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After you install and configure IvyForms, you can start building your first form directly from your WordPress dashboard. From there, the process is simple, visual, and requires no coding knowledge.
IvyForms uses a modern drag-and-drop interface that lets you add, reorder, and customize fields quickly. In addition, you can style each form to match your website’s look and feel.
To create a new form, go to:
WordPress Dashboard → IvyForms → New Form
When you click New Form, a popup appears with several ways to start your form:
When creating a new form, you can start by selecting one of the available templates from the template selection popup. IvyForms offers a wide range of free and premium form templates, organized into categories and subcategories on the left side, making it easier to find a suitable starting point.
You can mark a template as a favorite by clicking the star icon in the top-right corner of the template preview. When hovering over a template, you can preview it or click Use this template to start working with it.
The preview allows you to interact with the form fields, but the Submit button is disabled and does not send any data. Within the preview window, you can also switch between desktop, tablet, and mobile views to see how the form will look on different devices.
Once you select a template, it becomes fully editable. You can change field types, adjust field options, add or remove fields, and customize the form to match your needs.
Select Start from scratch to open the form builder interface. This is where you’ll add and organize fields, preview your design, and configure the form’s behavior.
If you’ve already created some forms, you can also use the + Form button located on the All Forms page to start a new one quickly.
When you open the form builder, IvyForms automatically saves your new form and adds it to the All Forms table. Any changes you make afterward must be saved manually using the Update button in the top-right corner.
At the top of the interface, you’ll find quick-access tools for toggling Light/Dark Mode, accessing Support, Previewing the form, and enabling Full Screen view (you can also press F11 for a distraction-free workspace).
On the left panel, the General category expands automatically, showing all available field types: Text, Email, Number, Paragraph, Phone, Website/URL, Name, Address, Radio Button, Checkbox, Dropdown, Rating, and HTML. You may also notice options marked as Soon, which will be available in future updates.
To build your form, drag a field from the left panel into the form area, or click a field once to automatically add it below the last one. When a new field is added, the form scrolls down to keep it in view.
Fields in IvyForms are not limited to a single vertical layout. You can resize fields to adjust their width and place multiple fields side by side within the same row, making it easy to create multi-column layouts. Up to five fields can be placed in a single row. When all five positions are filled, fields are evenly sized; with fewer fields, their widths can be adjusted manually.
You can reorder fields by dragging them up or down, move them within the same row by dragging left or right, and edit their labels or placeholders by clicking on each field once it’s added.
Continue adding as many fields as you need to collect the information you want. As you add or remove fields, the builder automatically updates the layout.
At any time, you can preview how your form will appear to visitors by first clicking Update to save your changes, then selecting the Preview (eye) icon in the top-right corner of the builder.
A new tab opens with a live preview that shows exactly how your form will look on your website.
The preview automatically adapts your form to your WordPress theme’s styling, ensuring it blends naturally with your site’s design. It also accepts submissions, so you can test your form right away and confirm everything works as expected.
Before publishing your form, open the Settings tab at the top of the builder. In this section, you can define your form’s basic details and control what appears on the front-end.
Under General Settings, you can:
Once you’ve made your changes, click Save in the top-right corner to save them.
If the Store entries in database option is disabled, form submissions will not be saved in IvyForms and will not appear in the Entries table. In this case, submissions can only be received via email, provided that notifications are enabled in Form Settings → Notifications and a mailing system (such as WP Mail SMTP or a similar plugin) is properly configured.
When your form is ready, go back to the Build tab. In the top-right corner, you’ll find a </> button that copies the shortcode in this format: [ ivyforms id=2 ] (no spaces).
Clicking that button copies the shortcode to the clipboard. You can then paste it into any page or post using the WordPress block editor.
After you publish the page, your form appears live and ready to receive submissions.
