About activating a survey

A survey collects responses only while it is active. Until then it is a draft that you build and preview. Activating creates the table that stores the responses and locks the structure of the survey: you cannot add or delete questions and question groups while it is active.

Before you activate

• Preview the survey with the eye icon in the top bar and go through every page. Preview answers are not stored.
• Decide what is recorded with each response. Anonymized responses under Settings > Participant settings and the options under Settings > Notifications & data, such as Date stamp, Save IP address and Save timings, cannot be changed while the survey is active.
• Check the start and end date under Settings > Publication & access. See Schedule your survey and control access.

Activate the survey

Open the survey in the editor and click the green Activate button at the top right. The survey goes live, and a panel opens:

1. The response counters: total, full and incomplete responses.
2. View results overview: opens Results.
3. Select how you want to share your survey: the access mode and the survey link with Copy.
4. The QR code with Download QR code.
5. View sharing overview: opens the Share page with all sharing options.
6. The buttons Edit survey, Deactivate and Preview survey.

While the survey is active, the red Deactivate button replaces Activate, the purple + in the top bar is greyed out, and Results in the top bar shows the responses.

Note: To change the structure of an active survey, you have to deactivate it. Export your responses first. See Stop, pause or deactivate a survey.

Reactivate a survey

A survey that was deactivated shows Reactivate instead of Activate. Its earlier responses are archived.

Click Reactivate. In the dialog What do you want to do with the existing Responses?:

1. Choose Keep existing responses (1) to import the archived responses into the new response table and continue where you left off. Or choose Start from scratch (2) to keep the old responses archived and start with an empty response table.

2. With Keep existing responses, choose the archive under Import responses from an archived response table (3), for example Latest response table.

3. Click Continue (4).

Tip: Questions and edits made after the deactivation are merged with the archived responses as far as possible. Answers to questions you changed or removed can be lost, so export your responses before you change the structure.

Next steps

• Stop, pause or deactivate a survey
• Share your survey link
• Overview: Results

FAQ

Do I have to activate the survey to test it?

No. Use the preview, the eye icon in the top bar, at any time. Preview answers are not stored.

Why can't I add a question?

The survey is active, so the + button is greyed out. To change the structure, deactivate the survey. See Stop, pause or deactivate a survey.

Can I make the responses anonymous after activation?

No. Anonymized responses is locked while the survey is active. Decide before you activate. See Set up an anonymous survey.