Forms and data collection

Format your form

When you create a form in a workspace with customized branding, the form inherits that branding by default.

Change the background

You can use a .png, .gif, or .jpg file up to 5MB as an image background.

1. Select the form you want to edit.

2. Select the Edit icon or open the form builder.

3. In the top left corner of the form builder, select the Format Background icon.
4. Select either Color or Image.

• For Color, enter the hex value or select Change to open the color picker. When ready, select Apply.
• For Image, browse your computer for the file you want to use. When ready, select Apply. Alternatively, you can drag and drop your file into the upload box.

You can't edit the font type, font size, or the background color of an entire text box.

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Before uploading, make sure the background image is high resolution and not compressed to prevent blurry images.

Change the logo

Your logo can be a .png, .gif, or .jpg file up to 2MB or 240x60 px.

1. Hover over the logo at the top of the form builder to reveal the Change button, and select Change. 
2. Select Browse, choose your logo, and then select Apply. You can also drag and drop your logo onto the upload box.
3. Use the Show Logo toggle to show or hide the logo on the form.
4. Use the Colors Settings & Logo form to edit the color and logo of your form.

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Revert to the default logo

1. Hover over the logo at the top of the form builder to reveal the Change button.
2. Select Change.
3. Select Revert to default.

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Adjust your settings

Theme & Brand

Customize your form layout

1. Select Form > Manage Forms... Learn more about finding your newly created form.
2. Open the form you want to customize.
3. Once you're in the form builder, go to the Settings tab.

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4. In the Theme & Brand section, select a layout from these options:
   1. Vertical: You want your logo, title, description, and form to have a center alignment.
   2. Side-by-side: You want your description visible while scrolling through the form.
   3. Plain: You want to embed your forms in a website without including any logos, colors, or formatting from the form.

Show Smartsheet branding on the form footer

This option is on by default, but only Business and Enterprise users can turn it off to remove Smartsheet branding from the form footer, confirmation footer, and mobile web form.

Learn more about branding Smartsheet with your own colors and logo.

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Security

All forms are available to anyone with the link by default, and the submitter's email address is anonymous. 

If you include a Created by column in your form, the value you see is web-form@smartsheet.com.

Ensure your form is secure

Options listed here vary depending on the minimum security settings your System Admin sets.

1. Go to the Security section in the Settings tab of the form builder, go to the Security section.
2. Turn on the security settings you want to use for the form.

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Require Smartsheet login to access this form

When you use Require Smartsheet login to access this form, anyone accessing your forms needs to log in with their Smartsheet account.

If you've included a Created by column in the form, and you set it to allow only Smartsheet users to submit responses, the column reflects the submitter's email address.

Restrict form access to people in my account via the Safe Sharing List

When you use Restrict form access to people in my account via the Safe Sharing List, anyone accessing also needs to log in or create an account, and their user login domain must match an approved domain in your Safe Sharing List in the Admin Center.

Safe Sharing is only available in Enterprise plans.

Reduce spam with CAPTCHA

ReCAPTCHA detects any suspicious activity and challenges suspected bots. You can enable reCAPTCHA to prompt users to prove they're not bots. 

When a user chooses to receive a copy of their responses, Smartsheet automatically enables reCAPTCHA on all forms.

To avoid sending copies of your form, turn off the Send Email of Submissions option in the form builder.

China blocked the invisible reCAPTCHA on its internet platforms. Form submitters in China may experience issues if you've enabled this option or if they've selected Send me a copy of my responses.

Form submission

Set up what the submitter sees after the form is complete

1. In the Settings tab of the form builder, go to the What should happen after the form is submitted section.
2. From the dropdown list, select the action you want to apply.
   • Display this confirmation message: Only those who complete the form see a default confirmation message. Type over the default text if you want to customize the message.
   • Reload the same form for another entry: Choose this option if you anticipate multiple responses.
   • Send the user to link: Use this feature if you need the user to go to a website after submitting their form responses. You need to enter the URL where you want the user to land.

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Specify where new submissions should appear on the sheet

You can add the new form entries at the top or bottom of the sheet.

1. In the Settings tab of the form builder, go to the New Submissions should appear on the section.
2. Select where you want to add the new form responses.

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If submissions appear after several blank rows, remove those rows.

Smartsheet doesn't add new submissions under a specified parent row or cell.

Send the user a copy of their form responses

1. In the Settings tab of the form builder, go to the Send Email of Submissions section.
2. Select Allow submitter to email a copy of form submission.
3. Type over the default text if you want to customize the message.

Anyone with access to the form can submit information to the sheet.

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Review your form

Use the form builder to review your form. Once you think it's ready, share it with submitters.

To review the form:

1. Find your form.
2. Select Edit.
3. Select Open Form at the top right of your form builder.
4. Review the form that opens in a new tab to ensure it’s configured correctly.

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Share your form

There are two ways to share your form:

• Share it with anyone. Use a direct link, send it via email, or embed it in dashboard or web page.
• Share in-app forms with selected people. Require a Smartsheet login or share only with those who have access to the underlying sheet. Set up access using the form access controls.

Share with anyone

Share from the form builder

Navigate to the form builder to:

• Copy the form link
• Embed it in a dashboard or webpage
• Email the form directly from Smartsheet

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Share from the Manage Forms… option

Select Forms > Manage Forms… from the top menu bar to email, copy the form link, or embed it in a dashboard or webpage.

The example below applies only to Grid, Gantt, Card, and Calendar views. However, you can still share your forms using the Manage form option in other sheet views.

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Share from a workspace

1. Go to Home > All workspaces and select the workspace where your form lives.
2. When the workspace panel opens, select the associated sheet to see its active form right underneath it.
3. Load the form.
4. Select the three-dot menu > Copy link.
5. Share the link with submitters.

You can also use the three-dot menu to open the form in a new tab or edit it i the form builder.

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Keep the following in mind

• The link to the form remains the same even if you edit the form.
• Save the form to see all changes applied.
• The form becomes inaccessible if the connected sheet ends up without Owner permissions.

Share with selected people

Use in-app forms to require submitters to sign in to their Smartsheet accounts before filling out the form or if you want to co-edit the form with other collaborators.

Require submitters to sign in

1. Set up your form's security settings to require Smartsheet login to access the form. 

2. Then, share the form with submitters. 

Browser URL from the form builder

1. Share the underlying sheet and grant Owner or Admin permissions to other form builder collaborators.
   Learn more about setting sheet permissions.
2. Copy your browser URL to share your form builder with others.

Use a URL query string for the Send Email Submissions feature

• When you use a URL query string in your unique link, the Send me copy of my responses option is on by default. Submitters still have an option to deselect it if they want to.
• With a URL query link, submitters don't have to fill in the Email address field.
• URL query strings can't help you automate form confirmation emails to sheet owners and collaborators. Instead, use automated workflows if you want to receive email alerts when new entries come in.

If you’re trying to share your form but it’s not working, check that your form is set to active and that you're sharing the in-app or published version of your form. To share your form in-app, the other person must have access to the connected sheet.

Deactivate your form

You can deactivate your form if you don't want to delete it entirely, but you also don't need to continue using it at the moment.

You can deactivate a form only from Grid, Gantt, Card, and Calendar views.

To deactivate a form:

1. Open the sheet connected to your form.
2. From the upper menu, select Forms > Manage Forms.
3. Find the form you want to deactivate and use the three-dot menu  Brandfolder Image to turn on the Deactivate toggle.