How can I export and host a website built on Webflow and make a form work to send details to my client's email instead of using Webflow?
TL;DR
- Export your Webflow site, update the form action in your HTML to a third-party handler like Formspree, and host the static files on a service such as Netlify or GitHub Pages.
- Configure the form handler by signing up, verifying your email, updating input names, and setting up basic spam protection like reCAPTCHA if needed.
To export a Webflow site and make the form work independently of Webflow, you’ll need to find an external form handling solution since exported sites lose Webflow’s built-in form processing.
1. Export the Webflow Site
- Go to your Webflow project, click Export Code (top-right arrow icon in Designer).
- Download the HTML, CSS, JS, and assets.
- This zip file is your full static website.
2. Update the Form Action
- In your exported HTML file(s), locate your form and replace the form
actionand potentiallymethodwith your custom form handler URL. - Webflow default forms won’t send submissions unless hosted on Webflow, so this change is necessary.
3. Choose a Form Backend Service
- If you don’t run a custom backend, use a third-party form handler like:
- Formspree (https://formspree.io)
- FormSubmit (https://formsubmit.io)
- Basin (https://usebasin.com)
- These allow HTML forms to send data via email without server-side code.
4. Configure the Third-Party Form Handler
- Sign up and follow the platform’s setup instructions.
- Most will require:
- Verifying your email.
- Submitting a test form to "activate" the action.
- Whitelisting your domain if needed.
Example for Formspree:
- Replace Webflow’s
<form action="..." method="POST">with: <form action="https://formspree.io/f/yourFormID" method="POST">- Make sure to include
nameattributes for all input fields.
5. Host the Exported Code
- Upload the exported files to a hosting provider like:
- Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages, HostGator, or any cPanel/Plesk provider.
- Ensure your form action URL remains the same once the site is live.
6. Finalize Email Routing & Spam Protection
- Some platforms let you embed honeypot fields or Google reCAPTCHA v2/v3.
- Confirm emails are arriving in the client’s inbox; check spam folders and verify DKIM/SPF if needed (for custom domains).
Summary
Export your site from Webflow, use a third-party form service like Formspree to handle form submissions, update form action URLs in your HTML files, and host the static site using your preferred service. This process lets you bypass Webflow hosting while keeping functional contact forms.