Clone forms

PlatoForms allows you to clone existing forms to reuse their structure, logic, and settings. You can create an identical copy of a PDF form or clone a PDF form into a Web Form (WoF) format.

What is form cloning?

Cloning allows you to create a new form by copying an existing one. Instead of building from scratch, the new form inherits the fields and logic from the original, saving you time on setup and configuration.

Clone a form

1. On the Dashboard, hover over the form you want to duplicate.

2. Click the Settings (gear) icon in the top right corner. In the panel that opens, select Clone Form under Quick Actions.

   

A pop-up window will appear. The available options in this window are dynamic and depend on the type and state of the source form.

Cloning options by form type

1. PDF Fillable Form options:

• Reuse PDF: Use the same PDF file from the original form.
• Reuse Fields: Use the fields from the original form but upload a new PDF.
• Convert to Master Form: Reuse the fields from the original form to create a Master Form and its linked forms.
• Convert to Web PDF Form: Clone the form as a Web PDF Form, which keeps the PDF and fills it from a responsive online form.
• Keep the original form’s URL: The new form adopts the URL of the original form, while the original form is assigned a new URL. Note that the original URL remains inaccessible until the new form is published.

2. Web Form options:

If you are cloning a Web Form (Classic or Conversational), which has no PDF, the options are simplified:

• Convert to Master Form: Reuse the fields from the original form to create the Master Form.
• Keep the original form’s URL: The new form adopts the URL of the original form, while the original form is assigned a new URL. Note that the original URL remains inaccessible until the new form is published.

3. Web PDF Form options:

When cloning a Web PDF Form, you see Reuse PDF, Reuse Fields, Convert to Master Form and Keep the original form’s URL, plus these conversion paths:

• Convert to Web Form: Reuse fields from the original form to create a Web Form without the PDF.
• Convert to PDF Fillable Form (PoF): Clone the form into a PDF Fillable Form (PoF). Note that some fields may be converted or removed.

Clone a PDF Form to a Web Form

When cloning to a Web Form format, the system transitions the layout from a fixed PDF to a responsive web view.

• Field migration: Compatible fields (e.g., Name, Numbers, Country) are automatically carried over.
• Compatibility warnings: Features unique to PDF forms are not supported in Web Forms. If incompatible items are detected, the system will display a warning.
• Review & Continue: For Convert to PDF Fillable Form and Convert to Web PDF Form, a preview lists the preserved and discarded fields before you click Proceed with Clone. Convert to Web Form has no preview. The original form remains unaffected.

Watch demo One-click form type conversion

Set up the cloning options (PDF to PDF)

When cloning between PDF forms, you can customize how assets are reused:

• Reuse PDF (On) + Reuse Fields (Off): This allows you to use the same PDF background from the original form but without reusing its fields. You can start fresh by adding and mapping new fields to the existing PDF.

  

• Reuse PDF (Off) + Reuse Fields (On): This option retains all fields, logic, and settings from the original form without using its PDF. The fields appear in the new form in their original positions, allowing you to upload a new PDF background and then move or edit the fields to fit the updated layout.

  

  Note

  When you disable Reuse PDF to upload a new PDF file, you might have to adjust the page order. See the Remap page order section for details.

• Both Enabled: This creates a near-identical copy by reusing both the PDF background and the original fields. This is the most efficient option for making minor updates to an existing form.

  

Remap page order

This feature is available for PDF forms only. When cloning without reusing the original PDF (switching off Reuse PDF), you must adjust the page order if the new PDF’s layout differs from the original.

When to remap pages

Remapping is required if:

• A new page is inserted into the middle of the PDF (pages added only at the end do not require remapping).
• Pages are removed from the middle of the document.
• The existing page sequence is rearranged.

How to remap pages

1. Before uploading the new file, enable the The pages in the new PDF are in a different order than the old PDF toggle.

   

2. Drag and drop your file or click Upload to add the new PDF.

3. In the Remap the corresponding pages screen, identify new or removed pages.

   

   Note

   The top row displays pages from your new upload; the bottom row shows pages inherited from the original form.

   • Click New page? Yes to incorporate a new page into your cloned form.

     

   • Click Deleted page? Yes to remove unwanted pages from the clone. Fields on deleted pages are dropped. Clicking Deleted page? Yes on the placeholder of a new page removes the placeholder.

     

4. Once pages are marked, drag and drop them to arrange the final sequence.

   

5. Click Done to finalize, or Skip to ignore the mapping and place fields by page number. You will enter the form builder with the copy. Fields keep their positions on the remapped pages, and fields on pages that no longer exist are dropped. Logic is copied as is, so check the fields and the rules in Logics before you publish.

Clone a Master Form

On the Dashboard, open the Master Forms tab, click the gear icon on the master form’s card and select Clone Form. The Clone Master Form dialog offers:

• Clone its linked forms (on by default): every linked PDF is copied into the new Master Form with its PDF and placed fields. Linked PDFs in the Trash are not copied.
• Convert to Web Form: creates a Web Form with the Master Form’s fields and no PDFs. Turning it on greys out Clone its linked forms.
• Keep the original form’s URL (off by default): the copy takes over the original’s URL, as described above.

Each copied linked PDF starts as a Draft and must be published.

To clone a single linked PDF, open Link PDFs on the master form’s card, then click the gear icon on the PDF’s card and select Clone Form. The dialog offers Reuse PDF, Reuse Fields and Keep the original form’s URL, and the copy is attached to the same Master Form.

Replace the PDF of a linked PDF form

To move a linked PDF form onto a new PDF, clone the linked PDF with Reuse PDF off and Reuse Fields on, upload the new PDF and remap pages if needed. Open the copy, check the fields and Publish it. Then choose Stop Sharing on the old linked PDF’s card. Publish the new one before you stop the old one.

What is not copied

A clone copies the fields, logic, design, settings, notifications and permissions. It does not copy:

• Submissions, drafts and version history
• Cloud drive connections
• Integrations, such as payment accounts and Google Sheets: connect them again on the copy
• A Web Form’s customised PDF Template: the copy uses the default layout until you customise it again
• Webhooks: they move to the copy only with Keep the original form’s URL
• Invitations already sent
• Voice filling: it is switched off on the copy
• Workflow membership: the copy is not part of any workflow

Video tutorials

How to clone a form (Part 1)

This video covers the basics of duplicating forms and template management:

• Form duplication: Basic process of duplicating a form on the dashboard.
• Reuse PDF: How to use the original background with fresh fields.
• Master Forms: Converting a clone into a reusable template base.

How to reuse fields (Part 2)

This video focuses on updating documents while preserving your work:

• Reuse fields: Keeping existing field logic while replacing the PDF.
• URL management: Instructions for maintaining the public URL during updates.
• Page remapping: Step-by-step guide for handling PDFs with rearranged or added pages.