Pre-filled forms
Send your subscribers a form link in an email — and let them see the data you already hold about them, ready to review, update, or add to. Pre-filled forms turn a plain "update your details" email into a one-click experience: recipients click, see their name, email and preferences already filled in, make the changes that matter, and submit.
📌 Availability: pre-filled forms are being rolled out account by account. If you don't see the Prefilled form checkbox in your Email editor's Link Settings, the feature isn't yet enabled for your account — contact Apsis Customer Service to request it.
This article explains what pre-filled forms are, when to use them, how to enable pre-filling on a link in the Email editor, and the rules to keep in mind when your Forms are connected to a CRM.
In this article
What is a pre-filled form?
A pre-filled form is a regular Forms & Pages activity that — when opened via a tracked link in an email — displays the recipient's existing Profile data already filled in. The form itself isn't a separate activity type: the same Form can be sent as a pre-filled link to known subscribers and as a blank link from your website or social media to new visitors.
Whether a given link pre-fills or not is decided in the Email editor, per link — not in the Form settings. You tick a box when you insert the link, and the platform handles the rest.
💡 Good to know: pre-filling only happens when a recipient opens the Form via a tracked link in an email. The same Form URL shared on social media or your website will always display as blank, so your public sign-up journeys are never affected.
When to use pre-filled forms
Pre-filled forms are built for known Profiles — people who are already in your Audience. Typical use cases:
Preference centres. Let subscribers review and update which topics they receive emails or SMS about.
Profile enrichment. Ask for information you don't yet have — role, industry, birthday, interests — without making people re-enter what you already know.
Data refresh campaigns. Prompt subscribers to confirm their details are still correct (great for GDPR hygiene and Nordic data quality rules).
Consent updates. Let Profiles change which Subscriptions they're opted in to, or opt out of individual Topics without unsubscribing from everything.
Registrations. If you manage your own registrations to events or other types of registrations, the known profiles will already have their main details prefilled. Event tool registration forms always pre-fill automatically in Apsis One — more on that below.
How it works
At a high level:
You create a Form as normal in Forms & Pages, including any Input fields mapped to Attributes and any Consent or Terms & Conditions elements you need.
In the Email editor, you insert a link to that Form and tick Prefilled form.
When the email is sent, Apsis One generates a unique tracked link for every recipient.
When a recipient clicks the link, they land on the Form with their Profile data already populated.
When they submit, the update is applied to their existing Profile — no duplicate is created.
Enable pre-fill on a link in the Email editor
Pre-filling is enabled per link, inside the Email editor. Follow these steps:
Open your email in the Email editor and select the text, button, or image you want to turn into a Form link.
Click the Link icon in the floating text toolbar. The Link Settings panel opens.
Under Link type, choose Form.
In the Form dropdown, select the Form activity to link to. Only Forms that are Active and of type Full page appear in the list. You can search by Form name or URL.
Tick the Prefilled form checkbox.
Click Insert.
💡 Tip: a single Form can serve as both a public sign-up and a pre-filled update — just insert it as a link in two places, with Prefilled form ticked on one and not the other. Whether that's the right choice depends on whether the copy and the post-submit flow should differ between the two audiences. See One Form for both, or two — when to share and when to split.
Track link (in the email) is always on
Pre-filling relies on the unique tracked link Apsis One generates for each recipient. For that reason, Track link is automatically enabled when Prefilled form is ticked, and cannot be turned off on that link. If you untick Prefilled form, Track link returns to its default state.
What gets pre-filled
When a known Profile opens a pre-filled Form link, the following Form elements display the Profile's existing values:
Input fields (text, email, number) mapped to Attributes.
Dropdowns, radio buttons, and checkboxes mapped to Attributes.
Consent and Terms & Conditions elements — the Subscriptions the Profile is currently opted in to are pre-selected.
The email field is always locked
On a pre-filled form, the Email input field is read-only — recipients can see their email address but cannot change it. This is intentional: the email is the identifier tying the submission back to the right Profile, and allowing it to change would risk creating duplicates or merging the wrong records.
If a subscriber needs to change their email address, direct them to contact you, or use a separate Form where the email field is editable.
