Funnelforms Free 5 is a new core. After the update, Funnelforms copies your forms and entries from Funnelforms Free 3 in the background and checks every form. The Funnelforms 3 data is only read, never changed. Every form returns on your website as soon as its copy is checked identical. Shortcodes and pages stay as they are. Funnelforms Free has no way back to Funnelforms 3.
Requirements
- Funnelforms Free. For Funnelforms Pro, see the other articles in this category.
- You are an administrator of the website.
- The WordPress uploads folder is writable. Funnelforms writes a restore point there before the copy.
- WP-Cron runs on your website. Funnelforms Free does the copy in the background through WP-Cron.
Where to find it
- After the update the migration assistant opens. Until it is finished, every Funnelforms page leads to it.
- Funnelforms → Migration shows every form with its check and the reason why it is not shown yet. The menu item appears once the copy has begun.
- Notices at the top of the Funnelforms pages and in the plugin list tell you when a form needs a look.
- Funnelforms → Pro features compares Funnelforms Free and Pro and shows the way to Pro.
Features at a glance
- Copy of all forms and entries from Funnelforms Free 3 in the background.
- A restore point of the Funnelforms 3 data before the copy.
- A check of every form against its behaviour in Funnelforms 3.
- Checked forms move to Funnelforms 5 on their own.
- Visitors do not see forms that cannot move yet. Editors see a note in their place.
- An hourly sync of new and changed data from Funnelforms 3.
Step by step
- Update Funnelforms Free as usual on the WordPress plugins page.
- The copy starts on its own with the next page request.
- Go through the migration assistant. In the step with the copy you see the progress per kind of data. Wait until everything is done and click Continue.
- Choose which forms move: All checked forms or Let me pick.
- Choose the look and how long entries are kept, and click Continue.
- In the comparison look at every form as New (Funnelforms 5), on Desktop and Phone.
- Click Go live now.
- Afterwards open Funnelforms → Migration → Forms and choose the filter Stays on Funnelforms 3. These forms are not shown on your website yet.
- At each of these forms open Details, read the reason and fix it.
Explanations
What do visitors see during the copy?
Funnelforms Free 5 no longer contains any Funnelforms 3 code. As long as a form does not run on Funnelforms 5, visitors see nothing in its place. People who may edit forms see a note, for example "Funnelforms is moving this form to version 5. It appears here once that is done. Only people who edit forms see this note." The admin shows: "Funnelforms is moving your forms and entries to version 5. Your forms appear on your website again as soon as that is done."
So plan the update for a quiet time and go through the assistant right after it.
What happens after the copy?
Funnelforms moves every form to Funnelforms 5 that is checked identical and that nothing holds back. For forms that stay, including every form you left out in the migration assistant, the Funnelforms pages and the plugin list show for example "1 form from Funnelforms 3 is not shown on your website yet, because it needs a look after the move to version 5." with the link Show the forms. On the page, editors see: "This Funnelforms form is not shown: it is not published on version 5 yet. …"
What holds a form back in Funnelforms Free?
- Everything that also holds it back in Funnelforms Pro, for example differences in the comparison, tracking code or a captcha field (such as reCAPTCHA) without keys. See the article on moving forms.
- Funnelforms Pro features that change what visitors go through: slider, file upload, address with suggestions, signature, repeat group, appointment booking, phone verification, conditions with AND/OR, numbers, text and dates, calculations and price calculators, quizzes, A/B tests, payments, password, entry limit and opening times, time limit, save and continue later, double opt-in and forms in several languages. Without them the form would be incomplete.
The migration page then names the feature as the reason, for example Calculations and price calculators, with the text "The form uses “Calculations and price calculators”, which is part of Funnelforms Pro, so Funnelforms Free cannot publish it." and the hint "Open the form in the form builder; it shows what is missing."
