# Publish a questionnaire

Publish a Pristo CX questionnaire from the form builder, learn what respondents get after a new version, and fix the issues that block publishing.

In Pristo CX, select **Publish** in the form builder's header to turn your draft into the questionnaire's next published version. New respondents get the new version at once, and a response that is already under way keeps the version its respondent opened.

## Before you start

- Role: you need to be an account admin or a program admin. See [roles and permissions](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/users/roles-and-permissions).
- Account: your email address must be verified. Until it is, the publish window shows **To publish your survey, please complete verification by checking your inbox and clicking on the link we sent you.** See [Create a Pristo CX account](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/get-started/sign-up).
- Setup: the **issues** panel has no errors. Check the questionnaire first with [Preview a questionnaire](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/form-builder/preview).

## Steps

![Sketch of the publish window, open over the form builder. The green button at the right end of the header opens it. Marker 2 is on the box for the version description. Marker 3 is on the button in the window that publishes the questionnaire, at the bottom right.](https://docs.pristo.io/_astro/form-builder-publish.Dz6iCDPG.webp)

1. Select **Publish** in the header. The builder checks the questionnaire first. If it finds errors, it opens the **issues** panel instead. Fix each issue, then select **Publish** again.

2. Optionally, describe your changes in **Add version description**. The text becomes the version's release notes.

3. Select **Publish**.

## Result

The builder shows a message such as **Version 2 published successfully!** After a moment, Pristo CX opens the questionnaire's **Share** tab, where you can [share the questionnaire](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/questionnaires/share-a-questionnaire). The builder also starts a new draft from the published version, so you can go on editing.

## What respondents get after a new version

- New respondents open the latest published version.
- A response stays on the version it was started on, even if the respondent opened the link before you published and answered after.
- An export of responses gives each questionnaire version its own file, with that version's questions. When there is more than one file, they come in one ZIP file.

## Versions

- The version menu at the start of the header lists the draft, marked **draft**, and every published version. Select one to open it. The menu is hidden on most tablets and on phones.
- **Versions** in the side menu lists the published versions. Select one to see **Published on** and **Release notes**, then select **Load version** to open it.
- A published version is read-only. Select **Edit** in the header to make a draft from it. For an older version, the builder first warns **Current draft will be overridden.**

## What the issues check blocks

The **issues** panel lists problems, and **refresh** checks again. Errors block publishing, and a red dot on the **issues** button shows there is at least one. Warnings do not block publishing.

| Kind | Examples |
|---|---|
| Errors | The end page redirect URL is not valid. Two questions have the same data field ID. A dropdown has no choices. A translation exists for the questionnaire's own language. A condition or exit point has empty values or uses a deleted question. A question depends on itself, on a question that comes after it, or on a question in a loop section. A counter's increment is 0 or does not fit its range. A date's default value is outside its range |
| Warnings | A section is empty. Questions have no title. A mask expression is empty. A dropdown repeats a key value. A date range is missing a value. A loop item has no title. A checkbox has no label. A question depends on another page in the **Parallel** flow |

## Limits

- Release notes hold up to 1,000 characters.
- Publishing needs a verified email address.
- After the first publish of a questionnaire, Pristo CX emails the user who published it, if that user has the **Form published** notification turned on in their profile.

## Troubleshooting

**Publish is grey and shows a warning icon.** The questionnaire has errors. Point to the button to see **All issues must be fixed before publishing**, then open **issues** and fix them.

**The publish window asks me to verify my email.** Open the verification email Pristo CX sent you and select its link, then publish again. If the email did not arrive, see [Create a Pristo CX account](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/get-started/sign-up#troubleshooting).

**The message says publishing failed.** Pristo CX could not publish the version. Wait a moment and select **Publish** again.

## Related

- [Preview a questionnaire](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/form-builder/preview)
- [Share a questionnaire](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/questionnaires/share-a-questionnaire)
- [Form builder overview](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/form-builder/overview)
- [Export responses](https://docs.pristo.io/cx/responses/export-responses)