Contact Form 7 not working after recent update (PHP version)

Contact Form 7 6.2+ raised the minimum requirement to PHP 8.3 (and WordPress 7.1).

The plugin ships a Composer platform_check.php that hard-fails if PHP_VERSION_ID < 80300.

Temporary workaround (when you cannot immediately upgrade PHP to 8.3+)

1. Edit the main plugin file
File: wp-content/plugins/contact-form-7/wp-contact-form-7.php

Change the header from:

PHP

* Requires PHP: 8.3

to:

PHP

* Requires PHP: 8.2

2. Neutralize the Composer platform check
File: wp-content/plugins/contact-form-7/vendor/composer/platform_check.php

Replace the entire contents with an empty / safe file:

PHP

<?php
// platform_check.php – temporarily disabled

(or simply empty the file / comment out the whole $issues check and the RuntimeException).

Permanent fix (recommended)

Upgrade the server PHP version to 8.3 or higher (via hosting panel / MultiPHP Manager / .htaccess / php.ini). After the PHP upgrade, restore the original plugin files or reinstall Contact Form 7 so the official requirements and platform check are back.

Notes

• This is a temporary bypass only. Running CF7 6.2+ on PHP 8.2 is unsupported and may cause other issues.
• Prefer upgrading PHP (security support for 8.2 ends 31 Dec 2026).
• If the update was forced by Softaculous / auto-updater, consider disabling auto-updates for CF7 until PHP is ready.
• Always test on a staging site first.