Other Funnelforms Pro features do not hold a form back, for example webhooks, CRM connections or custom CSS. The form moves, but these parts stay unused in Funnelforms Free.
How do I fix the reason?
- Open the form with Open in the form builder, remove the Funnelforms Pro feature or fix the point named, and publish the form. When you publish, it moves to Funnelforms 5.
- Or use Funnelforms Pro. Pro can do all these features.
- If only something changed in Funnelforms 3, click Import again on the page of the form.
What about popups?
Funnelforms Free has no popups and no corner button. A form that was embedded as a popup in Funnelforms 3 is shown in the page in Funnelforms Free 5.
What about the restore point?
Before the copy, Funnelforms writes a restore point of all Funnelforms 3 data, encrypted with the key of your site. Without it no form moves. Funnelforms Free has no interface to view, download or restore it. Once your move is complete, Funnelforms deletes restore points older than 30 days.
If the restore point cannot be written, the migration page shows "The restore point could not be saved. Please ask in the support forum." First check that the uploads folder is writable.
What does the migration assistant show in Funnelforms Free?
The same steps as in Funnelforms Pro, without the question about the old interface, because Funnelforms Free contains no Funnelforms 3 pages. The comparison shows only New (Funnelforms 5), because Funnelforms Free can no longer show the Funnelforms 3 version. If you leave out a form, it is not shown until you move it yourself: under Funnelforms → Migration → Forms with Move to Funnelforms 5, or by publishing it in the form builder. The hourly sync does not move a form you left out on its own.
Can I go back to Funnelforms Free 3?
No. Funnelforms Free 5 contains no Funnelforms 3 code and no way back. The command wp funnelforms backup mode 3 also stops with an error in Free and changes nothing. Your Funnelforms 3 data stays unchanged in the database, though.
Can I switch to Funnelforms Pro later?
Yes. Funnelforms Pro is a separate plugin. When you activate it, it takes over your forms and entries as they are and Funnelforms Free can be deleted. Forms with Funnelforms Pro features can then move.
Best practices
- Update at a time with few visitors and go through the assistant right away.
- After going live, check the filter Stays on Funnelforms 3 and fix every reason.
- Open the pages with your most important forms as a visitor, for example in a private browser window.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| A form has disappeared from my page | It does not run on Funnelforms 5 yet | Open Funnelforms → Migration → Forms and read the reason under Details. |
| The migration page reports "The new form display is missing" | The plugin is not installed completely | Install the plugin again from wordpress.org. If that does not help, ask in the support forum. |
| The copy makes no progress | WP-Cron does not run | Keep the migration assistant open in the step with the copy; it moves the copy on itself. Otherwise check WP-Cron with your host. |
| "The restore point could not be saved. Please ask in the support forum." | The uploads folder is not writable | Make the uploads folder writable. If that does not help, ask in the support forum. |
| The reason is a feature such as Calculations and price calculators | The form uses a Funnelforms Pro feature | Open the form in the form builder, remove the feature and publish it, or use Funnelforms Pro. |
| A popup no longer opens | Funnelforms Free has no popups | The form is shown in the page. |
| A webhook or CRM connection no longer arrives | These features belong to Funnelforms Pro | Use Funnelforms Pro or an e-mail notification. |
Tips
- The Funnelforms 3 data stays unchanged. Funnelforms only reads it.
- If something changes in the Funnelforms 3 data, the hourly sync takes it over to Funnelforms 5.
- Under Funnelforms → Entries you find the imported leads, marked "From Funnelforms 3".
FAQ
Do I have to change my shortcodes? No. [funnelforms id="…"] and [anfrageformular2 id="…"] stay valid.
Why do visitors no longer see a form? It does not run on Funnelforms 5 yet. The migration page names the reason.
Are entries lost? No. All leads are copied, the originals stay in Funnelforms 3.
Does Funnelforms Free 5 have limits on forms or entries? No. Funnelforms Free has no limits on forms, steps, fields or entries.