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How to Access Microsoft Forms Responses Through API and MSAL

Maira Mehtab Sep 20, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to connect a custom application to Microsoft Forms to retrieve form responses programmatically using an API and MSAL authentication.

Product: Microsoft Forms / Microsoft Graph API
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Building a custom application or integration that requires retrieving user responses directly from Microsoft Forms using application credentials.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Graph does not appear to natively expose the necessary permissions for MSAL authorization to directly retrieve Microsoft Forms responses.

Before you start

Before proceeding, ensure you have access to your Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) admin center and have registered your application to obtain the necessary client IDs for MSAL.

Solution 1Recommended

Consult Microsoft Learn and Q&A Forums for Graph API Support

Since direct MSAL permissions for Microsoft Forms are not fully exposed in standard Microsoft Graph endpoints, consulting official developer forums is the recommended path to find workarounds or beta endpoints.

Microsoft Graph API often updates its endpoints, and some features for Microsoft Forms may be restricted to internal use or beta versions. Requesting guidance from specialists helps clarify authorization limits.

Navigate to Microsoft Learn Q&A

Open your web browser and go to the official Microsoft Learn or Azure Microsoft Q&A forums tailored for developer support.

Search for Graph API Forms Permissions

Search the existing Q&A threads using keywords like 'Microsoft Forms API permissions' or 'MSAL Graph API Forms' to see if a recent workaround or beta endpoint has been published.

Post a Detailed Question

If no existing solution applies, create a new post detailing your MSAL configuration, the specific Azure AD permissions you are looking for, and your end goal to retrieve Microsoft Forms responses.

Beta Endpoints: Microsoft sometimes releases new API capabilities in the Graph beta endpoint before they reach general availability. Specialists on the forums can confirm if a beta endpoint is available for Forms data extraction.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a direct API to get Microsoft Forms responses?

Currently, Microsoft does not provide a fully exposed, dedicated public API for Microsoft Forms in the standard Microsoft Graph v1.0 endpoint. Most automated integrations rely on Microsoft Power Automate to sync responses to other services.

Can I use MSAL to authenticate Microsoft Forms APIs?

While MSAL is the standard library for authenticating users across Microsoft services, specific delegated or application permissions for Microsoft Forms are extremely limited in Azure AD. You must check Microsoft Q&A for the latest supported configurations or undocumented endpoints.

How can I export Microsoft Forms responses without using an API?

You can manually export your Forms responses to an Excel spreadsheet directly from the Responses tab in the Microsoft Forms web interface, or you can use Microsoft Power Automate to automatically log new responses into an Excel Online file or SharePoint list.

Where can I find support for Microsoft Graph API beta features?

The best place to find support for beta endpoints and undocumented features is the Microsoft Learn platform and the official Azure Q&A forums, where Microsoft engineers and community MVPs provide direct guidance.

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