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Form Building & Editing
Can I edit a live form after receiving submissions? (Original Form Engine)
You can make changes to forms after receiving submissions, but be aware your changes will impact previous submissions.
Written by Ben Bloch
Updated this week
*Please note: this article refers to making form changes in accounts using Submittable's original form engine, and will not be applicable to your organization's account if you are using our new form engine.
Submittable gives you the ability to edit your initial forms, even after you've started to receive submissions for them. While it is possible to do this, we generally recommend trying not to make changes to forms after you have started to collect submissions.
Adding Fields
Should you choose to edit a form that has been made live and received submissions, please note that the changes you make will have an impact on previous submissions. For example, if you add a new form field to your form, any previously received submissions will show the new field with a response that registers as "n/a."
After doing this, however, you may open previously received submissions to be edited by submitters, and those submitters will be able to return to the form and complete any added fields with answers that will overwrite the "n/a" response.
Removing Fields
If you remove a form field from a form that has already been made live and received submissions, that field will no longer be visible on any submissions received after the change. Additionally, the removed field will no longer be visible to submitters who submitted prior to the removal of the field. Since this can cause confusion, we do not recommend removing fields from a form after it has been made live. However, previously received submissions (submitted when a removed field was still present) will still show the deleted field and accompanying responses for the organization view only.
Editing Field Names or Adding to Field Directions
Editing Field names or changing the directions that accompany fields does not present a problem when altering your form. These changes will be reflected in your previously received submissions, as well as on any submissions that come in after the change.