--- title: "Visual Merge Tags" date: 2026-10-01 updated: 2026-10-02 author: "Zack Katz" link: "https://www.gravitykit.com/visual-merge-tags/" --- **Included with GravityKit products** # Read, edit, and **preview** merge tags Visual Merge Tags turns Gravity Forms merge tags into clickable chips. Click a chip to change what it shows, and check its value against a real entry before you save. [See How It Works](#how-it-works)[Read the Guide](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/general-help/downloads/using-visual-merge-tags/)![The same Gravity Forms notification message twice: first with default merge tags as raw text in braces, then with Visual Merge Tags showing each tag as a chip](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/visual-merge-tags-before-after-1024x913.png) ## Merge tags you can **read** Every clip on this page was recorded in a real Gravity Forms notification. ### Spot every merge tag at a glance Each merge tag shows as a chip that stands out from the text around it, so you can find every tag in a long notification at a glance. Chips work in plain text fields and in the Visual tab of the message editor. - A chip moves and deletes as one piece, so a stray keystroke can’t leave half a tag behind. - Your text and your tags stay where you put them. - Chips show up in the merge tag fields you already use, with nothing to set up. ### Type { to add a merge tag Type a brace and a list of tags opens where you’re typing. Keep typing to narrow it down, then press Enter to add the tag. You don’t need to look up field numbers. - Each field shows its name and field number. - The list only offers tags that work in that field. - The merge tag picker icon opens the same list, grouped by type and searchable, including tags from other plugins. ### Add modifiers without learning the syntax Click a chip to open its settings. Choose what to show, such as the stored value or the choice label, then add modifiers like UPPERCASE or Make it a URL slug. The panel writes the merge tag for you. - Only the modifiers that work for that field are offered. - Modifiers run from top to bottom, and the arrows change the order. - The finished merge tag shows below the preview, so you can still copy it. ### Format dates with a click Pick a ready-made date format or build your own. Click a token like `F` for the month name and see the result right away. Visual Merge Tags escapes commas and other special characters for you. - Every token shows an example next to it. - Your format becomes a correct merge tag, such as `{Due Date:5:format:l\, F j}`. - Relative time and Unix timestamps are one click away. ### See real values before you save Turn on “Preview values in all merge tags”, and every chip shows its value from a real entry. Step through your entries with the arrows to check that the email reads right for each person. - Previews run through your site, the same way the tag renders when the email is sent. - Tags that would create a real link or show private data are never previewed, and the panel says why. - Previews need at least one entry and permission to view entries. ![](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/plugin-guide-icon.svg) *[Documentation](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/general-help/downloads/using-visual-merge-tags/)*![](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/documentation-icon-1.svg) *[GravityView Merge Tags](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/gravityview/merge-tags/gravityview-merge-tags/)*![](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/documentation-icon-1.svg) *[Merge Tags Explained](https://www.gravitykit.com/gravity-forms-merge-tags/)*![](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/documentation-icon-1.svg) *[Developer Reference](https://www.gravitykit.dev/merge-tags/)* ## Where it **works** Visual Merge Tags is part of GravityKit Foundation, so it comes with your GravityKit products. **Gravity Forms** ### Notifications and confirmations Subjects, messages, and confirmation text show each tag as a chip you can click and preview. **Gravity Forms** ### Calculation formulas The list offers only the fields Gravity Forms accepts in a formula, and leaves out tags like `{all_fields}` that a calculation can’t use. **Add-ons** ### Feeds and add-on settings Any field where Gravity Forms shows its merge tag picker icon gets chips, including settings from other add-ons. **GravityView** ### Views Field labels show chips, and the Custom Content editor lets you insert tags with `{` or the merge tag picker icon. **GravityKit** ### GravityKit settings Merge tag fields in GravityKit products work the same way, such as GravityCalendar feeds. **Other plugins** ### Tags from other plugins Tags that other plugins add, such as the PDF tags from Gravity PDF (Blue Liquid Designs), show as chips too. Visual Merge Tags is on by default. To limit it to GravityKit screens or turn it off, see [Choose where Visual Merge Tags appear](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/general-help/downloads/using-visual-merge-tags/#choose-where-visual-merge-tags-appear) in the guide. ![](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/visual-merge-tags-cta-card-v3.webp) ## Try Visual Merge Tags Visual Merge Tags turns Gravity Forms merge tags into clickable chips you can insert, format, and preview with real entries. [Read the Guide](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/general-help/downloads/using-visual-merge-tags/) ## Have any **questions?