---
title: Help Message Customization in Fluent Forms
description: "Help message in [Fluent Forms](https://wordpress.org/plugins/fluentform/) to make your forms more understandable to the audience by providing additional context or instructions from fields. These can appear as tooltips, below input fields, or in other positions to guide users effectively.  This guide…"
url: "https://fluentforms.com/docs/help-message-customization-in-fluent-forms/"
updated: "2026-05-18"
category: Form Building / Form Settings
---

# Help Message Customization in Fluent Forms

Help message in [Fluent Forms](https://wordpress.org/plugins/fluentform/) to make your forms more understandable to the audience by providing additional context or instructions from fields. These can appear as tooltips, below input fields, or in other positions to guide users effectively. 

This guide will show you how to customize your help message easily with Fluent Forms.

[Customize the Help Messages on your Contact Forms | WP Fluent Forms](https://www.youtube.com/embed/HYPpp129Ewk?feature=oembed)

### Global Help Message Placement Settings

**You** can define the global layout rules for how help messages display across **your** site. To configure these default behaviors:

First, click on **Global Settings** in the top **Fluent Forms Navbar**. Select the **General** dropdown menu from the left sidebar and click on **Layout**.

Under the **Global Layout Settings** section, locate the **Help Message Placement** dropdown menu. Choose **your** preferred option to set where the help message will render:

- **Next to Label**: Displays the context text or tooltip immediately adjacent to the element label.
- **Below Input Element**: Positions the instruction text directly underneath the blank input field.

Click **Save** in the top right corner to apply these layout updates globally.

![global settings 1 scaled 47803](https://fluentforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/global-settings-1-scaled.webp)

### Add Help Message to a Form Field

First, go to **Forms** from the Fluent Forms Navbar and select the **Desired Form** for which you want to customize the help message.

![edit form 01 5 scaled 47803](https://fluentforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/edit-form-01-5-scaled.webp)

Now, navigate to the **Input Customization** tab for the field where you want to add a Help Message. Next, click on the **Advanced Options** section and locate the **Help Message** field.

Then, enter the text or instructions you want to display as the **Help Message**.

After that, click the **Save Form** button to apply the changes.

![access advanced customization 01 scaled 47803](https://fluentforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/access-advanced-customization-01-scaled.webp)

### Customization of the Help Message position

You can be positioned and presented with your **Help Message** in different ways. To do this, navigate the **Settings & Integrations** tab and click the **Form Layout** from the left sidebar under the **Settings** section. 

Now, you can choose the Help Message position you want. 

- **Beside Label (Tooltip)**: Displays the Help Message as a tooltip next to the label.
- **Below Input Fields**: Shows the Help Message below the blank input field (not as a placeholder).
- **Focus on Element**: Choosing Focus on the Element presents the Help message only when that particular field is selected.
- **Before Input**: Choosing Before Input will position the Help message before the input field.

After making your selection, click **Save Settings** to finalize your customization.

![Form Layout 02 scaled 47803](https://fluentforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Form-Layout-02-scaled.webp)

Once you are all done, the form preview of the help message is shown in the screenshot below.

![Preview help message 03 47803](https://fluentforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Preview-help-message-03.webp)

Help Messages in Fluent Forms make your forms more user-friendly by offering helpful guidance exactly when and where users need it!