🔑 Why is email locked? In Apsis One, a Profile is identified by a Profile Key within a Keyspace. If the email address itself is the Profile Key in the Email keyspace - changing the email on a pre-filled form wouldn't update the existing Profile; it would point at a different Profile (or create a new one), breaking the link between the recipient and their data. Locking the field is what guarantees a pre-filled submission updates the profile the email was sent to. Read more in Profile Keys and Keyspaces and Unique Identifier.
Important note - if you are using Confirm field for email addresses, the second field will NOT be prefilled.
Clearing a field clears the Attribute
If a Profile deletes the contents of a pre-filled field and submits, the corresponding Attribute is cleared on their Profile — subject to the Profile Check setting in Form: Action:
Allow Profile overwriting — the Attribute is cleared.
Block if Profile has CRM ID — the Attribute is only cleared if the Profile has no CRM ID (i.e. the submission is allowed).
⚠️ Worth knowing: this is by design — an empty field on submit is treated as an explicit instruction to clear the value, not as "leave it as it was." If you want subscribers to be able to skip a field without losing existing data, don't include that field on the pre-filled form, or mark it as required so they can't submit it blank.
CRM integrations: the ground rules
When your Apsis One account is integrated with a CRM (Efficy Enterprise, Tribe, webCRM, and similar), pre-filled forms follow a few non-negotiable rules designed to protect the integrity of your master data.
CRM is master
For Attributes that are mapped via the CRM integration, the CRM system remains the source of truth. Updates made through a pre-filled form are stored in Apsis One, but they are not pushed back to the CRM. At the next CRM sync, the CRM's values may overwrite the Apsis values.
The practical implication: if you want profile updates to persist long-term, either update them in the CRM itself, or limit pre-filled forms to Attributes and Subscriptions that are not CRM-mapped (custom Apsis Attributes, marketing preferences, consent).
Custom Attributes are yours to enrich
Attributes that only exist in Apsis One (and are not mapped to the CRM) can be freely enriched through pre-filled forms — favourite product category, newsletter preferences, event interests, whatever you need. These values live in Apsis and are used for segmentation, personalisation, and Marketing Automation.
CRM ID is never editable
The CRM ID Attribute cannot be mapped to any form element when a CRM integration is active on the Section. It doesn't appear in the Map to Attribute dropdown in the Form editor. This prevents a scenario where a Profile's CRM ID could be overwritten or cleared by a form submission — which would disconnect them from their CRM record.
Duplicate emails in CRM
Some CRM systems allow two contacts to share the same email address (for example, a B2B use case where the same gatekeeper email belongs to several account records). Pre-filled form links are designed to resolve to the specific Profile the email was sent to — by unique CRM ID, not by email — so the right contact is always the one updated, even when emails overlap.
Block if Profile has CRM ID
If you want to prevent form-based updates to CRM-linked Profiles entirely — for example, when your CRM team is the only team authorised to edit contact data — use the Block if Profile has CRM ID action in your Form settings. Submissions from CRM-linked Profiles will be rejected and a Rejected because CRM ID was set Event is logged on the Profile. You can customise the message shown to the visitor when the submission is blocked.
Profile Check: choose how CRM-linked Profiles are handled
The Form's Profile Check setting (configured in Form: Action) decides what happens when a CRM-linked Profile submits a pre-filled form. Two options are relevant here:
Allow Profile overwriting — the submission goes through and updates the Profile in Apsis One. CRM-mapped values are still subject to the rules above (the next CRM sync may overwrite them).
Block if Profile has CRM ID — the submission is rejected, the visitor sees a message you've configured (default: "Your details couldn't be updated."), and a Rejected because CRM ID was set Event is logged on the Profile.
Use Block if Profile has CRM ID when your CRM team owns contact data and you want the form to act as a read-only view rather than an editable one — for example, a "your registered details" page where subscribers can see what you have, but only your CRM operators can change it.
Consent and double opt-in
Pre-filled forms handle Consent and Terms & Conditions elements with a few specifics worth knowing:
Current consent state is shown. If a Profile is already opted in to a Subscription or Topic, the corresponding checkbox is pre-ticked when they open the form.
Opting in and opting out both work. The Profile can tick a checkbox to opt in to a new Subscription, or untick an existing one to opt out — both changes are stored on submit.
Double opt-in is skipped for opt-ins. When a Profile opts in via a pre-filled form, they are considered confirmed immediately — no confirmation email is sent. This is because the recipient is already a known, email-verified subscriber (they clicked a tracked link in an email you sent them).
