Creating a Multi-Step Form in React with Validation

Ever started filling out a long form and clicked away halfway through? Yeah, we’ve all been there.

Long forms are conversion killers — unless you break them down into multi-step forms that feel more digestible and less overwhelming.

In this post, I’ll walk you through how to build a multi-step form in React using functional components, hooks, and validation — the right way.

You’ll walk away with:

• A complete working form example

• Modular structure tips

• Field validation logic

• UI/UX ideas to keep users engaged

Let’s get building. 🛠️

🧱 Why Multi-Step Forms Matter?

• They reduce cognitive load.

• They feel quicker, even when they’re not.

• You can guide users through a journey (like onboarding, checkout, lead capture, etc.).

• You can add validation at each step so users don’t get errors at the end.

⚙️ What We’re Building

A basic 3-step form:

1. User Info (Name, Email)
2. Address Info (City, Country)
3. Review & Submit

Each step:

• Has validation
• Uses React Hook Form (or custom logic)
• Includes navigation buttons

👉 Here’s a live CodeSandbox demo you can fork

🛠️ Setup Your React Project

npx create-react-app multi-step-form
cd multi-step-form
npm install

Install required dependencies:

npm install react-hook-form

📦 Folder Structure

src/
│
├── components/
│   ├── Step1.jsx
│   ├── Step2.jsx
│   ├── Step3.jsx
│   └── MultiStepForm.jsx
│
└── App.jsx

✨ Multi-Step Form Logic (MultiStepForm.jsx)

import React, { useState } from "react";
import Step1 from "./Step1";
import Step2 from "./Step2";
import Step3 from "./Step3";

const MultiStepForm = () => {
  const [step, setStep] = useState(1);
  const [formData, setFormData] = useState({
    name: "",
    email: "",
    city: "",
    country: "",
  });

  const nextStep = () => setStep(prev => prev + 1);
  const prevStep = () => setStep(prev => prev - 1);

  const handleChange = (input) => (e) => {
    setFormData({ ...formData, [input]: e.target.value });
  };

  switch (step) {
    case 1:
      return <Step1 nextStep={nextStep} handleChange={handleChange} values={formData} />;
    case 2:
      return <Step2 nextStep={nextStep} prevStep={prevStep} handleChange={handleChange} values={formData} />;
    case 3:
      return <Step3 prevStep={prevStep} values={formData} />;
    default:
      return null;
  }
};

export default MultiStepForm;

🧩 Step Components

Step1.jsx

import React from "react";

const Step1 = ({ nextStep, handleChange, values }) => {
  const continueStep = (e) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    if (values.name && values.email) {
      nextStep();
    } else {
      alert("All fields required");
    }
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <h2>User Info</h2>
      <input type="text" placeholder="Name" onChange={handleChange("name")} value={values.name} />
      <input type="email" placeholder="Email" onChange={handleChange("email")} value={values.email} />
      <button onClick={continueStep}>Next</button>
    </div>
  );
};

export default Step1;

Build similar structure for Step2.jsx and Step3.jsx. Add validation checks in each.

🎨 UI/UX Tips to Increase Engagement

• Add a progress bar or step indicators.
• Use animation transitions when switching steps. Try Framer Motion.
• Use emojis or icons to keep it friendly.
• Include live validation with helpful tooltips.
• Add final confirmation before submission.

🔐 Form Validation

You can build your own checks, or use:

• react-hook-form
• yup for schema validation
• zod for typesafe validation

Example with react-hook-form:

import { useForm } from "react-hook-form";

const { register, handleSubmit, errors } = useForm();

🧠 Bonus: Save Progress in LocalStorage

Want users to come back later?

useEffect(() => {
  localStorage.setItem("formData", JSON.stringify(formData));
}, [formData]);

useEffect(() => {
  const saved = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem("formData"));
  if (saved) setFormData(saved);
}, []);

🎁 Ready to Take It Further?

Here are some challenges you can try:

• Add field-level validation using Yup
• Connect to backend (e.g. with Firebase or Express API)
• Add dynamic fields (like repeatable work experience)
• Add animations with Framer Motion

✅ Multi-step forms don’t have to be complicated. With modular components and clean state management, they’re easy to scale and great for UX.

💬 Drop a comment if you want a version using TypeScript, Material UI, or Framer Motion. I’d be happy to share!

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