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How to Fix Microsoft Forms Responses Missing in Excel

Maira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to recover Microsoft Forms responses that have vanished from both the form dashboard and the linked workbook.

Product: Microsoft Forms and Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Reviewing previously collected survey or quiz responses.
Observed behavior: 17 responses that were previously accessible have unexpectedly disappeared from both the Microsoft Form and the associated Excel file.

Before you start

Ensure you are logged into the correct Microsoft 365 account that originally created the form, as accessing it with a different account or a guest link will not show the collected responses.

Solution 1Recommended

Verify Responses in Microsoft Forms and Resync to Excel

Determine if the responses are just missing from the Excel workbook or the Form itself, and generate a new workbook if the data still exists.

Often, the connection between Microsoft Forms and Excel can break, causing the Excel file to appear empty while the data remains safely stored in the Forms backend.

Check Microsoft Forms

View Responses

Click on the 'Responses' tab at the top of the form editor to see if the response count and data are still visible.

Sync to a New Workbook

If the data is visible in Forms but missing in your original Excel file, click the 'Open in Excel' button to synchronize and download the responses into a fresh Excel workbook.

Solution 2

Contact Microsoft 365 Admin for Backend Investigation

If responses are missing directly from Microsoft Forms, the service team needs to inspect backend logs to recover the data.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for Seamless Data Management

While recovering Microsoft Forms backend data requires Microsoft support, you can prevent future compatibility and data handling issues by analyzing your exported data with WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, robust platform to manage your spreadsheets seamlessly.

1. Download and Install: Get WPS Office from the official website and complete the quick installation process.
2. Open Exported Data: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and easily open the .xlsx file downloaded from your online forms.
3. Analyze Results: Use WPS Office's powerful built-in tools to filter, analyze, and chart your collected responses.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) and CSV formats exported from online forms.Lightweight software that loads large survey datasets instantly.Free built-in tools for data analysis, advanced charts, and pivot tables.Familiar user interface makes switching from Microsoft Office effortless.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my Microsoft Forms responses suddenly disappear?

Responses can disappear if the linked Excel file is corrupted, moved, or disconnected. In rare cases, syncing issues or backend glitches on Microsoft's servers may temporarily hide the responses from the Forms dashboard.

Can I recover deleted Microsoft Forms responses?

If the responses were manually deleted within Microsoft Forms, they cannot be recovered. However, if they disappeared due to a sync error and you previously downloaded the Excel file, you can restore that file from your local drive or OneDrive version history.

How do I disconnect and reconnect my Excel workbook to Microsoft Forms?

You cannot directly reconnect an existing file to resume a broken sync. Instead, go to the Responses tab in Microsoft Forms and click 'Open in Excel' to generate a brand-new synced workbook containing all currently captured responses.

Are WPS Spreadsheets compatible with exported Microsoft Forms data?

Yes, when you download your Microsoft Forms responses as an Excel (.xlsx) file, you can open, edit, and analyze it directly in WPS Office without any formatting loss.

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