Where to find your survey link in Qualtrics

Your survey link lives in the Distribute tab, which appears once you finish building your survey. Open your survey, click the Distribute button at the top right, then select Anonymous Link or Authenticated Link depending on whether you want respondents to log in. Qualtrics generates a unique URL when ready — it looks like https://yourorganization.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_xxxxx. Copy this link and send it however you normally share things: email, Slack, a website, a QR code generator, or printed materials.

The link works the moment it is created. You do not need to publish, set up, or confirm anything else. If you have not yet finished building your survey, the Distribute tab will not appear — finish at least one question first, then the tab becomes available.

Key Takeaways

  • Your survey link is in the Distribute tab at the top right of the survey editor, under Anonymous Link or Authenticated Link.
  • The link works when ready once generated and can be shared by email, messaging, website, or QR code without any additional setup.
  • Anonymous links let anyone respond without logging in; authenticated links require respondents to sign in with credentials you control.
  • You can change who can respond, when responses close, and how many times one person can answer by adjusting settings in the Distribute tab.

Anonymous vs. authenticated links — which one to use

Anonymous links let anyone with the URL respond without signing in. Use this when you want quick, open responses — surveying website visitors, gathering feedback from a public event, or collecting input from people outside your organization. Responses are recorded, but Qualtrics does not track who answered.

Authenticated links require respondents to log in with a username and password you set up in Qualtrics. Use this when you need to know who answered, prevent duplicate responses from the same person, or limit responses to a specific group. You create the login credentials yourself — Qualtrics does not pull from your organization's main directory automatically, though some account types can integrate with single sign-on systems.

If you are unsure which to choose, start with anonymous. You can always create a second authenticated link later if you need to track respondents or prevent repeats.

Controlling who can respond and when

Once you have generated your link, click the gear icon next to it to set rules. You can limit responses to a specific number of people, set an end date after which the link stops working, or allow the same person to take the survey multiple times. You can also require respondents to answer every question before submitting, or let them skip questions.

These settings take effect when ready. If you close the survey by setting an end date, the link still exists but respondents see a message saying the survey is closed. You can reopen it by changing the date. If you reach your response limit, new respondents see a message that the survey is full.

Sharing your link and tracking responses

Paste your link into email, a messaging app, a website, or a document — anywhere you would normally share a URL. If you want a QR code, use any free QR code generator (search "QR code generator" and paste your Qualtrics link into it). Print the QR code on flyers, posters, or handouts so people can scan it with their phone instead of typing the URL.

To see responses as they come in, go to the Results tab in your survey. Qualtrics shows you each response, summary statistics, and charts. You can read responses as a spreadsheet (CSV or Excel format) to analyze them in other tools. The Results tab updates in real time, so you can watch responses arrive as people take the survey.

Changing or resetting your link

If you want a new link — because you shared the old one by mistake, or you want to start fresh with a new set of respondents — click Generate New Link in the Distribute tab. The old link stops working when ready. Anyone who tries to use it sees an error. This is useful if you accidentally shared a link before your survey was ready, or if you want to close one round of responses and start another.

Changing the link does not affect responses you already collected. All previous answers stay in your Results tab. You can have multiple active links at the same time if you want to send different versions to different groups — for example, one link for employees and one for customers.

Troubleshooting a link that is not working

If someone tells you the link is broken, first check that you copied the full URL correctly — it should start with https:// and end with a string of letters and numbers. If the URL looks right, check the settings in the Distribute tab: the survey might be closed (end date passed), full (response limit reached), or set to authenticated mode (requiring a login that the person does not have).

If you generated a new link and forgot to share it, the old link will not work. Check your Distribute tab to see which link is currently active. If the survey itself is deleted, all links to it stop working — you cannot recover them. If you think the survey was deleted by mistake, contact your Qualtrics administrator or support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my survey after I share the link?

Yes. You can edit questions, add new ones, or change the wording anytime. Changes take effect when ready for new respondents. People who already started the survey see the old version, and people who have not started yet see the new version. If you make major changes, consider generating a new link so you can track which responses came from which version.

What happens if I delete the survey?

The link stops working and all responses are deleted. Qualtrics usually gives you a warning before deletion, but once it is gone, you cannot get it back. If you want to keep responses but close the survey, change the end date instead of deleting it.

Can I see who responded if I used an anonymous link?

No. Anonymous links do not collect names, email addresses, or login information. If you need to know who answered, you must use an authenticated link or add a question asking for their name or email address.

How long does a survey link stay active?

Indefinitely, unless you set an end date or delete the survey. You can leave a link active for months or years. If you want responses to stop coming in, set an end date in the Distribute tab settings.