Understand autosave and Save changes
To open the builder, go to Dashboard, choose Selling, find the form under My Forms, and choose Edit form. In list view, use the pencil icon labeled Edit form. The Save changes button is in the builder header.
When the builder opens, it records the exact live version that tab started from before autosave can create a recovery draft. After you edit and pause, the builder protects the work as an unpublished recovery draft. Watch the status beside the Save controls: Unsaved changes, Saving, or a warning means the newest work may still need attention. Autosave does not change the buyer-facing form.
Choose Save changes, or press Ctrl+S on Windows or Cmd+S on Mac, when the current version is ready to publish. Save publishes form settings, blocks and layout, products and variants including deletions, shipping, Coupons and Sales, payment instructions, and related content. Existing stock quantities and alerts save separately through Inventory's stock controls; each result is reported independently. The buyer-facing form continues showing its last published version until validation and publication succeed.
If Builder rejects a Save because the form or saved draft is unavailable, access changed, or the form cannot be prepared safely, follow the next action shown—review the named area, reload Builder, or try Save again. The message does not expose internal permission or database details.
If the status says Earlier Save needs confirmation, that Save may already have completed. Keep this tab open and choose Try again to confirm it before sending newer edits. If Builder instead asks you to sign in or download a backup before reloading, follow that action. Newer work remains in the open tab; browser recovery is best effort, so do not close the tab or clear storage while the outcome is unresolved.
Forms have no fixed block-count cap, but the total draft size still matters. If Builder says This draft is too large to save, keep the tab open, choose Review form, remove unused content, and choose Save changes again. The latest edits are still in this tab; they have not replaced any previously saved recovery draft or the live form.
If Save asks you to Review a shipping choice before saving, choose Review shipping. When the unchanged invalid choice can be identified, Builder focuses its name or price field and shows the correction needed. Otherwise, it opens the shipping list for review. The notice keeps your other unpublished changes protected. A custom form URL entered in the same draft also waits for a successful Save; copying or sharing continues to use the published link.
Understand changes from another place
Connected apps, API clients, collaborators, other tabs, Orders, Inventory, and Profit and Loss tools can change data while a builder is open.
- A clean tab that is only reviewing the form refreshes to a newer live version and keeps Save changes disabled.
- A tab with edits keeps its work. When EZFormz can prove that an ordinary live change is independent, Save combines it with the newer live state.
- Returning to a Builder page through browser history keeps its protected unpublished draft visible. Autosave protection alone does not make the tab a clean live-only view; choose Save changes to publish it.
- When both places changed the same ordinary setting, the current Save wins; there is no general merge screen to manage.
- If another Builder tab changed the saved draft, EZFormz protects this tab's work in the browser and asks you to Reload Builder before saving again. Reloading through that action does not clear the protected browser copy.
- Product, variant, Coupon, Sale, P&L cost, and Inventory writers receive stricter protection. An older tab cannot silently restore a deletion, replace live operational counters, or overwrite an order-driven stock change.
- If an order changes stock while the builder is open, content publication keeps that live quantity. A separate stock save compares the amount you reviewed and pauses that stock change when the amount or source changed; unrelated content can still save.
If feedback says stock changes need review, use Review stock to open Inventory. Compare your retained proposal with the current count before saving another change. An unconfirmed stock save offers Check status, which checks the original request without sending it again. A content Save cannot force your older stock value over an order deduction.
If a Coupon was deleted or recreated while an older tab remained open, EZFormz uses that tab's protected starting version to decide whether an untouched deletion should stay deleted or an edited replacement should keep the current identity. Coupon use and budget counters continue updating independently of an open builder.
Recover interrupted work
If the browser reloads, EZFormz first tries to recover the current tab's protected work. A new editing session opens the current live form without asking you to choose an older draft. Choose Save changes to publish your current edits; you do not need to visit the Publish tab.
If the status says local recovery is unavailable or asks you to keep the tab open, do so and retry Save changes. Browser recovery is best effort; a successful status message or the reloaded public form is stronger proof than simply closing the tab.
If Builder says This Builder session already finished, use Reload Builder to continue from the current saved form. Do not try to recreate the completed session. When Builder can verify genuinely newer edits from a completed session, follow its separate recovery choices; an older session whose result cannot be verified does not offer to keep it as a new draft.
Do not clear browser storage, disconnect an integration, or move to a private window just to resolve an ordinary recovery notice. Those actions can remove useful local evidence without changing the protected server draft.
Use Undo and published versions
Use Undo or Ctrl+Z for a recent editor mistake. Undo creates a new unpublished change, so wait for protection and then save when the result is correct.
For an older state, open Publish → Share Link, find Published versions, and click Restore version beside the intended version. Discarded readable drafts remain available there. Read the confirmation: restoring replaces your current unsaved editor work. If you need to keep that work, cancel and download a backup from Settings → Tools → Download Backup first.
Version Restore requires both current Builder editing access and permission to publish or close the form. The owner and Co-owner have this access. A Custom role needs Publish or close the form plus access to the editing areas being restored. Edit form, Manage inventory, or Manager access alone does not allow Version Restore, even if a version is listed.
The older version is also checked against your current editing permissions before EZFormz creates or updates recovery work. If a protected change is not allowed, Restore changes nothing; ask the form owner to review your access. Otherwise, the selected version opens as a draft: review it in Preview, then choose Save changes to make it live. Restoring a draft also preserves its protected Coupon history for review. This is different from Restore from Backup, which replaces live form data immediately.
Handle an old or unreadable recovery draft
If a very old draft no longer has the protected starting version needed for a safe merge, EZFormz pauses instead of guessing or changing the live form. Choose Save changes to review the warning. You can keep the draft paused, or confirm that EZFormz should archive a readable copy in Version history and reload the current live form. Unreadable recovery data is kept privately for support review rather than being published.
If support performs a fresh start for a form, the version live at that moment becomes the only starting point. Older drafts and Version history for that form are removed, older browser recovery is cleared, and already-open old tabs cannot save over the fresh starting point. A fresh start is a support recovery action, not an ordinary troubleshooting step.
Keep sensitive data out of drafts and previews
Draft and preview data may persist in browser storage and on EZFormz, and permitted collaborators may be able to work on the same form. They are recovery and testing features, not secret storage. Never place passwords, API keys, payment credentials, private access links, authentication tokens, or unnecessary personal data in field defaults, hidden fields, instructions, images, drafts, or previews.
Replacement form passwords are intentionally not kept in recovery drafts. If Save asks for the password again, open Settings → Security, enter the new password again, and choose Save changes. Until that succeeds, the draft remains protected and the buyer-facing password does not change.
Avoid editing the same form in several tabs unless needed. If EZFormz reports that another Builder tab changed the saved draft, use Reload Builder and review the protected work before saving again. For stock needing attention, use Review stock and resolve any unconfirmed request with Check status before making another change. Leave unresolved work protected instead of repeatedly saving or trying to overwrite it.
Keep stock separate from restored content
Own stock and alerts save when you choose Save changes; autosave retains content without applying stock. If stock conflicts or its save is unconfirmed, unrelated content can still save and the feedback identifies what needs review. Review unresolved stock in Inventory; Check status reads an unknown result without sending it again.
Content Undo and Restore version retain live stock and connections for variants that still exist. Recreated variants start with their own count of 0 and no shared connection; review Inventory before selling them. Backup restore recreates all variants at own 0. Typed stock proposals remain separate work for review rather than becoming historical quantities on a content save.