ERROR: Not allowed in forms after deactivation

that’s a really odd error indeed, and should not be happening at all. Once you deactivate the plugin there is no way it can interfere with your setup.

can you tell me if you have any other cf7 plugin extensions installed?

actually I just realised what happened, you must have an open tab with a previously loaded form that you were editing and now it cannot be edited anymore.

The CF7 plugin does not use the WP core post editor, and instead has its own custom admin page to edit forms.

This plugin changes this, and instead uses default WP core functionality and admin pages to manage forms (much better for integration).

Anyhow, once you have deactivated the plugin, you need to reload the default cf7 form table page (<your-domain>/wp-admin/admin.php?page=wpcf7) and follow the form edit links provided to edit your forms again.

Keep in mind that this plugin only allows you to build responsive grid-layouts for new forms, not existing ones, as the html structure changes completely.

Sorry about that, I panicked slightly haha. Thank you for a very speedy reply.

hehe, I know exactly the feeling. no issues, glad you’re able to get on with work. I hope it hasn’t put you off from giving this plugin another try on your next project 🙂

To know more about this plugin structure, you might find this post of interest.

sure, thanks! happy cooking!