Form auto expiry: set a deadline and response limit
Set a closing date, a response limit, or both in Thunder Forms. Check how closure works, test your limits, and reopen a form when plans change.
A workshop has 50 places, and registration ends on Friday at 6 PM. In Thunder Forms you can put both limits on the registration form. The cap counts submissions. Your expiry date sets the closing time, which can stop collection before the cap is reached if registration remains below 50 when Friday evening arrives. The Event RSVP template is a ready starting point for this kind of event, and both limits are form settings.
Choose limits that match the event. A feedback survey with no seat allocation may need only a date. An application window can use a cap to keep the review workload manageable.
Set the limits before sharing the link
Open the form settings in the builder, enter a future expiry date and a response limit if you need both, then save the form so the public link uses those settings. For the workshop example, use 50 responses and the Friday deadline, checking the selected time against the time you advertise to respondents.
The cap counts submissions. If each response can register a group, 50 responses could represent far more people. Ask for one registration per place or handle group capacity separately before using a response count as your booking limit.
Closure is checked again at submission
A form that loads after closure shows a message explaining the reason and disables the fields. The submission endpoint also checks the saved limits before accepting an answer, including the response count inside the database transaction.
An already-open form needs care. Someone can begin before the deadline and submit after it, so put the cutoff in the description where they can read it before answering. For example, "Submit by Friday, 6 PM IST. Starting the form does not reserve a place."
Test on a copy
Duplicate the form and set the copy's response cap to three. Submit three test responses. Try a fourth. It should be rejected. Reload the public link too, and check that the closed message makes sense without any explanation from you.
Test the date separately with a deadline a few minutes ahead. Keep one browser tab open across that deadline and submit from it afterward. This catches the situation a reload-only check misses. For a quiz or hiring screen, follow the same test with the grading setup you intend to use.
When plans change
If the event gains ten places, raise the response cap. Check the date as well. An elapsed deadline will still block new submissions even when the cap has room, and an exhausted cap will block them after you extend the date.
Google Forms also offers automatic closing. Google announced date and response-count limits in January 2026, so compare the rest of your workflow before switching. Our Google Forms comparison covers import and upload setup.
Plan the closeout message
A closing rule answers whether a response is accepted. It does not tell someone what to do next. Before launch, write the closed-form message and include the closing time, timezone, and a contact route for people who need help. If the response limit may fill early, say that registration can close before the advertised date. Avoid promising a place until a response has been accepted and reviewed.
For a workshop, decide how staff will handle a duplicate registration, waitlist request, or correction after closure. Those cases need a manual process even when the form closes on time. Write down who can reopen the form and who checks late requests, so changing the limit does not become the only plan for exceptions.
Check whether responses represent places or people
A response limit counts submitted forms, not people represented by each form. If one household submits once for four attendees, a limit of 50 responses can represent more than 50 people. If one person may submit more than once, the cap also does not prevent duplicates. Decide whether you need one response per person, one per group, or a manual capacity check before using the cap as a seat counter.
For an event with fixed seats, give each registration a clear number of places and have an organizer reconcile accepted responses against actual capacity. If a response needs correction, define whether the original place remains reserved while the person contacts you. A response limit closes the form; it does not run a waitlist or manage cancellations.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions every reader asks next.
Open the builder to configure your form, then use traffic analytics alongside the response list to monitor registration.