---
title: Previewing, publishing & the form lifecycle
description: Preview your form safely before launch, then move it through draft, published, closed, and archived states.
canonical: https://chatwisp.ai/knowledge-base/building-forms/publishing-lifecycle
updated: 2026-08-19
---

# Previewing, publishing & the form lifecycle

# Previewing, publishing & the form lifecycle

Before you send your form into the world, ChatWisp gives you safe ways to test it. And once it is live, you control exactly when it opens, when it closes, and what happens afterward.

## Previewing before you go live

**Preview** your form to experience it exactly as a respondent would — the live voice conversation, branching, controls, and the closing screen. Preview sessions are completely safe: they are **never counted** in your results, analytics, or totals.

Preview from the [builder](/knowledge-base/building-forms/the-form-builder)'s **Preview** button, from any form card on your dashboard, or by adding **?preview=1** to a form link. Use it to test branching paths and listen to the voice and personality in action.

## The form lifecycle

A form moves through four clear states, which you control from the **Customize** workspace:

- **Draft** — your work in progress. Not collecting responses, but fully previewable. Autosave is generous, so you will not lose work.
- **Published** — live and accepting responses via your share link or embed.
- **Closed** — no longer accepting new responses; [respondents](/knowledge-base/account-team/respondent-experience) see a friendly "this form has closed" screen. All existing responses are preserved.
- **Archived** — tucked away off your main dashboard; results remain available.

You can move a form between states any time — close it early when you hit your target, reopen it for more, or archive it when a project is done.

## Response limits and expiration

When you publish, you can set optional limits: a **maximum number of responses** and an **expiration date**. When a limit is reached, respondents see a warm, branded "we are no longer accepting responses" message rather than a broken page.

## Rotating your link

You can **rotate the share token** at any time to instantly retire every link you have sent before. Your form and its settings stay intact; only the link changes.

## Related

[Sharing & embedding your form](/knowledge-base/sharing/share-and-embed) · [Response limits, expiry & rotating links](/knowledge-base/sharing/response-limits)