Where Does Microsoft Forms Store Response Excel Files?
Question details
The user wants to find the exact cloud storage location of Microsoft Forms response Excel workbooks and understand how to collect respondent names and emails.
- Product
- Microsoft Forms
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Accessing form response workbooks and attempting to identify the submitters from the collected data.
- Observed behavior
- Response workbooks are accessed via the Responses tab, but the exact cloud storage location (OneDrive vs. SharePoint) and respondent data collection behavior vary based on the form's creation and sharing settings.
Ensure you have the appropriate permissions (owner or group member) to access the Microsoft Forms responses and the associated Microsoft 365 cloud storage.
Locate Excel Response Files for Personal and Group Forms
Depending on how your form was created, the underlying Excel workbook is stored automatically in either your personal OneDrive or a shared SharePoint site.
Microsoft Forms automatically syncs response data to an Excel workbook in your Microsoft 365 cloud storage. The location depends entirely on whether the form is personal or owned by a group.
If you created the form for yourself, navigate to your OneDrive portal. Look for a folder named 'Apps', then 'Microsoft Forms'. The response Excel file will be stored here.
If the form was created for a Microsoft 365 Group, log into your SharePoint portal. Navigate to the associated group site and open the 'Documents' library. The response workbook is generally stored there.
Alternatively, you can open the Microsoft Form, navigate to the 'Responses' tab, and click the 'Open in Excel' button to launch the live file in Excel for the web.
Configure Forms to Collect Respondent Information
If your Excel response file is missing submitter names or email addresses, you must adjust the form's sharing permissions to collect them.
Analyze Form Responses Easily with WPS Office
If you need to view, edit, or analyze your downloaded Microsoft Forms response files, WPS Office is an excellent free alternative. It seamlessly opens Microsoft Office formats and provides powerful spreadsheet analysis tools without the expensive subscription.
- 1. Download the response file: From the Microsoft Forms 'Responses' tab, click 'Open in Excel' to download the .xlsx response file to your local computer.
- 2. Open with WPS Office: Launch WPS Office Spreadsheets, click 'Open', and select your downloaded forms response file to start organizing and analyzing your data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are respondent names showing up as 'Anonymous' in the Excel response file?
This happens when the form is set to 'Anyone can respond', which does not require a login. To capture names and emails, change the form settings to 'Only people in my organization can respond' and check the 'Record name' box.
Why am I not receiving email notifications for form submissions?
First, ensure that 'Get email notification of each response' is checked in your form's settings. If the settings are correct but emails are still missing, check your email client's spam or junk folder, as automated notifications are sometimes filtered there.
Can I move the response Excel file to a different SharePoint folder?
Yes, but moving or renaming the original synced Excel workbook in SharePoint or OneDrive may break the live connection. If you need a copy elsewhere, it is best to download a static copy or use Power Automate to sync responses to a new location.
