> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.wegive.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Prefill a custom question with a default answer > How to set an optional Default Answer on a custom question in a checkout, form, event registration or pledge setup so donors see it already filled in. Covers which question types support it, how it behaves for conditional questions and required questions, the Communication List opt-in toggle, and what happens when you later edit the question. # Prefill a custom question with a default answer A **default answer** is a value you choose in advance. Donors see it already filled in when they reach the question. They can keep it, change it, or clear it. Use it when most people give the same answer (for example, "Email" as the preferred contact method) or when you want a Communication List opt-in to start switched on. Default answers work on custom questions in checkouts, forms, event registration, and pledge setup. They are set in the same question editor in all four places. ## Set a default answer 1. Open the checkout, form, event, or pledge setup in the dashboard and go to its **Custom Questions** section. 2. Open the question you want to prefill (or add a new one and choose its **Question Type** first). 3. Find the **Default Answer (optional)** block. It appears below the answer options and only for question types that support it. 4. Choose or enter the default (see the table below). 5. Save your changes. To remove a default, open the question and select **Clear** in the Default Answer block, then save. Questions without a default behave exactly as before. Setting a default only affects donors who answer from then on. It does not change answers that were already saved. ## What you can set, by question type | Question type | Default you set | | - | - | | Free Text Answer, Phone, Email, Time | The text (or time) to show. Email defaults must be a valid email address. | | Date | A specific date picked from the date picker. | | Drop Down Select | One of the answer options. | | Multiple Choice | One of the answer options. | | Checkboxes (multi-select) | Any number of the answer options, each ticked or not. | | Communication List Opt-In/Out | **On by default** switched on or off. | Default answers are not available for **File Upload**, **Address**, or **Autocomplete** questions, or for any question whose options come from a live, external list. Those questions never keep a default. ## How donors experience it * The answer is filled in when the donor first sees the question. Anything the donor changes, including clearing the answer, stays as they left it if they go back and forward between steps. * A prefilled answer counts as an answer. On a **Required** question, a donor who does not touch the field submits the default. * On an optional **Multiple Choice** question, a donor can switch to a different option but cannot return the choice to blank, because a radio button cannot be unselected. If donors should be able to decline, add a "None" or "Prefer not to say" option, and make that the default if you want one. * For a **conditional question** (one that only appears based on an earlier answer or the payment context), the default is applied the first time the question appears, not before. * A question that is hidden for a donor is submitted with a blank answer. Whether a blank row is saved at all depends on that question's **Save unanswered** setting: when it is off, nothing is saved for a question the donor never saw. When it is on, a blank answer is saved. A blank saved answer can therefore mean either that the question was hidden or that the donor saw it and left it empty. ## Communication List opt-in questions A **Communication List Opt-In/Out** question starts unchecked unless you switch on **On by default**. With the default on, the box is already ticked when the donor reaches it, and the donor can untick it. If the list sends text messages, think about whether a pre-ticked box is appropriate for your organization. WeGive does not provide legal advice on messaging consent. A list that sends text messages still needs its consent disclosure to be available; if it is not, the opt-in is disabled and is not ticked, whatever default you set. ## When you edit a question later WeGive re-checks the default every time you save the question. If the default no longer fits, it is cleared automatically and the save still goes through. This happens when you: * Remove or rename the answer option that was the default. * Change the question type. * Switch the question to use a live, external list of options. * Use a default that is not one of the question's current options or is the wrong kind of value for the question type. After changing options or type, reopen the question and confirm the Default Answer is still what you expect. ## If answers can't be saved after payment When a checkout asks its questions before confirmation, the answers are sent right after the donation succeeds. If that step fails, the donor sees: "Your payment was recorded, but your answers could not be saved." They can select **Retry saving answers**, which re-sends only the answers. It never charges the donor again. Pledge setup and event registration show a message asking the donor to contact your organization to provide their answers instead. ## Related articles * [Create Your Checkouts](https://docs.wegive.com/external/support/getting-started/create-your-checkouts.md) * [Creating a Form](https://docs.wegive.com/external/support/elements/creating-a-form.md) * [Create and Customize Your Events](https://docs.wegive.com/external/support/campaigns/create-and-customize-your-events.md) * [Why the 'Map Answers To' list is empty for a checkout question saved to the Transaction](https://docs.wegive.com/external/support/elements/map-checkout-question-answers-to-a-transaction-field.md) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.