Guide to Republish

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Qualtrics Topics
Qualtrics CX Topics
Qualtrics Guides and Best Practices Topics
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Heads Up

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Before You Start

When you edit a survey that’s already live, your changes don’t show up for respondents until you republish. In our process, you can’t just publish those changes yourself. You have to go through a republish request process, and depending on the changes you made and your agency’s approval step, that process may include an approval before your survey goes live.

Before you start, make sure you:

  • Know what you changed in your survey and why.
  • Have your full name and email ready.
  • Know you’ll need to describe your changes. The more detail, the better.
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Don’t Use the Publish Button

25:20 - Republish Steps

In the Survey Editor, there’s a Publish button in the top right corner. Do not use it to republish.

  • That button is only for publishing a survey for the first time.
  • If you use it to request a republish, we won’t accept it.
Survey Editor toolbar showing the Preview and Publish buttons in the top right corner, with a red no-entry symbol over the Publish button indicating it should not be used to request a republish.
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27:18 - Republish: Finding Your Republish Link

Every survey has its own unique republish link. Here’s how to find it:

  • Open your survey and click Survey Flow on the left side.
  • Look for a field called RepublishLink. Don’t delete it.
  • Copy the link next to it.
  • Open that link in a new tab.

Important Notes:

  • You may be prompted to sign in with SSO (Okta). This is Qualtrics’ Survey Authentication feature, which confirms the identity of who’s requesting the republish. If you can’t get in: submit a Qualtrics Request in ServiceDesk Plus for help.
  • This Republish Link is tied to this specific survey. Please do not use a link from a different survey and request republishing. Each survey has its own unique republish link.
Survey Flow panel with a Set Embedded Data element named QualtricsRepublishLink, showing its unique link value for the survey.
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If You Can’t Republish Yet

When you open the link, we check your survey’s current status. If your survey is in one of these four statuses, you won’t be able to republish right away. Instead, you’ll see a message telling you to submit a help ticket.

Good to know: You can check your survey’s status anytime using the CX Studios and Review and Approval Dashboards.

If your status is...What it meansWhat to do
Quality & SecurityYour survey is going through internal review, accessibility, theming, methodology, and security checks.Submit a Qualtrics SD+ Request if you need your status changed to Testing
Approved - Pending PublishSomething didn’t complete properly after approval. This is a technical issue and should be rare.Submit a Qualtrics SD+ Request
RepublishYour last republish request is already being processed.Wait for your confirmation email. If it’s been a while, submit a Qualtrics SD+ Request
DeniedYour survey was not approved by your agency approver.Submit a Qualtrics SD+ Request
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How to Request a Republish

25:20 - Republish Steps

If your survey passes the status check, here’s exactly what to do.

Step 1: Read the intro screen.

30:59 - Republish: Reading the Intro Screen

You’ll see a short welcome screen. It links to two things worth reading first: the Critical Guidance for Editing a Published Survey page and this guide. Click Next when you’re ready.

Survey Republish Request introduction screen with links to the Critical Guidance for Editing a Published Survey and the Guide to Republish, a note about extra review for sensitive data changes, and a Next button to continue.

Step 2: Confirm it’s the right survey.

32:35 - Republish: Confirm It's the Right Survey

You’ll see your survey’s name, ID, and agency. Check it’s correct, select Yes, then click Next.

Survey Republish Request screen asking the user to confirm the correct survey, showing the survey name, survey ID, agency, and original requestor, with a Yes checkbox and Next button.

Step 3: Verify your name and email.

34:50 - Republish: Verify Your Name and Email


Verify your full name and email address. Then click Next.

Two Survey Republish Request screens: the first asking for full name and email address with a Next button, the second asking the user to confirm their email address before continuing.

Step 4: Answer a few questions. What happens here depends on your survey’s status.

35:19 - Republish: Testing Status

36:50 - Republish: Closed Status

If you’re in Testing status, you’ll see one quick question confirming you understand your survey won’t go fully live until your agency approves it. Select Yes and hit Submit. You’re done.

Survey Republish Request screen showing the survey is in Testing Status, with a statement confirming the survey will not be published live until final agency approval, a Yes checkbox, and a Submit button.

If you’re in Closed status, you’ll answer a few more questions:

  • Did you add or change any sensitive data? Think: Social Security numbers, health info, financial info.

    • Choose Yes, No, or Not Sure.
    • If you pick Yes or Not Sure, tell us exactly what you added.
    Survey Republish Request screen asking whether the user changed or added sensitive data such as PII, Social Security numbers, health information, or financial information, with Yes, No, and Not Sure options, and a follow-up text box asking what new fields or data were added.

  • Want an AI review before you republish? This is a quick automated check of your survey.

    • Choosing this adds a little time, since we wait on the AI review first.
    • If you don’t need it, pick No, thanks.
    Survey Republish Request screen asking if the user would like an additional AI review of their project before it’s republished, described as a quick automated check, with “Yes, I’d like an AI review” and “No, thanks” options.

  • Confirm you’ve read the Critical Guidance and describe your changes.

    • Check the box confirming you understand which edits are safe and which can damage your collected data.
    • In the text box, describe what you changed and why. Be specific. For example, “I removed Question 4, a multiple-choice question” tells us a lot more than “I made some edits.”
    • Click Submit.
    Survey Republish Request screen with an agreement checkbox confirming the user has read the Critical Guidance for Editing a Published Survey and understands which edits are safe versus which can damage collected data, plus a text box asking the user to describe what changes were made and why, and a Submit button.
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What Happens After You Submit

39:06 - Republish: Processing the Request

39:56 - Republish: What Happens Once You Go Live Again

  • You’ll see a thank-you screen on your browser.
  • You’ll get an email confirming we received your request.
  • Once your survey is republished, you’ll get a congrats email. It includes the exact date and time your survey went live.
  • Important: We always republish your most recent version, not the version you had when you first asked. If you keep editing after you submit, those later changes are what go live.
  • Before reporting a display issue, the congrats email asks you to:
    • Check your Version History to confirm the latest version is the one published.
    • Clear your browser cache and cookies.
    • Refresh the page.
    • Check your Distribution link.
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