Automatic reCAPTCHA

Where do I turn it on?

Open your form, click Settings and scroll to Spam & Security. Turn on Automatic reCAPTCHA.

When should I use Automatic reCAPTCHA?

When you want a reCAPTCHA check without setting anything up, on a plain HTML form that posts straight to your Formbold endpoint, with no file uploads and no fetch() or Ajax.

Formbold adds the check itself, with no keys and no code changes on your site. This is available on all plans, including Free.

What happens after the visitor submits?

The form posts to your Formbold endpoint, then Formbold shows a short Almost there page, hosted by Formbold, where the visitor completes the check. After that, the submission goes through.

Why can Automatic reCAPTCHA lose file uploads and break Ajax forms?

Because of that extra Almost there page. Automatic reCAPTCHA is not a widget on your form. The check happens after submit, on a Formbold-hosted page.

File uploads can go missing. The file is part of the original form post. It does not carry over to the Almost there page, so the submission can be saved without the file.

fetch() or Ajax can break. Your script posts to the endpoint and expects a JSON response. Instead it can receive the Almost there HTML page, or a redirect to it, so the script never gets the JSON it is written to read.

If your form has file inputs, or it submits with fetch() or Ajax, use Custom reCAPTCHA. The check runs on your page before the form is sent, so the submission goes straight to your endpoint, with the files and the response your script expects.