Apple Numbers · Specialized and platform-dependent tools · Intermediate

Capture records with Numbers forms on iPad or iPhone in Apple Numbers

Capture inventory records with Numbers forms on iPad or iPhone, check their linked table, and preserve a safe final and reset copy.

Documentation reviewed; native application verification pending · Editorial standards

Quick answer: On iPad or iPhone, tap Add Sheet → New Form → Blank Form, name the fields, and enter one record at a time. Each record is a row in the linked table; deleting a record or field also deletes its corresponding table data.

Use the mobile workflow, not the Mac menus

This guide covers Numbers 15.4 on iPad and iPhone using Apple’s separate mobile guides. Forms are hidden when the spreadsheet is opened in Numbers on Mac or iCloud.com. That does not mean the linked table has disappeared. Do not look for a Mac File-menu command to create this form.

Use an unshared practice spreadsheet with fictional equipment counts. From the Numbers document manager choose Choose a Template, or the Create Spreadsheet button if that label is absent, then select Blank. Rename the document kit-form-practice.numbers: on iPad use the toolbar’s Actions menu → Rename; on iPhone use More → Rename. Numbers saves changes automatically.

The target records are:

Record ID	Item	Units
K01	Paper	3
K02	Pens	5
K03	Clips	2

The count is three records and ten units. IDs distinguish records even if two later items have similar names. This exercise collects no contact details, locations, photographs, or other personal information.

Create and configure the form

In the spreadsheet, tap Add Sheet near the top-left, then New Form → Blank Form. Numbers creates a form and a new sheet named Form Data containing its linked table.
In Form Setup, make three labeled fields: Record ID, Item, and Units. Tap an existing label to rename it; use Add Field, followed by Add Blank Field or the offered field type when necessary, to reach three fields.
For Units, tap the Format control and choose Number. Keep identifiers and item names as text. A blank field label hides that field from individual records, so give every intended field a label.
Tap Done to leave Form Setup. Enter K01, Paper, and 3 into the first record.
Tap Add record for K02/Pens/5, then again for K03/Clips/2. Do not tap Delete record to move forward. Use Previous record and Next record to inspect the three entries.

The button names above are Apple’s descriptions of icon controls, not a promise that every button shows a written caption. On iPad, dragging along the dots at the right is another documented way to move through records; this guide uses Previous/Next on both devices to avoid blending the layouts.

Verify the linked table and revise one record

Tap Go To Source Table. Find the three IDs and their Units values. The original Blank sheet may still contain its initial table; that is not the Form Data table. A dot on the related tab helps identify the link between form and table.

Return to the form tab. Locate K02, change Units from 5 to 6, and revisit the source table. Only the Pens row should change, and the combined units become eleven. Now add K04/Tape/4 through Add record. Check four records and a total of fifteen in the linked table.

This two-way relationship is useful, but it also means the form is not a disconnected submission queue. Editing a field changes the underlying spreadsheet immediately. If a table column contains formulas, the form shows their results; formula editing belongs in the table, not the form field.

Preserve a result before practising deletion

Return to the document manager with Back. Touch and hold the spreadsheet thumbnail, lift your finger, then choose Duplicate. Open that duplicate and rename it kit-form-final.numbers using the platform-specific rename menu above. Reopen it and verify the form, linked table, K02=6, K04=4, and fifteen-unit total.

For reset practice, duplicate the final again and rename the copy kit-form-reset.numbers. Confirm that name before editing. Restore K02 to 5 and delete only the K04 record using Delete record. Verify that its table row is also gone and that K01/K02/K03 remain, totaling ten. Never delete a field merely to hide it: field deletion removes the entire corresponding column and its data.

Troubleshooting

If record navigation controls are absent, tap Done to exit Form Setup. If a field is missing, check its label before adding another field. If creating a form from an existing table instead, ensure it has no merged cells; meaningful headers provide field labels. Keep header rows separate from actual inventory records.

A Mac reader can inspect the linked data table, but cannot use the hidden mobile form there. Test the actual mobile file before relying on it for collection. For later analysis of the captured table on Mac, see sorting and filtering Numbers tables.

Documentation and verification

Apple’s version-pinned 15.4 guides below were retrieved on 20 October 2026, except the table-row guide reused from 19 October where cited. The worked scenario and arithmetic are independently checked, not native application tests. Save/reopen, synchronization, media playback, and device behavior must be verified on your own installation. No native screenshots are supplied.