If you used Funnelforms 3 and update to Funnelforms 5, Funnelforms copies your data into the new storage. The setup assistant guides you through six steps: restore point and import, your choice, the comparison of old and new and finally "Go live". Your Funnelforms 3 data is only read and never changed.
Requirements
- You are an administrator of the website (the assistant requires the WordPress capability "manage_options").
- The website holds data from Funnelforms 3 (forms, leads, appointments). Without such data the assistant shows the path for a new installation.
- The WordPress uploads folder is writable. Funnelforms saves a restore point there before the import.
- The comparison with the Funnelforms 3 view and the way back to Funnelforms 3 exist only in Funnelforms Pro. How the move works in Funnelforms Free is described in the article on moving from Free 3 to Free 5.
Where to find it
- The assistant is mandatory. Until it is finished, every Funnelforms page (including the Funnelforms 3 pages) leads to it. The dashboard and the plugin list open it once per administrator.
- The other WordPress pages show the notice "The setup is not finished yet. Funnelforms is ready to use once you have been through it." with the button Start the setup or Continue the setup.
- What was copied is shown at any time under Funnelforms → Migration. The menu item appears once the import has run.
Features at a glance
- A restore point of all Funnelforms 3 data before anything is copied.
- Automatic import of forms, leads, appointments, appointment types and connections in the background.
- A check of every form against its behaviour in Funnelforms 3.
- A choice of which forms move: All checked forms or Let me pick.
- A choice of the look and of how long entries are kept.
- The question whether your website sends diagnostic data to Funnelforms. It stays off unless you turn it on.
- A comparison of every form on desktop and phone, in Funnelforms Pro with the view "Today (Funnelforms 3)" next to it.
- An hourly sync of new and changed data from Funnelforms 3.
Step by step
The assistant has six steps: Welcome, Bring over your data, What to keep, Compare, Go live, Done. Every step is saved. With Continue later you pause and land on the dashboard.
- In the step Welcome click Let's start.
- In the step Bring over your data you see the list: restore point of Funnelforms 3, connections (e-mail, CRM, webhooks), appointment types, forms, entries, appointments. Wait until every item is done; only then is Continue active.
- Read the result: three counters show "checked and ready", "please have a look" and "stay on Funnelforms 3 for now". Below, every form is listed with its label and, where needed, the reason.
- Click Continue. In the step What to keep, under "Which forms move to Funnelforms 5?", choose All checked forms or Let me pick and then tick the forms one by one.
- Under "How should your forms look?" choose As before or The new Funnelforms design.
- Under "How long should entries be kept?" choose a period: 6 months, 12 months, 24 months or Never. Your current setting is preselected.
- Decide under "Help improve Funnelforms" whether you turn on Send diagnostic data to Funnelforms (no content and no data about your visitors). Check under "Connections" which connections come along. Decide under "The old interface" (Pro only) whether the Funnelforms 3 pages are hidden once all forms run on Funnelforms 5. Click Continue.
- In the step Compare open a form. In Funnelforms Pro you see "Today (Funnelforms 3)" on the left and "New (Funnelforms 5)" on the right. Desktop and Phone switch the view. If you untick a form, it stays on Funnelforms 3 for now.
- Click Continue. In the step Go live read the summary ("Ready to go live") and click Go live now.
- In the step Done you see how many forms now run on Funnelforms 5 and which stay on Funnelforms 3 for now, and why. Go to the overview finishes the assistant.
Note: The data is already copied in the step "Bring over your data". Which forms your visitors see in the new version is set with Go live now.
Explanations
What is brought over?
| From Funnelforms 3 | Becomes in Funnelforms 5 |
|---|---|
| Forms with questions, contact forms and calculations | new forms; SMTP and reCAPTCHA credentials are created as encrypted connections |
| Global credentials of integrations (for example ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, HubSpot, KlickTipp, Zapier, Make) | connections with an encrypted key; only created if a key was stored in Funnelforms 3 |
| Leads | entries; uploaded files stay in the folder uploads/af2/ and keep their download links |
| Appointments | appointments with start and end in UTC, linked to the entry |
| Appointment types | appointment types; a Cronofy access is stored encrypted |
What happens in the background?
