Permission & Access Issues

How to Create and Share Microsoft Forms Without Viewing Responses

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to create a Microsoft Form and grant someone else the ability to view and manage the responses, without necessarily monitoring the responses themselves.

Product: Microsoft Forms
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating a form and delegating its management and response tracking to another user.
Observed behavior: The user needs to set up collaboration access so a designated person can view the collected responses and edit the form layout.

Before you start

Ensure you are signed into your Microsoft 365 account and have the necessary permissions to create and share collaboration links for Microsoft Forms.

Solution 1Recommended

Share Collaboration Access in Microsoft Forms

Use the built-in collaboration settings to allow another person to view form responses and manage the form.

By sharing a collaboration link, you grant another user the ability to act as a co-author. This means they will be able to see all submitted responses, but they will also have the permission to edit the form questions and settings.

Open Microsoft Forms

Navigate to Microsoft Forms in your web browser and open the form you want to share, or create a new one.

Access the More menu

Click on the three-dot menu icon located in the upper right corner of the screen to open the form settings.

Select Collaborate or Duplicate

Choose the 'Collaborate or Duplicate' option from the dropdown list.

Add a collaborator

Under the 'Share to collaborate' section, click to generate a collaboration link. You can adjust the permissions to specify who can access this link.

Share the link

Copy the generated link and share it with the designated person so they can view the responses and edit the form.

Editing Permissions Warning: Collaboration access grants both response-viewing and form-editing rights. Carefully review the available permissions before sharing the link to ensure you are comfortable with the collaborator making changes to the form.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Experience Seamless Collaboration with WPS Office

While Microsoft Forms handles surveys, managing the resulting data often requires powerful spreadsheet tools. WPS Office is a free, lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office that allows you to easily collaborate on data, share documents, and manage permissions without hassle.

1. Download WPS Office: Visit the official WPS website to download and install the free WPS Office suite on your device.
2. Open Your Data: Export your form responses to an Excel file and open it natively in WPS Spreadsheet.
3. Share with Permissions: Use the built-in sharing features to send the document to your colleagues, specifying whether they can view or edit the data.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Office formats including .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx.Easily share spreadsheets containing form data with secure viewing and editing permissions.Lightweight and efficient, running smoothly on Windows, Mac, Linux, and mobile devices.Free all-in-one suite to manage documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and PDFs in a single window.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share Microsoft Form responses without giving edit permissions?

The standard collaboration link grants both view and edit permissions. Natively, to let someone only view responses, you can create a summary link from the 'Responses' tab and share that instead.

How do I transfer ownership of a Microsoft Form to another user?

You can transfer ownership by moving the form to a Microsoft 365 Group where the designated person is a member. Click 'All My Forms', find the form, click the three-dot menu, and select 'Move'.

Why is the collaborate option missing on my Microsoft Form?

If you cannot see the 'Collaborate or Duplicate' button, your organization's IT admin may have disabled external sharing or restricted collaboration features for your specific account type.

Document & File Issues