How do public forms work, and why can't visitors save a draft or why do they get reCAPTCHA errors?

Short answer: A public form lets anyone with the link start an item without a Kissflow account. Visitors can only submit; they can't save drafts, approve or edit later steps.

Why it happens

• Public form visitors aren't signed in, so there's no one to tie a draft to.
• Step assignees must be users in your account. Guests can't be assigned steps.
• A form left open for a long time can lose its session. Submitting then fails with a reCAPTCHA or authorization error.
• Browsers that block third-party cookies can stop the form from loading, especially when it's embedded on another site.

How to fix it

To enable a public form:

1. Make sure public forms are enabled for your account. Kissflow support turns them on for Enterprise accounts.
2. As a Process Admin, open the process and click Manage > Settings > Public form settings.
3. Turn on Public form URL and share the link, or embed the iframe code. See enabling a public form.

4. In an app, enable the public form in all three environments and share the production URL. See public form.

If visitors get a reCAPTCHA or access error:

1. Reopen the form in a fresh or incognito window, or clear cookies and cache.
2. Confirm the public form is still enabled. Turning it off breaks the old link.
3. Allow third-party cookies for the site. See enabling third-party cookies.
4. If the error follows a change in one field, check that field for a configured event.

If visitors are asked to sign up, they're using the account URL instead of the public form URL. Share the public form URL itself.