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How to Allow External Microsoft Forms Respondents to Download Responses

Maira Mehtab Sep 20, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to provide external respondents who do not have Microsoft accounts with the ability to download or print a PDF copy of their Microsoft Forms responses after submission.

Product: Microsoft Forms
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Sharing a form or survey with external participants and ensuring they can keep a personal record of their submitted answers.
Observed behavior: Currently, external respondents without a Microsoft account cannot find an option to download or print a PDF copy of their responses upon completing the form.

Before you start

Verify whether your Microsoft Forms was created using a personal Microsoft account or a Business/Education account, as this specific sharing feature is restricted based on your subscription type.

Solution 1Recommended

Enable Respondent Receipts (For Business & Education Accounts)

If you are using a Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise account, you can enable a built-in setting that allows anyone to print or download their responses, regardless of whether they have a Microsoft account.

This is the official method to allow external users to download their responses. Once enabled, users will see a button to print or save their answers on the final submission page.

Open form settings

Log into Microsoft Forms, open your specific form, and click the three-dot menu (...) located in the top right corner of the screen. Select 'Settings' from the dropdown menu.

Allow response receipts

Scroll down to the 'Response receipts' section in the settings pane and check the box labeled 'Allow receipt of responses after submission'.

Submit and download

When external respondents complete the form, they will now be presented with a 'Print or get PDF of answers' button on the 'Thank you' page.

Feature Availability: This feature works seamlessly for users outside your organization, allowing them to save their data as a PDF using their browser's native print-to-PDF function.

Solution 2

Alternative Workarounds (For Personal Accounts)

Personal Microsoft accounts do not natively support allowing external users to download responses. You will need to rely on manual workarounds to share submitted data.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the 'Allow receipt of responses' option missing in my Microsoft Form?

This option is exclusively available for Microsoft 365 Business, Enterprise, and Education accounts. If you are using a free or personal Microsoft account, this setting will not appear in your configuration menu.

Can respondents without a Microsoft account download their answers if I use a business account?

Yes. As long as the form is created using a business or educational account and the 'Allow receipt of responses' setting is checked, external users can download or print their responses without needing to log in.

Will respondents receive an automatic email receipt of their answers?

For external respondents without an account, an automatic email receipt is not supported. They must manually click the print or download button on the submission confirmation page to save their responses.

How do respondents save the receipt as a PDF?

When they click the 'Print or get PDF of answers' button on the 'Thank you' page, it opens their browser's print dialog. From there, they can select 'Save as PDF' from the printer destination list.

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