---
title: Booking Widget Settings
description: Widget settings
---
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# Booking Widget Settings
## These settings control what customers see and can do when they make an online booking through your widget.
Go to Venue **Settings \> Bookings \> Booking Widget \> Widget Settings**
### Choose which customer fields appear
At the top of the page, the **Online Booking Settings** table lists optional fields you can add to your booking form:
- Date of Birth
- Postcode/State
- Membership Number
- Company Name.
For each field:
a. Tick **Show in Widget -** to display that field on the booking form.
b. Tick **Mandatory-** as well if you want to force customers to fill it in (this only takes effect once the field is already shown).
By default, only **Company Name** is shown, and it isn't mandatory.
### Set booking limits
The **Booking Limits** section controls the size and volume of online bookings. Leaving a field empty means unlimited.
- **Number of People** - the maximum number of people allowed in a single online booking.
- **Number of Days** - how far in advance customers can book online, in days.
- **Number of Options** - the maximum number of booking options (for example, sitting times or areas) offered per time interval.
### Set time restrictions
The **Time Restrictions** section sets cut-off windows for new bookings. Leaving a field empty means unlimited.
- **Stop Taking Bookings Less Than X Minutes in Advance** the minimum notice a customer must give before the booking time.
- **Stop Taking Bookings X Minutes Before Service Starts** - stops online bookings once a service (for example, a sitting) is about to begin.
### Control booking changes and general behaviour
The **Booking Changes** section sets how late a customer can edit or cancel a booking they've already made:
- **Stop Editing Bookings X Hours Before Booking Starts**
- **Stop Cancelling Bookings X Hours Before Booking Starts**
Below that are three general on/off settings:
- **Allow Customers to Choose Which Section of Your Restaurant They Book In** - lets customers pick a specific seating section themselves.
- **Allow Online Bookings** - the master switch for the widget. Untick this to take the booking widget offline entirely.
- **Enable Next Available Booking** - offers customers the next available time slot when their preferred time is full.
### Set up compliance and consent text
The **Compliance** section covers the legal and marketing text shown to customers during booking.
a. **Booking Agreement Text** - the text shown next to the agreement checkbox (default: "I agree to the booking ").
b. **Privacy Policy URL** - a link to your venue's privacy policy, referenced in that text.
c. **Terms and Conditions Pop Up** - a rich-text editor for the full terms shown when a customer opens the pop-up.
d. **Text Shown for Optional Marketing Opt-In Field** - the wording next to the marketing consent checkbox (default: "I agree to receive special invitations and updates from...").
e. **Default Opt-In Setting for Subscription Field** - whether the marketing checkbox is ticked or unticked by default, set separately for the **Diary** (staff-entered bookings) and the **Widget** (online bookings).
f. **SMS Opt-In – Show SMS Opt-In on Widget** - adds an SMS marketing consent option to the widget.
**Note:** update the booking agreement and terms text to match your venue's actual policies before going live, and keep the Privacy Policy URL current.
### Configure verification and reCAPTCHA
Two settings at the bottom of the page add extra protection against spam and fraudulent bookings:
- **Allow Verification** - an additional customer verification step (off by default).
- **Enable reCAPTCHA** - turns on Google reCAPTCHA for the widget. Once enabled, tick which actions require it: **Cancel Booking**, **Edit Booking**, **Confirm Booking**, **Book Now**.
**Note:** enabling reCAPTCHA on more actions adds friction for genuine customers, so it's worth weighing up against how much spam or abuse your venue actually sees.
### Save your changes
When you're done, use the buttons at the bottom right of the screen:
- **Save** - saves your changes and stays on this screen.
- **Save & Next** - saves and moves on to the **Widget Messages** tab, where you can customise the confirmation and notification text shown to customers.
- **Cancel** - discards unsaved changes.
**Note:** once saved, changes apply immediately to your live booking widget. Use the **Booking Widget** button at the top of the page to preview it.
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