First Funnelforms writes a restore point of all Funnelforms 3 data. Once it is done, the import begins. It runs in short steps through Action Scheduler or WP-Cron and locks itself against parallel runs. While the step "Bring over your data" is open, the assistant moves the import on itself, even if WP-Cron does not run on your website.
Every record is recognised by its ID from Funnelforms 3. Unchanged records are skipped in a new run. So you can repeat a run at any time: under Funnelforms → Migration, Copy again now starts a new run.
What is the hourly sync?
Once the first run is finished, Funnelforms copies new and changed data from Funnelforms 3 every hour. Deletions arrive too: if a lead is deleted in Funnelforms 3, the sync removes the matching entry. If very many leads vanish at once, Funnelforms keeps the copies to be safe and reports this under Migration as "Copies kept to be safe".
If you edited and published an imported form in the new builder, it keeps your version. The sync no longer overwrites it.
Do checked forms move on their own?
Yes. Checked forms run on Funnelforms 5 on their own, because the new renderer works with keyboard and screen readers. While you are in the assistant, this waits so that you choose yourself. A form you leave out in the assistant moves only once you move it yourself. Until then it stays on Funnelforms 3 in Funnelforms Pro, and in Funnelforms Free it is not shown on your website. In Funnelforms Pro you can also switch the automatic move off under Migration → Forms with Use the new renderer for all checked forms (Pro only).
What does the assistant ask about retention?
Older entries are deleted automatically, with their uploaded files. Your current setting is preselected; if you choose nothing else, nothing changes. If your setting differs from the four offers, it is listed as an option of its own.
What does the assistant ask about diagnostic data?
Under "Help improve Funnelforms" you turn on that your website sends a report to Funnelforms once a week. It holds versions, environment, features in use and counts, but no texts, answers, entries or data about your visitors. While it is on, you can choose the industry and whether the website's address goes along. The summary then says "Diagnostic data go to Funnelforms once a week". You change it later under Settings → General → Diagnostic data. This applies to Funnelforms Free and Pro.
What happens if the restore point cannot be written?
The import still runs, because it only reads Funnelforms 3. But no form from Funnelforms 3 goes live on Funnelforms 5 until a restore point exists. The assistant shows "The restore point could not be written, so nothing goes live yet." with the button Try again.
Best practices
- In the step Compare look at least at your most important forms before you go live.
- If you are unsure, choose Let me pick and move a single form first.
- Afterwards, take care of forms marked "Please have a look" or "Stays on Funnelforms 3" under Funnelforms → Migration.
- Keep your current retention setting if you are unsure.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Continue cannot be clicked in the step "Bring over your data" | The import is still running | Wait until every item is done. The page updates itself. |
| "The restore point could not be written, so nothing goes live yet." | The WordPress uploads folder is not writable | Make the uploads folder writable and click Try again. |
| "Pick at least one form, or choose "All checked forms"." | No form is ticked under Let me pick | Tick at least one form or choose All checked forms. |
| Every Funnelforms page leads to the assistant | The assistant is still open | Go through it until Done. |
| A form cannot be ticked under Let me pick | It is not ready yet, for example because the check found differences | The reason is shown in the step "Bring over your data" and later under Migration. |
Tips
- The comparison is a test run: what you enter in the new preview is not saved and no e-mail is sent.
- New leads that come in after the move appear in Entries together with the imported ones.
- If you choose The new Funnelforms design, every form keeps its main colour and font.
FAQ
Is my Funnelforms 3 data changed? No. Funnelforms only reads and copies it. The only exception is a privacy erasure request through the WordPress tools: it also deletes that person's leads in Funnelforms 3.
Can I skip the assistant? No. You can pause it with Continue later. The import goes on in the meantime.
Do I have to move all forms at once? No. With Let me pick you move only single forms. All others stay on Funnelforms 3 for now.
How long does the import take? That depends on the amount of data. The assistant shows the progress per kind of data.
Do I lose my leads and files? No. Leads are copied as entries, the originals stay in Funnelforms 3. Uploaded files stay where they are. Moving these files into the private storage of the new uploads: This feature is currently in progress.