diff --git a/django/contrib/postgres/forms/ranges.py b/django/contrib/postgres/forms/ranges.py
index 47a16a1bbd..5a20975eb4 100644
--- a/django/contrib/postgres/forms/ranges.py
+++ b/django/contrib/postgres/forms/ranges.py
@@ -2,20 +2,38 @@ from psycopg2.extras import DateRange, DateTimeTZRange, NumericRange
 
 from django import forms
 from django.core import exceptions
-from django.forms.widgets import MultiWidget
+from django.forms.widgets import HiddenInput, MultiWidget
 from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _
 
 __all__ = [
     'BaseRangeField', 'IntegerRangeField', 'DecimalRangeField',
-    'DateTimeRangeField', 'DateRangeField', 'RangeWidget',
+    'DateTimeRangeField', 'DateRangeField', 'HiddenRangeWidget', 'RangeWidget',
 ]
 
 
+class RangeWidget(MultiWidget):
+    def __init__(self, base_widget, attrs=None):
+        widgets = (base_widget, base_widget)
+        super().__init__(widgets, attrs)
+
+    def decompress(self, value):
+        if value:
+            return (value.lower, value.upper)
+        return (None, None)
+
+
+class HiddenRangeWidget(RangeWidget):
+    """A widget that splits input into two <input type="hidden"> inputs."""
+    def __init__(self, attrs=None):
+        super().__init__(HiddenInput, attrs)
+
+
 class BaseRangeField(forms.MultiValueField):
     default_error_messages = {
         'invalid': _('Enter two valid values.'),
         'bound_ordering': _('The start of the range must not exceed the end of the range.'),
     }
+    hidden_widget = HiddenRangeWidget
 
     def __init__(self, **kwargs):
         if 'widget' not in kwargs:
@@ -82,14 +100,3 @@ class DateRangeField(BaseRangeField):
     default_error_messages = {'invalid': _('Enter two valid dates.')}
     base_field = forms.DateField
     range_type = DateRange
-
-
-class RangeWidget(MultiWidget):
-    def __init__(self, base_widget, attrs=None):
-        widgets = (base_widget, base_widget)
-        super().__init__(widgets, attrs)
-
-    def decompress(self, value):
-        if value:
-            return (value.lower, value.upper)
-        return (None, None)
diff --git a/tests/postgres_tests/test_ranges.py b/tests/postgres_tests/test_ranges.py
index c18c351031..3702221107 100644
--- a/tests/postgres_tests/test_ranges.py
+++ b/tests/postgres_tests/test_ranges.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ from decimal import Decimal
 from django import forms
 from django.core import exceptions, serializers
 from django.db.models import DateField, DateTimeField, F, Func, Value
+from django.http import QueryDict
 from django.test import override_settings
 from django.utils import timezone
 
@@ -513,8 +514,9 @@ class TestFormField(PostgreSQLSimpleTestCase):
             </th><td>
             <input type="text" name="datetime_field_0" id="id_datetime_field_0">
             <input type="text" name="datetime_field_1" id="id_datetime_field_1">
-            <input type="hidden" name="initial-datetime_field" value="[None, None]"
-            id="initial-id_datetime_field"></td></tr>
+            <input type="hidden" name="initial-datetime_field_0" id="initial-id_datetime_field_0">
+            <input type="hidden" name="initial-datetime_field_1" id="initial-id_datetime_field_1">
+            </td></tr>
             """
         )
         form = DateTimeRangeForm({
@@ -531,12 +533,31 @@ class TestFormField(PostgreSQLSimpleTestCase):
             value="2010-01-01 11:13:00" id="id_datetime_field_0">
             <input type="text" name="datetime_field_1"
             value="2020-12-12 16:59:00" id="id_datetime_field_1">
-            <input type="hidden" name="initial-datetime_field"
-            value="[&#x27;2010-01-01 11:13:00&#x27;, &#x27;2020-12-12 16:59:00&#x27;]"
-            id="initial-id_datetime_field"></td></tr>
+            <input type="hidden" name="initial-datetime_field_0" value="2010-01-01 11:13:00"
+            id="initial-id_datetime_field_0">
+            <input type="hidden" name="initial-datetime_field_1" value="2020-12-12 16:59:00"
+            id="initial-id_datetime_field_1"></td></tr>
             """
         )
 
+    def test_datetime_form_initial_data(self):
+        class DateTimeRangeForm(forms.Form):
+            datetime_field = pg_forms.DateTimeRangeField(show_hidden_initial=True)
+
+        data = QueryDict(mutable=True)
+        data.update({
+            'datetime_field_0': '2010-01-01 11:13:00',
+            'datetime_field_1': '',
+            'initial-datetime_field_0': '2010-01-01 10:12:00',
+            'initial-datetime_field_1': '',
+        })
+        form = DateTimeRangeForm(data=data)
+        self.assertTrue(form.has_changed())
+
+        data['initial-datetime_field_0'] = '2010-01-01 11:13:00'
+        form = DateTimeRangeForm(data=data)
+        self.assertFalse(form.has_changed())
+
     def test_rendering(self):
         class RangeForm(forms.Form):
             ints = pg_forms.IntegerRangeField()