Consent events land on the timeline. Opt-in and opt-out actions from a pre-filled form are written to the Profile's timeline in Profile 360, so you have a full audit trail.
For full details on how double opt-in works elsewhere in Apsis One, see Double opt-in.
Event tool registration forms
Registration forms created through the Event tool are always pre-filled when opened from an event invitation or reminder email — regardless of how the link is configured. This is by design: event registrations should recognise returning attendees and save them re-entering details they've already given you.
You don't need to tick Prefilled form on Event tool links; pre-filling happens automatically.
Best practices
One Form for both, or two — when to share and when to split
A single Form can be used as both a public sign-up and a pre-filled update link — same activity, two different links in two different places. That's the lighter setup: one Form to maintain, one source of truth for consent options.
But it isn't always the right choice. Use one Form when both audiences should see the same copy and follow the same path after submitting. Split into two Forms when:
The instructions on the Form should read differently. A public sign-up usually opens with "Join our newsletter"; a pre-filled update reads more like "Review and update your preferences." Headline, body copy, and Submit button text all tend to differ between a first-time visitor and a returning subscriber.
The Marketing Automation path should branch on first submit vs. update. A new sign-up might trigger a welcome flow, double opt-in confirmation, or onboarding series. A pre-filled update from an existing subscriber shouldn't — they're already in your audience and have already received those communications. Two separate Forms means two separate Form - Submit Events, and you can build distinct MA flows for each.
The fields you ask for differ. Public sign-ups often keep it short (just email and consent) to reduce friction. Pre-filled updates can ask for more, because the recipient isn't being asked to type from scratch.
If any of those apply, build two Forms. If none of them apply — consider if using one form is the right choice.
Limit pre-filled updates to non-CRM Attributes (if you use CRM)
If your Profiles are CRM-mastered, pre-filled forms are most valuable for updating Subscriptions, Topics, and custom Apsis Attributes — the data that lives in Apsis and drives your segmentation. Asking subscribers to update their job title or company via a form is fine, but remember the value will be overwritten on the next CRM sync unless the CRM is also updated.
Keep the form short
Pre-filled forms work best when they ask for one or two things — not a 15-field questionnaire. A short form that shows mostly pre-filled values and asks for one new piece of data will convert far better than a long one.
Set a meaningful post-submit action
Configure the Form's Action so visitors land on a friendly confirmation page or see a clear thank-you message after they submit. "Your preferences are saved" is a better close than the default blank screen.
Test with a known Profile before sending
Before launching a campaign, send a test email to yourself (or a test Profile in your Audience) and click the link from the received email — not from the Email editor preview. This is the only way to see the real pre-filled behaviour, because the tracking link and Profile resolution only happen on a genuine send.
Troubleshooting
The form opens blank instead of pre-filling
A few things to check:
Did you tick Prefilled form on the link in the Email editor? A ticked box is required — the Form itself has no "is pre-filled" setting.
Did the recipient click the link in the email, or did they open the Form URL directly (from a bookmark, a copy-paste, or a public share)? Pre-fill only activates when the form is opened via the tracked link.
Is the Profile actually known in your Audience? Pre-fill only works for Profiles that already exist with data matching the Form's mapped Attributes.
The form is pre-filled but the email field is greyed out
That's expected behaviour — the email field is deliberately locked on pre-filled forms to prevent accidental duplicates or wrong-profile updates. See What gets pre-filled.
A CRM-mapped field I expected to be pre-filled is empty
Check that the Attribute is populated on the Profile in Apsis One (open Profile 360 and look under Attributes). If the CRM sync hasn't yet delivered a value, the field will be empty. Also check that the Input field element in the Form is mapped to that Attribute.
Submissions from CRM Profiles aren't saving changes
Check the Form's Profile Check setting under Form: Action. If it's set to Block if Profile has CRM ID, CRM-linked Profiles are intentionally rejected. Switch to Allow Profile overwriting if you want CRM Profiles to be updated in Apsis (remembering that CRM-mapped Attributes may still be overwritten again at the next sync).
The Prefilled form checkbox isn't showing in Link Settings
The checkbox appears only when Link type is set to Form. If you're linking to a regular web page or a survey, the checkbox won't be visible — that's expected. If you've selected a Form but the checkbox still isn't there, contact Apsis Customer Service as the functionality may not be activated on your account.
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