How to Add Custom Unique IDs to Your Form Submissions

May 20, 2025

With Jotform’s Unique ID widget, you can generate a custom ID for each form submission that’s different than the default submission ID. This custom ID can be used to create a sequential order number, invoice number, registration code, ticket ID, or any other identifier you need to track or organize submissions.


Whether you’re creating a new form or updating an existing one, you can add and customize the format of the generated ID in a few easy steps. Here’s how to do it:

  1. In Form Builder, click on Add Element on the left side of the page.
Add Element button in Jotform Form Builder
  1. Now, in the Form Elements menu, under the Widgets tab, search for Unique ID and click on it. Or, just drag and then drop it to where you want it to be on your form.
Unique ID in the Widgets tab of the Form Elements menu in Jotform Form Builder
  1. Next, on the right side of the Unique ID widget, click on the Gear icon.
  2. Then, in the Unique ID Properties window, configure the following things:
    • Prefix — This adds a fixed set of characters at the beginning of each unique ID. For example, using ORD- as the prefix would generate IDs like ORD-0001, ORD-0002, and so on.
    • Unique ID Generation Method — This automatically generates a unique number for each submission using a sequential counting method. This setting always uses sequential values and can’t be changed.
    • Number of Digits — This sets how many digits the numeric portion of the ID should have. The number is padded with leading zeros if needed. For example, setting it to 4 will give you 0001, 0002, etc.
    • Current Index — This displays the current value in the sequence. You can update this to start your IDs from any number, such as 1000, which would make the next ID 1000, then 1001, and so on.
Settings under the General tab of the Unique ID Properties window in Jotform Form Builder

Notes

  • Changes in the Unique ID Properties window save automatically.
  • Unlike the submission ID, which is generated during submission, the Unique ID is generated when the form loads. This means you can use it in conditional logic.
  • The unique ID field won’t appear to the person filling out the form, but it will be included in your submission table, Email Notifications, and any connected integrations. You can check out our guide on How to Set up Sub-Folders in Dropbox Using the Unique ID Widget to learn more about it.
  • Be careful when changing the Current Index—it can break the existing ID sequence or cause duplicates if the new index overlaps with previous entries.

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