This troubleshooting guide shows you how to fix the “ninja forms stuck on processing” error which stops your forms from submitting.
This error usually happens when your host, CDN, or security plugin blocks access to admin-ajax.php for non-admin users.
As a result, only admin users can submit your Ninja Forms. When a guest tries to submit the form, it will load forever instead of submitting.
To check if the admin-ajax.php file is blocked for guests, open a new private browser window then visit yourwebsite.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php.
If you see a Forbidden error, this file is blocked.
This is why your Ninja Forms is Stuck on Processing
Ninja Forms uses the admin-ajax.php file to process form submissions without reloading the page. This process is known as ajax. In WordPress, ajax requests are treated as if someone is trying to access your wp-admin dashboard.
As a result, by blocking the access to wp-admin you’re also essentially blocking ajax requests on your site. And since Ninja Forms uses ajax to process submissions, the forms will load (process) forever and will not submit.
WPEngine is one host that sometimes blocks access to admin-ajax.php. If you use it as your web host, try contacting them and asking them to whitelist the file.
If you are using a security plugin, you might want to get in touch with its developer for information on how to whitelist access to the admin-ajax.php file.
In the case of Wordfence…
- First, log in to your WordPress admin dashboard then go to “Wordfence > Firewall” and click on the large button that says “Manage Firewall”.
- Next, scroll to the “Whitelist URLs” section and whitelist “/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php” as shown.

NOTE: Check to ensure that you have not installed any plugin that disables access to /wp-admin/ for non-admin users. If you have, contact the developer and check if there is a way to whitelist the “/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php” file.
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Hi
When I load yourwebsite.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php. , it shows 0 on my browser.
My form is working and sending emails but it shows too much time processing.
Enable debug mode then check your error log after submitting a form. You’ll see the exact error that’s causing the form to load continuously.
I have the exact same issue. It took like a min to submit a form..
Our Ninja Forms take at least 15 seconds to complete submission. We checked in with the developer who confirmed it as an issue but unfortunately is not a priority for them. It appears that the more (complex) forms are in use, the longer it takes to complete submission. We have at least 50 forms on our site as we provide counselling services and run events.
We’re getting the exact same issue as Nina here. We get a 0 on the page. The Ninja Form in question is VERY slow for our customers. But for us, it seems to be working fine so we can’t even debug the issue. Any ideas would be appreciated.