Forms | Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers and general information quickly about the forms tool in HubSpot.

Learn more about troubleshooting HubSpot forms.

Form behavior

What field validation is on HubSpot forms?

Email addresses entered into the Email field on a HubSpot form are immediately validated by HubSpot. Although email addresses cannot always be validated with complete accuracy, HubSpot will try to verify the following:

• Formatting: the text that the user entered must look like an email address, and the top-level domain must appear in the public suffix list.
• Domain blocklist: the email address cannot be part of this list of automatically blocked email domains.
• DNS lookup: the email address must have an MX record or an A record.
• Deliverability: the email address must not be globally blocked.

If the email address is not valid, the form cannot be submitted. You can also block specific email domains or validate phone numbers in form submissions.

If you want to build a form with custom validation rules, you can work with your developer to integrate your custom form with HubSpot using the HubSpot Forms API.

Can I redirect visitors to different thank you pages based on their form responses?

No, it is not possible to send visitors to different thank you pages based on how they respond to questions on your form unless you build a custom form and integrate it with HubSpot using the HubSpot Forms API.

If you have a Professional or Enterprise account, you can use workflows to send an email after form submission.

Can I embed a HubSpot form in an email?

No, it is not possible to embed HubSpot forms in your emails. Forms are not supported in emails across common email clients due to security risks. Instead, it is best practice to place a call-to-action or a link to a landing page with a form in the body of your email.

Forms and contact activity

Does HubSpot track activity before a contact converts on a form?

Yes. When a visitor lands on your site, HubSpot tracks their activity and identifies them as a unique visitor by setting tracking cookies in their browser. Once the visitor submits a form, HubSpot will try to associate the new contact record with any previously tracked activity.

If a visitor clears their cookies before submitting a form on your site, HubSpot will not be able to associate previously tracked activity with the new contact.

Can I export my forms and form submission data? 

Yes, you can export a spreadsheet of your forms data to share with external stakeholders. You can also export all form submissions from a specific form or from a specific page. Learn more about exporting your form submissions. 

Can I set a submission limit on my form?

No, it is not possible to set a submission limit on a form. As an alternative, you can manually keep track of the form's submissions and delete the form once it has reached the pre-determined number. If you have not shared the form's standalone page, you can also consider removing the form from all HubSpot and external pages. However, any visitors with access to the standalone form page will still be able to submit the form. 

Can I unpublish or archive a form? 

No, it is not possible to unpublish or archive a form. If you no longer require a form, you can consider deleting the form. If you have not shared the form's standalone page, you can also consider removing the form from all HubSpot and external pages. However, any visitors with access to the standalone form page will still be able to submit the form. 

How do I retrieve the embed code for my HubSpot form?

If you plan on using your form on an external page, you can retrieve the form embed code from the forms dashboard. If the form has been set as raw HTML, you can work with a developer to further customize the embed code. 

Edit and customize forms

Can I change the field validation text on my form?

You cannot edit the form field validation text (e.g., "Please complete this mandatory field.") directly in HubSpot's forms tool. Instead, you can customize the form embed code or write a custom script to load on the page and replace the default validation message. Both methods require the help of a developer who knows how to work with JavaScript, and are not supported by HubSpot Support.

How do I integrate my custom-built form with HubSpot?

If you need additional functionality that is not available with standard HubSpot forms, you can work with your developer to integrate your external forms with HubSpot using the HubSpot Forms API.

Can I customize my form's JavaScript and HTML?

HubSpot forms are built with JavaScript, not HTML. Customizing the form embed code requires the help of a developer who knows how to work with JavaScript. Any customization that goes beyond adjusting the form embed code must be done with a custom-built form and the HubSpot Forms API.

Can I customize form submission notification emails?

If you have a Professional or Enterprise account, you can use workflows to create and send custom internal notification emails in addition to the default form submission notification emails.

How do I set a contact or company lifecycle stage with a form?

When a contact or company is created via a form submission, the Lifecycle stage value set depends on the following:

• If you've set a default lifecycle stage in the form’s settings, the newly created record will have that lifecycle stage, regardless of other lifecycle stage settings.
• If the Set lifecycle stage when a contact or company is created setting is turned on, contacts or companies created via form submissions will be assigned that lifecycle stage, unless you've set a default lifecycle stage in the form’s settings.
• If the Set lifecycle stage when a contact or company is created setting is off, contacts or companies created via form submissions will be set to the account's first lifecycle stage in display order, unless you've set a default lifecycle stage in the form’s settings.

What are the differences when adding a Default value and Preselect value to a form field? 

When a property has a default value or preselect value, the value will be submitted unless it's manually changed by the visitor before submitting the form. Do note the following behavior:

• Default value: if the Pre-populate fields with known values option is toggled on, the default value will take precedence and will not be overwritten by any existing values. This is useful when you want to pass a specific value with hidden form fields.
• Preselect value: if the Pre-populate fields with known values option is toggled on, preselected values will be overwritten by any existing values. If you're trying to pass a specific value with hidden form fields, it's important to note that pre-selected form fields can be overwritten by previously submitted form field values. 

Whether you can enter a default value or preselect value when adding the property to your form depends on the property field types you're using:

Default value property field types	Preselect value property field types
Single-line text Multi-line text  Date picker Number	Dropdown select Radio select  Single checkbox Multiple checkboxes HubSpot user