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Can Respondents Withdraw or Delete a Microsoft Forms Submission?

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 868 views

Question details

Respondents want to know if they can withdraw, edit, or permanently delete their submitted responses in Microsoft Forms after realizing they made a mistake or changed their mind.

Product: Microsoft Forms
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: A user submits a response to a Microsoft Form and subsequently wishes to retract, edit, or completely delete their submission data.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Forms saves responses immediately upon submission and provides no standard option or button for respondents to withdraw or permanently delete their own answers.

Before you start

Check if the form owner has provided their contact information in the form description, as you will need to reach out to them directly for complete data removal.

Solution 1Recommended

Enable Answer Editing for Respondents (Form Owner Action)

Form owners can allow participants to revise their answers after submission, which is the closest alternative to withdrawing a submission.

While respondents cannot delete their submissions, form owners can enable an edit feature. This allows users who are signed in to return to the form and change their previous answers.

Access Form Settings

Open the specific form in Microsoft Forms. Click on the three dots (More form settings) located in the top right corner of the screen and select 'Settings' from the dropdown menu.

Allow Response Editing

Scroll down to the 'Responses' section within the Settings pane. Check the box next to 'Allow respondents to edit their responses'.

Instruct Respondents to Save the Link

Inform your participants that after they submit the form, they must save the provided 'Edit your response' link or ensure they are logged into their Microsoft account to access and modify their submission later.

Data Privacy: Editing an answer overwrites the previous data, but if a respondent wants their data completely purged, the form owner must manually delete it.

Solution 2

Manually Delete Specific Responses (Form Owner Action)

Since respondents cannot delete their own submissions, the form owner must manually delete the record upon the respondent's request.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete my Microsoft Forms response if I made a mistake?

No, respondents cannot permanently delete their own submissions natively in Microsoft Forms. You must contact the form owner and request that they manually delete your response from their results.

How do I edit my submitted response in Microsoft Forms?

You can only edit your response if the form owner has enabled the 'Allow respondents to edit their responses' setting. If this is turned on, you can use the 'Edit your response' link provided on the submission confirmation page to modify your answers.

Why can't I see the option to edit my Microsoft Forms submission?

If you do not see an option to edit your submission, it means the form creator has not enabled response editing in the form's settings, or you closed the confirmation page and were not signed into a Microsoft account when submitting.

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