---
url: "https://questionstar.com/help/getting-started/switching-between-editing-modes/"
title: "Switching between editing modes"
description: "Learn how to switch between editing modes in QUESTIONSTAR: from building a survey to adjusting the layout to analyzing your data."
lastmod: "2026-07-11"
type: "help"
---

# Switching between editing modes

## About the editing modes

Running a survey in QUESTIONSTAR involves four steps: (I) Build Survey, (II) Style Survey (optional), (III) Distribute Survey — that is, inviting respondents / collecting data — and (IV) data analysis / creating reports.

![Switching between editing modes](/api/media/file/modes_image001.png)

Each of these steps corresponds to an editing mode. In the QUESTIONSTAR interface, each editing mode lives in a separate view.

In QUESTIONSTAR, you can switch between the different views (i.e. editing modes) in two ways:

1. via the properties panel on the right in the dashboard view, and
2. via the top menu bar in every other view.

Both methods are explained in more detail below:

> 💡
> 
> You'll find an overview of the various QUESTIONSTAR views in the [introductory chapter](/help) of this help.
> 
> For a detailed description of the views and the functions available in each, see the respective sections listed in the table of contents.

## Switching from the dashboard view into any editing mode

The dashboard view gives you an overview of your survey projects. At this stage, the tool doesn't yet know which survey project you want to work on. That's why switching into a particular editing mode for a questionnaire happens via the properties panel on the right.

![Switching editing modes](/api/media/file/Bearbeitungsmodi-umschalten.png)

To switch from the dashboard view into a particular editing mode:

1. select the questionnaire you want to work with by clicking on it.
2. in the properties panel on the right, select the editing mode in which you want to work with the chosen questionnaire by clicking the correspondingly labeled button.

Alternatively, you can switch straight to creating or editing the questionnaire's content by clicking the pencil icon at the left edge of the target questionnaire.

![Edit Survey](/api/media/file/Umfrage-bearbeiten.png)

## Switching from any other view into any editing mode

Once you've selected the questionnaire to edit and you're already in an editing mode, you can switch to another one by selecting the corresponding item in the top menu bar.

![Switching editing modes](/api/media/file/Umschalten-Bearbeitungsmodi.png)

## Switching between questionnaires within an editing mode

It happens fairly often that you want to look at different questionnaires in the same editing mode — for example, to check the wording of a question or the structure of a section in another questionnaire.

To quickly switch between different questionnaires within an editing mode,

1. click the button with the downward arrow to the right of the questionnaire name. This button opens the list of survey projects in your user account.

![Select Survey dropdown](/api/media/file/Fragebogen-auswaehlen-dropdown.png)

2. from this list, select the questionnaire you want to switch to.

> 💡
> 
> If your user account contains many questionnaires and/or you've created several folders to organize your survey projects, they'll first be shown folded when you open the list. You can unfold the folders by clicking on them. The questionnaires they contain are then shown to you.

> 💡
> 
> To find a particular questionnaire, you can type its name (or part of it) into the search bar at the top of the questionnaire list. The list is then narrowed down to those questionnaires whose names contain the string you entered.

![Search survey](/api/media/file/Umfrage-suchen-2.png)

## Switching from any view to the dashboard

No matter which view you're currently in, you can quickly switch to the dashboard view. Just click the QUESTIONSTAR logo in the top left corner.

![Switch to the dashboard](/api/media/file/Zum-Dashboard-umschalten.png)

> 💡
> 
> **Note:** If your company or university has the branded version of QUESTIONSTAR, your company's or university's logo appears in the top left instead.