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How to Send Microsoft Forms Response Receipts Without Sign-In

Khadija Khan Oct 1, 2026 869 views

Question details

A form owner wants survey respondents to receive an email or PDF copy of their responses without requiring them to sign in to a Microsoft account.

How to Send Microsoft Forms Response Receipts Without Sign-In

Product: Microsoft Forms
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Collecting survey or form responses using an 'Anyone' link where respondents submit their answers anonymously.
Observed behavior: The automatic email receipt option is disabled for anonymous links, preventing respondents from receiving an emailed copy of their submissions.

Before you start

Verify that your Microsoft Form is currently set to 'Anyone can respond' in the sharing settings before implementing a receipt workaround.

Solution 1Recommended

Enable PDF Saving and Customize the Thank-You Message

Since automatic email receipts are disabled for anonymous links, the best native workaround is to instruct users to print or save their responses as a PDF immediately after submission.

When using an 'Anyone' link in Microsoft Forms, the system does not capture the respondent's account details, making automatic email receipts impossible. However, respondents can still save a copy of their answers manually.

By customizing the completion message, you can remind users to utilize the built-in print feature to generate a PDF of their answers before closing the page.

Open Form Settings

Navigate to your Microsoft Form, click the three-dot menu (...) in the top right corner of the screen, and select 'Settings'.

Customize the Thank-You Message

Scroll down to the 'Options for responses' section and check the box labeled 'Customize thank you message'.

Add a Print Reminder

Enter a custom message such as: 'Thank you for your submission. Please click the "Print or get PDF of answers" button below to save a copy for your records.'

Submit a Feature Request

Since email receipts are not natively supported, visit the Microsoft Feedback Portal to vote for the addition of an anonymous email receipt feature.

Enable PDF Saving and Customize the Thank-You Message

Alternative Automation with Power Automate: If you absolutely must send email receipts, you can add an 'Email Address' text question to your form and use Microsoft Power Automate to create a flow that triggers an email containing their responses upon submission.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can respondents enter their email at the end of the form to get a receipt?

Not natively within Microsoft Forms when using an 'Anyone' link. To achieve this, you must set up a custom workflow using Microsoft Power Automate that maps the email address field to an email-sending action.

How do respondents print their answers after submitting?

After submitting the form, a 'Print or get PDF of answers' button automatically appears on the final thank-you page. Clicking this opens the browser's print dialog, allowing them to save it as a local PDF.

Does the 'Send email receipt to respondents' setting work for internal users?

Yes. If your form's sharing settings are configured to 'Only people in my organization can respond' and it records names, the native email receipt option will function normally.

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