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How to Reuse Microsoft Forms Responses in a New Submission

Rana Garcia Oct 1, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to reuse selected information from an earlier Microsoft Forms response when submitting the same form again, or automatically create a new response from an existing submission.

How to Reuse Microsoft Forms Responses in a New Submission

Product: Microsoft Forms
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Filling out repetitive forms where much of the data remains the same across different submissions.
Observed behavior: There is no direct button to reuse a previous submission, requiring a workaround to retrieve existing data and prefill a new form.

Before you start

Ensure you have access to the Responses tab of your Microsoft Form and a secure spreadsheet application (like Microsoft Excel or WPS Spreadsheets) to store and manage the exported submission data.

Solution 1Recommended

Store Responses in a Spreadsheet to Prefill New Submissions

Export your initial form data to a spreadsheet, assign unique identifiers, and use that database to populate new submissions.

Since Microsoft Forms does not natively feature a 'reuse previous submission' button for respondents, the most reliable method is to establish a database using Excel. By storing initial responses, you can retrieve the necessary values to manually prefill new submissions or automate the process using Microsoft Power Automate.

Export Initial Responses to a Spreadsheet

Open your Microsoft Form as the owner, navigate to the 'Responses' tab, and click on 'Open in Excel'. This will download or sync all current submissions into a secure spreadsheet.

Assign a Unique Identifier

In your spreadsheet, ensure each response has a unique identifier. You can use the default 'Email' column or create a custom 'ID' column to easily track and retrieve specific submissions.

Retrieve and Prefill Data

When a new submission is required, retrieve the required values from your spreadsheet. You can either use Power Automate to generate a prefilled URL based on the unique ID or manually copy the persistent data into a new form link.

Update and Submit the New Form

Open the new form submission containing the prefilled data. Update any specific fields that need changing for this new entry, and click 'Submit'. Repeat this process whenever another submission is required.

Store Responses in a Spreadsheet to Prefill New Submissions

Automation Tip: For frequent reuses, consider setting up a Power Automate flow that triggers when a row is modified in your Excel table, automatically generating a pre-filled Microsoft Forms URL for the user.

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Manage Form Data Efficiently with WPS Office

If you are downloading Microsoft Forms responses to a spreadsheet, try WPS Office as your free, lightweight Microsoft Office alternative. It offers full compatibility with Excel formats and provides a familiar interface to easily organize and manipulate your form submission data.

1. Download and Install: Visit the official WPS Office website to download and install the free suite on your device.
2. Open WPS Spreadsheets: Launch WPS Office and open the Spreadsheets module.
3. Manage Form Data: Open your exported Microsoft Forms Excel (.xlsx) file to sort, filter, and extract data for your new form submissions seamlessly.

100% compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) formats for seamless data managementFree, lightweight, and consumes minimal system resourcesFamiliar tabbed user interface requiring zero learning curveAll-in-one suite containing word processing, spreadsheets, and PDF tools

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I let respondents edit their submitted Microsoft Forms?

Yes, Microsoft Forms recently introduced a feature allowing respondents to edit their submissions. Form owners must go to Settings and check 'Allow respondents to edit their responses'. However, this edits the existing record rather than creating a new submission.

Does duplicating a Microsoft Form also copy its responses?

No. When you duplicate a Microsoft Form, only the structure, questions, and theme are copied over. The new duplicated form will have zero responses.

How do I create a pre-filled link in Microsoft Forms?

Microsoft Forms does not have a native 'Get pre-filled link' button like some other form builders. To create pre-filled links, you typically need to use Microsoft Power Automate to pass URL parameters into the form fields programmatically.

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