matches any mailbox ending in @spamdomain.com, such as sales@spamdomain.com or hello@spamdomain.com.
*@trusted.orgDomain wildcard
The * represents any mailbox name, so every email address at trusted.org will match.
*.ruAny address using a .ru domain
Matches email domains ending in .ru. This is a broad rule and may affect many legitimate addresses.
temp-*Anything beginning with temp-
Matches values that start with temp-, such as temp-123@example.com. The * represents the remaining characters.
What does * mean?An asterisk is a wildcard. It stands for any number of characters. The broader the wildcard, the more email addresses the rule can affect.
06 / Domain filters
Filter disposable and personal mailbox providers
Disposable email filtering
Blocks known temporary and throwaway email services using maintained public domain lists. This is useful for lead generation, registrations and gated content.
Business email filtering
Blocks common personal providers such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail and Outlook when a workflow requires a company address.
Both filters can be configured globally and, where appropriate, for an individual form.
07 / Local caching
Keep maintained domain lists close to WordPress
The plugin periodically refreshes supported public domain lists and caches the latest valid copy locally. If a refresh fails, the previous valid cache remains available so filtering does not depend on a successful remote request during every submission.
Submission-time behaviorSubmitted email addresses and form contents are not sent to the public list source. Validation uses the locally cached data.
08 / Pro features
Reporting and governance for growing sites
Advanced Email Filter Pro extends the core filtering workflow with privacy-first reporting, exports, summaries, submission controls and Elementor Atomic Form support.
Validation analyticsView accepted and rejected submission trends without storing raw submitted email addresses.
Rejection reportingUnderstand rejection reasons and compare validation activity by form.
CSV exportsExport validation reports for analysis and operational review.
Email summariesReceive optional summaries without repeatedly opening the WordPress dashboard.
Submission limitsApply global or per-form submission controls where a form needs stronger governance.
Keyed-hash countersCount repeat activity without retaining raw email addresses in analytics records.
Elementor Atomic FormsExtend filtering and submission-limit controls to Elementor Atomic Forms.
Screenshot placeholderPro validation analytics dashboardReplace with /public/images/docs/analytics.png
09 / Submission limits
Control repeat activity globally or by form
Pro adds submission-limit controls for workflows that need more governance than an email validation rule alone. Configure a global policy or use a form-specific limit when only selected forms need the restriction.
Privacy-first countersKeyed-hash counters support repeat-activity checks without storing raw submitted email addresses in the analytics record.
Screenshot placeholderGlobal and per-form submission limitsReplace with /public/images/docs/submission-limits.png
10 / Elementor Atomic Forms
Bring Pro controls to Atomic Forms
Pro adds email filtering and submission-limit support for Elementor Atomic Forms. Configure the available filtering rules in the Atomic Form workflow and test both accepted and rejected submissions before publishing.
Screenshot placeholderAtomic Form filtering controlsReplace with /public/images/docs/atomic-forms.png
11 / Privacy
Keep submitted data in WordPress
Submitted email addresses and form contents are not sent to an external filtering service. Public domain lists may be refreshed remotely and cached locally.
Pro analytics stores aggregate validation counts and keyed-hash counters. It does not store raw submitted email addresses, IP addresses, field values or matched patterns in analytics records.
Local validationAggregate countsNo raw email analytics
12 / Troubleshooting
Check configuration before changing rules
An unwanted address is still accepted
Confirm the relevant global and form-level filters are enabled, review allowlist exceptions, check comma separation and verify that the pattern matches the complete address or intended domain.
A legitimate address is rejected
Check global and form allowlists, business-email mode, disposable filtering and broad domain or TLD patterns. Add the narrowest safe allowlist exception.
Settings are not visible in Elementor
Confirm that Elementor Pro and the plugin are active and current, then reopen the editor. Also verify that you are editing a supported Form widget.
A domain-list refresh fails
The plugin should continue using the latest valid local cache. Check WordPress file permissions, scheduled tasks and outbound requests before forcing another refresh.
13 / Developer notes
Customize the validation message
Developers can customize the blocked-email validation message with the supported filter:
add_filter('aefe_validation_error', function ($message, $email) {
return __('Please use a valid business email address.', 'your-text-domain');
}, 10, 2);
Return a clear user-facing message and avoid exposing internal rule details or matched patterns.
14 / FAQ
Common questions
Does the plugin stop all spam?
No. It adds strong email-based controls and should be used alongside normal WordPress security and spam-prevention practices.
Can I allow only business addresses?
Yes. Business-email filtering can block common personal mailbox providers globally or for selected forms.
Can one form have different rules?
Yes. Per-form controls let an individual Elementor Form use its own allowlist, blocklist and domain-filter settings.
Are submitted emails sent to a filtering API?
No. Validation runs in WordPress using configured rules and locally cached public domain lists.
What does Pro add?
Pro adds privacy-first analytics, accepted/rejected trends, rejection reporting, CSV exports, optional email summaries, submission limits, keyed-hash counters and Atomic Forms support.
