How to Automatically Add Respondent Name and Date to Microsoft Forms Responses
Question details
The user wants to automatically record the respondent's name and submission date in Microsoft Forms responses sent to Excel via Power Automate.
- Product
- Microsoft Forms
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Collecting form responses within a Microsoft 365 organization without requiring users to manually enter their name and date.
- Observed behavior
- The form owner needs the system to automatically capture and append the respondent's identity and completion time to the response data in Excel.
Ensure that all intended form respondents are members of your Microsoft 365 organization and that you have the appropriate owner permissions to modify the form settings.
Enable 'Record Name' in Form Settings
Restrict the form to internal users and enable the automatic recording of names and dates through the built-in Microsoft Forms settings.
By restricting your Microsoft Form to people within your organization, the system can leverage Microsoft 365 profiles to automatically log the respondent's name, email, and submission timestamps. This eliminates the need for manual name and date questions.
Log in to Microsoft Forms and open the specific form you want to configure.
Click on the three dots (...) representing 'More form settings' in the top right corner of the screen, then select 'Settings' from the drop-down menu.
Under the 'Who can fill out this form' section, select 'Only people in my organization can respond'.
Check the box next to 'Record name'. Microsoft Forms will now automatically capture the user's name and completion time.
Manage Your Form Response Data with WPS Office
While Microsoft Forms handles data collection, you can effortlessly manage, analyze, and visualize your exported Excel response data using WPS Office—a free, lightweight alternative that supports all major Microsoft Office file formats.
- 1. Download and Install WPS Office: Get the free WPS Office suite from the official website and install it on your device.
- 2. Open Exported Data: Locate the Excel (.xlsx) file containing your Microsoft Forms responses and open it using WPS Spreadsheet.
- 3. Analyze Responses: Use built-in pivot tables, charts, and filtering tools in WPS Spreadsheet to efficiently analyze your collected data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I automatically record names for users outside my organization?
No, the 'Record name' feature only works for authenticated users within your Microsoft 365 organization. For external users, you must add a manual text question asking for their name.
Where can I find the automatically recorded date and time?
The submission date and time are automatically saved in the background data of the form. When you export responses to Excel or use Power Automate, these appear as 'Start time' and 'Completion time' columns.
Why is the 'Record name' option grayed out in my settings?
This option is only available if you select 'Only people in my organization can respond' or 'Specific people in my organization can respond'. If 'Anyone can respond' is selected, the form is anonymous and the feature is disabled.
