Permission & Access Issues

How to Recover and Edit a Microsoft Form Owned by a Disabled User

Olivia Miller Oct 12, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to regain administrative access to edit or transfer ownership of a Microsoft Form created by an employee whose account has been disabled or deleted.

How to Recover and Edit a Microsoft Form Owned by a Disabled User

Product: Microsoft Forms
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: A team member has left the organization, and their account was disabled or deleted. Collaborators need to manage the original owner's forms but are locked out of sharing or full editing privileges.
Observed behavior: Collaborators can view the form results and see the form, but cannot edit the sharing permissions, add new people to collaborate, or fully manage the form because the original owner's account is inactive.

Before you start

Ensure you have Microsoft 365 Global Administrator privileges, as standard users and even SharePoint Administrators cannot independently access or recover data from deleted user accounts without admin center access.

Solution 1Recommended

Restore the Deleted User Account (Within 30 Days)

If the user account was deleted recently, you can temporarily restore it to access the form and transfer its ownership to a Microsoft 365 Group.

Microsoft 365 retains deleted user accounts for 30 days. During this recovery window, an administrator can restore the account, log in, and move any critical personal forms to a shared group space.

Access the Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Navigate to Deleted Users

Go to 'Users' in the left-hand navigation menu, then select 'Deleted users'.

Restore the User

Find and select the disabled/deleted user's account, then click 'Restore user'. Follow the prompts to reset the password.

Transfer Form Ownership

Log in to Microsoft Forms using the restored account's credentials. Locate the form, click the 'More options' (...) button on the form tile, and select 'Move to a group' to transfer it to a shared Microsoft 365 Group.

Best Practice: Always move important business forms to a Microsoft 365 Group to ensure continuous access, regardless of individual employee turnover.

Solution 2

Submit a Service Request to Microsoft Support

If the account was deleted more than 30 days ago or cannot be restored, Microsoft backend support must intervene to recover the form.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I duplicate a form if I only have collaborate access and the owner is disabled?

If you only have 'Share to collaborate' access, you cannot duplicate the form or change sharing settings once the owner's account is disabled. You must have been granted 'Share as a template' access beforehand to duplicate it into your own account.

How do I prevent losing access to Microsoft Forms when an employee leaves?

To prevent data lockout, always create or move critical business forms to a Microsoft 365 Group. Forms owned by a Group remain accessible and editable by all group members, even if the original creator's account is deleted.

Can a SharePoint administrator recover a disabled user's Microsoft Form?

No, SharePoint Administrator access alone does not provide the backend permissions required to access or transfer personal Microsoft Forms. You need Global Administrator rights to restore the user account, or assistance from Microsoft Support.

Document & File Issues