unfortunately there is no way for 3rd party clients to update an existing record ussing forms. it creates a new one upon submission. it would be great if users can click on a link which opens up a partially filled in form > they fill it in even further and hit ‘ update’. updates existing record rather than creating another.
Question
update data via form for 3rd party clients
+35Your #1 best bet for this is to use Fillout’s advanced forms for Airtable because it communicates directly with Airtable and it does exactly what you asked for — it lets you update Airtable records with a form.
Fillout is 100% free, and it offers hundreds of features that Airtable’s native forms don’t offer, including the ability to:
- update Airtable records using a form
- create custom PDF files from a form submission
- accept payments on forms
- pre-fetch dynamic data from an Airtable record
- customize the style and branding of your form
- customize a theme for your form
- display Airtable lookup fields on forms
- create multi-page forms with conditional paths
- create new linked records on a form
- add a login page to your form
- perform math or other live calculations on your forms
- collect signatures on a form
- connect a single form to dozens of external apps simultaneously
- add CAPTCHAs to your form
- and much more.
I show how to use a few of the advanced features of Fillout on these 2 Airtable podcast episodes:
- Using Fillout to update an existing Airtable record & create an eSignature approval process with PDF file creation.
- Using Fillout to create an order entry form with line items.
Hope this helps!
If you’d like to hire the best Airtable consultant to help you with anything Airtable-related, please feel free to contact me through my website: Airtable consultant — ScottWorld
+28Hey
As mentioned by Scott above, your best option will be to go with Fillout.
Getting this done using Airtable native forms is really not ideal (you can find Airtable’s documentation on how to do that here).
If you need any help with either of the above solutions, feel free to grab a slot using this link and I’d be happy to show you around.
Also, you’ll want to submit this as a feature request using this link. We really need more powerful Airtable forms!
Mike, Consultant @ Automatic Nation
YouTube Channel
+1Hi
You're correct—native Airtable forms can only create new records, not update existing ones. This is a common pain point.
Solutions:
1. Fillout (Easiest)
- Connects directly to Airtable
- Create "prefilled" forms with record ID in URL
- Users can update existing records
- Example URL:
fillout.com/your-form?recordId=rec123 - Free tier available, paid plans for advanced features
2. Softr/Stacker/Pory (Portal Approach)
- Build client portals on top of Airtable
- Users log in and see/edit their own records
- More robust permission controls
- Better for ongoing client relationships
3. Custom Solution via Automation
- Send clients a form that creates a "change request" record
- Automation copies data from change request to original record
- More complex but keeps everything in Airtable
4. Airtable Interfaces (If clients have Airtable accounts)
- Share filtered interface views
- They can edit records directly
- Requires Airtable account (not ideal for external clients)
Recommendation:
For third-party clients without Airtable accounts, Fillout is your best bet. It's specifically designed to solve this exact problem and integrates seamlessly with Airtable's API.
Flow Digital - Airtable Gold Services Partner — We're happy to help!
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