Can I edit a survey that is already live?

Editing live surveys — what is safe and what isn't

Be very careful when editing a survey that already has responses. Some changes are safe; others will permanently corrupt existing data.

Safe to change on a live survey

• Correcting typos in question text
• Changing the minimum value setting on a number field
• Updating layout and design settings
• Adding a new page at the end

Never do on a live survey with responses

• Changing a question type (e.g., single-choice to matrix) — this orphans all existing responses for that question and the data cannot be recovered
• Deleting questions or answer options that already have responses
• Reordering response options (this changes the stored numeric values)

Recommended approach

1. Duplicate the project first.
2. Make your changes on the copy.
3. Test in preview mode.
4. If replacing the live survey, redirect participants to the new URL.

If you have already made a damaging change and need help recovering data, contact support immediately.