How to Embed a Koala Form on Any WordPress Page or Post

Building a form is only half the job. Until it’s displayed somewhere visitors can reach, it collects exactly zero submissions. The good news: Koala Forms uses a simple shortcode, so you can embed a form in WordPress on any page, post, sidebar, or footer — without writing a single line of code.

This guide covers every way to display your form, how to preview it before it goes live, and how to fix the handful of issues people occasionally run into.

How embedding works in Koala Forms

When you publish a form, Koala Forms assigns it a unique shortcode that looks like this:

[KoalaForms form_id="123"]

The form_id number is specific to that form. Paste the shortcode anywhere WordPress renders content, and your live form appears in its place. The best part: because the shortcode references the form by ID, any change you make to the form updates everywhere it’s embedded — automatically. Edit once, and every page stays in sync.

Step 1: Copy your form’s shortcode

There are two easy ways to grab it:

From the block editor: With your form open, find the Embed & Preview panel in the settings sidebar. It displays the form’s shortcode with a one-click copy button.
From the forms list: Go to Koala Forms → All Forms. Each form shows its shortcode right in the list, so you can copy it without opening the form.

Step 2: Add the form to a page or post

Open (or create) the page or post where the form should appear — for example, Pages → Add New Page.
Click the + block inserter and add a Shortcode block.
Paste your Koala Forms shortcode into it.
Click Publish or Update.

Visit the page and your form is live. That’s genuinely all it takes.

Tip: If you use the classic editor or a page builder, look for its “shortcode” element or widget and paste the shortcode there instead. Koala Forms shortcodes work anywhere WordPress processes shortcodes.

Step 3 (optional): Use the one-click preview page

Not ready to build a real page yet, but want to see how the form looks and behaves to a visitor? Koala Forms can create a test page for you. In the Embed & Preview panel, click Create preview page. Koala Forms generates a draft WordPress page with your form already embedded, so you can experience the full visitor flow — including validation and the success message — without hand-building a page.

This is the fastest way to QA a form before you add it to a live, public page.

How to add a form to a sidebar or footer

Because it’s a shortcode, your form isn’t limited to page and post content. To display a form in a widget area such as a sidebar or footer:

Go to Appearance → Widgets (or open the Customizer).
Add a Shortcode block to the sidebar or footer area.
Paste the form’s shortcode and save.

This is perfect for a compact newsletter signup that appears site-wide, or a short contact form in your footer.

Step 4: Always test your embedded form

Before you promote a page, confirm the form actually captures data:

Open the live page in a normal browser tab, or an incognito window to see it exactly as a visitor would.
Fill in the fields and submit.
Confirm you see the success message.
Check Koala Forms → Submissions to verify the entry was recorded.

Troubleshooting: form not showing correctly

The shortcode appears as plain text. Make sure you pasted it into a Shortcode block, not a plain paragraph. Some page builders escape shortcodes in regular text elements — use their dedicated shortcode widget.
The wrong form appears. Double-check that the form_id number matches the form you intended to display.
No form appears at all. Confirm the form is published (not a draft) and active. A draft form won’t render on the front end.
The form looks unstyled. Confirm the plugin is active and your caching plugin isn’t stripping the form’s CSS — clear your cache after embedding.

Frequently asked questions

How do I embed a form in WordPress with Koala Forms?
Copy the form’s shortcode ([KoalaForms form_id="123"]) from the Embed & Preview panel or the All Forms list, then paste it into a Shortcode block on any page, post, or widget area.

Can I put the same form on multiple pages?
Yes. Use the same shortcode on as many pages as you like. Because it references the form by ID, edits to the form apply everywhere it’s embedded.

Can I add a form to my sidebar or footer?
Yes. Add a Shortcode block to any widget area under Appearance → Widgets and paste the form’s shortcode.

How do I preview a form before publishing it on my site?
Use the Create preview page button in the Embed & Preview panel. It generates a draft page with the form embedded so you can test the full visitor experience.

Why is my shortcode showing as text instead of a form?
It was likely pasted into a plain text/paragraph element that doesn’t process shortcodes. Use a dedicated Shortcode block instead.

Key takeaways

To embed a form in WordPress, paste its shortcode ([KoalaForms form_id="123"]) into a Shortcode block.
Forms can go on pages, posts, sidebars, and footers — anywhere WordPress runs shortcodes.
Use Create preview page to test a form before it goes public.
Always send a test submission and confirm it appears under Submissions.

With visitors now able to submit, you’ll want to be notified the moment they do — that’s where email notifications come in.