Fill out and submit a form

This guide helps you fill out and send an online form — a volunteer signup, a contact form, or an application — that an organization has shared with you.

Who can do this: Anyone with the form’s link. You don’t need an account, and you don’t need to sign in.

Before you start

• You just need the form’s link. It might be shared by email, on the organization’s website, or as a QR code.
• Some forms ask you to attach a file, like a resume. If yours does, have the file ready on your phone or computer.

Steps

1. Open the form’s link in your web browser.
2. Fill in each field. A field marked with an asterisk (*) is required.
3. If the form shows a security check, there is nothing for you to do. It reads “Security check: we’ll confirm you’re not a robot when you submit” — no box to tick, no puzzle. The check runs by itself when you send the form.
4. If a field asks for a file, choose your file from your device. A progress bar shows while it uploads. Submit stays unavailable until the upload finishes, so wait for the bar to complete.
5. When every required field is filled in and any upload has finished, select Submit. The security check runs at this point, and the form is sent once it passes.
6. If you attached a file, you may briefly see “Checking your file…” — every attached file is checked for viruses before the form is accepted. You don’t need to do anything: the form tries again by itself every few seconds, for up to about a minute. If you change an answer or the file while it’s waiting, it stops trying — select Submit when you’re ready.

Verify

You’ll know it worked when the form is replaced by a thank-you message from the organization. Your answers have been sent, and you can close the page.

If something goes wrong

• A field shows an error when you submit — a required field is blank or needs fixing. The form keeps everything you already entered, including any file you attached. Correct the highlighted field and select Submit again.
• “We couldn’t submit your form. Your answers are safe — please try again.” — something went wrong sending your form, but your answers are kept. Select Try again.
• “Could not verify you are human.” — the security check didn’t pass. Select Submit again; the check runs afresh on its own. Your answers are kept, and the form won’t send until the check passes.
• “Security check couldn’t load” — the check couldn’t start. A patchy connection, an ad blocker, or a work network can stop it. Select Try again. If the message says you can’t attach a file but can still send the rest of the form, that’s exactly what it means — fill in the other fields and submit. If it keeps happening, contact the organization that shared the form.
• “We couldn’t complete the security check, so your form wasn’t sent.” — nothing was sent, so you haven’t submitted twice. Every answer is kept, including a file you already attached. Select Submit again.
• “This file didn’t finish uploading — attach it again.” — the file never fully reached us. Attach the file again (or use the field’s Remove button if you’d rather send the form without it), then select Submit. Everything else you entered is kept.
• “The uploaded file could not be accepted.” — the file didn’t pass the virus check. Attach a different file, or remove it if the field is optional, then select Submit.
• “We’re still checking your file, so your form wasn’t sent.” — the check is taking longer than usual. Your answers are kept. Wait a minute, then select Try again.
• “We couldn’t check your file just now, so your form wasn’t sent.” — the file checker is briefly unavailable. Your answers are kept. Select Try again in a moment.
• “We couldn’t check your file, so your form wasn’t sent.” — the check couldn’t be completed for this file. Remove the file, attach it again, then select Submit. Your other answers are kept.
• “The stored copy of your file changed after we started checking it, so your form wasn’t sent.” — the file we have on record is no longer the one that was being checked, so it wasn’t checked or accepted. Remove the file, attach it again, then select Submit. Your other answers are kept.
• “Form not found.” — the link may be wrong, or the form isn’t available right now. Ask the organization for a current link.
• Your file won’t attach — it may be the wrong type or too large. Try a smaller file or a different format. If a security check message is also on screen saying it couldn’t load, that’s the real cause and the file is fine: deal with that message first.

Related

• Run this form’s organization? See Build a custom form.