How to Let People Save Progress in an Airtable Form

I’ll use a client intake form as the example. A client needs to enter company details, answer questions, and upload documents, but the form takes longer than one sitting. They need to close it and come back without starting again.

The right option depends on whether the person filling out the form already has access to your Airtable Interface.

Choose the right Airtable form

Airtable has standalone forms and forms inside Interfaces, and they handle unfinished entries differently.

If you are using a form view or a standalone form created from Forms, nothing is added to Airtable until the person submits it. Closing the form before submission does not create a partial record, and Airtable does not provide a built-in link for the person to return to that unfinished submission.

An Interface form is part of a published Airtable Interface. The person filling it out must already have access to that Interface, so it is usually used by internal staff.

An external client can use it only if you invite them to the Interface. If they should only fill out a form, use a standalone form instead.

An Interface form can restore what someone has entered when they return in the same browser on the same device. It is not a saved Airtable record, and the unfinished entry will not follow them to another device.

Use Fillout when people need to return to the form

Use Fillout when an external client needs to leave a long form and come back later. Fillout supports Resume in-progress forms and connects to Airtable, so the completed intake can still be added to your Airtable table.

Create the client intake form in Fillout, connect it to Airtable, and map the questions to your Client Intake table. Add the form pages and fields you need, then enable the option for respondents to resume an in-progress form before sharing the link.

The client can start the form, leave it, and return to finish it later. Once they submit it, Fillout sends the completed response to the Airtable table you connected to the form.

Fillout's current pricing includes Resume in-progress forms on its free plan. Check the current plan details if you also need to view incomplete submissions inside Fillout or use other advanced form features.

Use separate submissions only when the form can be split

If you must use a standalone Airtable form, divide the client intake into shorter sections and submit each section separately. Each submission creates a record, so this only works when you are comfortable storing the sections separately or building a workflow to connect them later.

For example, the first form could collect the client's contact details and the second could collect documents and project information. See how to update existing Airtable records with forms if you need later submissions to update the same Airtable record.