# Starting a form (https://dev.tradieforms.com.au/docs/features/starting-a-form)

You can start a form from **New form**, **Templates**, **Overview**, or a public form landing page.

Search the template library or narrow it by state, trade, and form type.

## Start points [#start-points]

| Start point      | Best for                                                                                                                              |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **New form**     | Quick start from recommended or recent templates                                                                                      |
| **Templates**    | Search, filter by state, trade, category, or visibility, and browse public forms plus any private forms added to the active workspace |
| **Overview**     | Resume recent work or start recommended forms                                                                                         |
| Public form page | Start a template from the marketing site                                                                                              |

Use **Search** in the sidebar when you know the form or app page you need. It can find templates, app pages, actions, and PDF tools.

## What happens by plan [#what-happens-by-plan]

| Situation                | Save behaviour                                             |
| ------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| Guest on public template | Local draft in this browser only                           |
| Free signed-in user      | Local draft in this browser only                           |
| Solo personal workspace  | Cloud draft in your account                                |
| Team workspace selected  | Cloud draft in the business workspace                      |
| Private template         | Requires sign-in, a paid plan, and access to that template |

Local drafts can be found on the same device for up to 7 days. Cloud drafts appear under [**Drafts**](https://tradieforms.com.au/app/drafts) and sync while cloud autosave is enabled.

## Recommended templates [#recommended-templates]

Tradie Forms uses your state, trade, and recent templates to put likely forms first. If your profile has no matching template yet, the app shows popular forms and a **Request a template** prompt.

You can update your state and trade in [**Settings**](https://tradieforms.com.au/app/settings).

## Start fresh [#start-fresh]

If the app finds an old local draft for the same template, choose **Start fresh** to begin a new form. Choose resume when you want to keep the existing browser draft.

## Private and custom forms [#private-and-custom-forms]

Private forms are visible only after they are added to your personal account or team. They require a paid plan because they use cloud drafts.

Private templates do not appear in the public library or public docs. If one has been added for you, it appears in **Templates** while the correct personal or team workspace is active.

If an expected private form is missing, switch to the workspace that requested it. If it is still missing, contact [support@tradieforms.com.au](mailto:support@tradieforms.com.au).

- **[Custom forms](https://dev.tradieforms.com.au/docs/features/custom-forms)** - Request a shared form or a private form for your business.