# Authentication gate

Require respondents to sign in or enter a password before they open your share link, and pick the gate that fits the form. Requests skip both.

Both gates apply to share links only. A [request](https://formstep.io/docs/requests/creating-requests/) goes to one recipient on their own link, so it skips them.

## Require sign-in

Open **Settings**, the **Public link access** tab, and turn on **Require sign-in**. People then sign in with Google or a link sent to their email before they can open the form.

- Their email is saved with the submission.

- Unfinished answers belong to their account, so they can continue on another device.

- Each person can submit once across all their devices, unless you allow more under [Limits per respondent](https://formstep.io/docs/sharing-publishing/scheduled-close/#per-respondent-limits).

Use it for internal forms, where every answer should carry a verified company email, for customer-only forms, and for forms where anonymous answers are too risky. Sign-ups and contact forms lose answers when people have to sign in, so use [bot protection](https://formstep.io/docs/sharing-publishing/captcha-bot-protection/) on those.

The gate verifies the person who opens the form. To verify an email address typed into an Email question, use [Respondent email verification](https://formstep.io/docs/building-forms/email-verification/), which sends a one-time code and works without sign-in.

## Password

Turn on **Password** in **Settings**, **Public link access**, and type a password. Visitors see “Password required” and none of the questions until they enter it. Anyone with the password can submit.

> **Turn on the switch and set a password together**
>
> If the switch is on but no password is saved, publishing warns you, and the form stays open to everyone.

### Changing the password

You can change the password at any time. People already filling in the form can finish; new visitors need the new password. To stop one password from being reused without end, add a [response limit](https://formstep.io/docs/sharing-publishing/scheduled-close/#response-limits) to the share link. A limit of 1 makes the link single-use.

## Next steps

[Bot protection (Turnstile)](https://formstep.io/docs/sharing-publishing/captcha-bot-protection/) — Block automated submissions on share links

[Close a form or cap responses](https://formstep.io/docs/sharing-publishing/scheduled-close/) — Close on a date, or cap responses per share link