** Here are a few common questions about Visual Merge Tags. #### Does Visual Merge Tags cost extra? No. Visual Merge Tags is free and needs no license key. It’s part of [GravityKit Foundation](https://www.gravitykit.com/foundation/) 1.35.0 and newer, which comes with your GravityKit products, and it’s on by default, so there’s nothing to set up. See [Before you start](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/general-help/downloads/using-visual-merge-tags/#before-you-start) in the guide. #### Will Visual Merge Tags change my existing merge tags? No. Each chip is saved as the same plain merge tag text Gravity Forms has always used, so your notifications, confirmations, and Views keep working as before. Visual Merge Tags only changes how merge tags look while you edit them. #### Can I still type merge tags by hand with Visual Merge Tags? Yes. To edit a chip as text, double-click it, or select it and press Shift+Enter. Click outside the field when you’re done and the text turns back into a chip, or press Esc to cancel. Copying text that contains chips copies the plain merge tags, so you can paste them into any field. See [Edit a merge tag as text](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/general-help/downloads/using-visual-merge-tags/#edit-a-merge-tag-as-text) in the guide, which also lists the keyboard shortcuts. #### Which entries does the Visual Merge Tags preview use? On a Gravity Forms screen, the preview uses the form’s active entries and skips spam and trash. In a GravityView View, it uses the entries that View shows to you. Step through them with the arrows, or turn on Preview values in all merge tags to see every chip’s value for the same entry. See [Preview a merge tag with real entries](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/general-help/downloads/using-visual-merge-tags/#preview-a-merge-tag-with-real-entries) in the guide. #### Why don’t certain merge tags show a preview? Some tags are never previewed, and the settings panel says why. [Magic Links](https://www.gravitykit.com/products/magic-links/) and entry approval tags build a working link, so a preview would create a real link that acts on an entry. Tags that reveal account security data, such as an activation key, and tags that read the page address, such as `{get}` tags, also show no value. A preview also needs at least one entry on the form and permission to view entries, and in a View you also need permission to edit that View. See [When a preview isn’t shown](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/general-help/downloads/using-visual-merge-tags/#when-a-preview-isn-t-shown) in the guide. #### Does Visual Merge Tags work with merge tags from other plugins? Yes. Tags that other plugins add to the Gravity Forms merge tag list appear in the list and show as chips, such as the PDF tags from Gravity PDF (Blue Liquid Designs). Visual Merge Tags doesn’t know the options for those tags, so their settings panel shows none. If a field contains merge tag text it doesn’t recognize, it keeps the text exactly as written and marks the chip as read-only. See [Merge tags from other plugins](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/general-help/downloads/using-visual-merge-tags/#merge-tags-from-other-plugins) in the guide. #### Can I turn off Visual Merge Tags? Yes. To switch back just for yourself, click the swap icon beside the merge tag picker icon on any field. Every merge tag field on the screen switches to the Gravity Forms picker at once, and the choice is saved in your browser, so other people on the site keep their own setting. To change it for the whole site, go to **GravityKit**, click **Settings**, find the **Visual Merge Tags** section, and set **Show Visual Merge Tags** to **GravityKit screens only** or **Off**. The guide covers both: [Switch back to the Gravity Forms merge tag picker](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/general-help/downloads/using-visual-merge-tags/#switch-back-to-the-gravity-forms-merge-tag-picker) and [Choose where Visual Merge Tags appear](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/general-help/downloads/using-visual-merge-tags/#choose-where-visual-merge-tags-appear). #### Are there any limits to Visual Merge Tags? A View that uses [Multiple Forms](https://www.gravitykit.com/products/multiple-forms/) to join a second form doesn’t offer field tags from the joined form yet, but you can still type those tags by hand. In Safari, selecting text across a chip can highlight from the start of the line, although the selection itself is correct. See [Known limitations](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/general-help/downloads/using-visual-merge-tags/#known-limitations) in the guide.