---
title: "Settings, Storage, Privacy & Troubleshooting"
description: "How signatures reach your inbox, where the files go, and quick fixes for common issues. ### 3.1 Email Notifications & the Mail-Tag - Every submission with a drawn signature automatically gets the PNG attached to the notification email - nothing…"
url: "https://pluginorbit.com/docs/settings-storage-privacy-troubleshooting/"
updated: "2026-09-14"
category: PO Signature Field For Contact Form 7
---

# Settings, Storage, Privacy & Troubleshooting

How signatures reach your inbox, where the files go, and quick fixes for common issues.

### 3.1 Email Notifications & the Mail-Tag

- Every submission with a drawn signature automatically gets the PNG attached to the notification email - nothing to configure
- To reference the field in your message body, go to the **Mail** tab and insert `[your-field-name]` (e.g. `[signature-123]`); it's replaced with a short note ("See the signature image attached to this email.") instead of raw image data
- Signature files are written to `wp-content/uploads/podsig-signatures/` only long enough to send the email, then deleted automatically - no permanent storage, which matters if you're covering GDPR/compliance

![](https://pluginorbit.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/image-2.png)

### 3.2 Site-Wide Signature Settings

![](https://pluginorbit.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/cf7-signature-setting.png)

- What it's for: set canvas, color, toolbar, and image format defaults once instead of repeating them on every tag
- Any option set directly on a `[signature]` tag always overrides the site-wide default

### 3.3 Permanent Storage, Audit Trail & the Signatures Gallery

![](https://pluginorbit.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Signatures-gallery-page.png)

- **Permanent storage:** off by default; one checkbox in Settings keeps a private copy of every signature in the Media Library (form, field, date, IP attached) - note the privacy/GDPR callout here
- **Audit trail stamp:** optional "Signed [date/time] UTC from [IP]" text burned onto the bottom of the image itself, for extra verification
- **Signatures gallery:** browse stored signatures, filter by date range
- **Bulk export:** download the filtered results as a single ZIP

### 3.4 Troubleshooting Common Issues

Checklist format, grouped by symptom:

**Signature field not showing on the front end**

- Confirm Contact Form 7 is active and the tag was actually saved
- Check the browser console (F12) for JavaScript errors
- Check for a caching plugin serving an old version of the page

**"Insert Tag" button greyed out in the tag generator**

- Requires Contact Form 7 6.0 or later (Tag Generator v2) - update CF7 if you're on an older version

**Signature not appearing in the received email**

- Check spam/junk folder
- Confirm a signature was actually drawn before submitting
- Check your hosting provider's email attachment size limits

**Signature pad not working properly on mobile**

- Use a recent version of Chrome, Safari, or Firefox
- Try clearing the mobile browser's cache

### 3.3 Frequently Asked Questions

Use BetterDocs' FAQ shortcode/block so this renders as an accordion:

- Is the signature legally binding? (depends on jurisdiction/use case - not legal advice)
- Is this GDPR-friendly? (yes - no permanent storage by default)
- Does it work with other CF7 addons? (generally yes, it's a standard form-tag)
- Can I use more than one signature field in the same form? (yes, give each a unique name)
- Does it slow down my site? (no - assets only load on pages using this field)