How to Fix Acrobat Form Tracker Showing No New Responses
Question details
The user is unable to see new form responses in Acrobat's form tracker despite having successful submissions.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Tracking distributed PDF form submissions and gathering user data.
- Observed behavior
- Acrobat displays a 'No new responses found' message even after new responses and test submissions have been successfully completed.
Ensure that you are checking the tracker on the exact same computer where the original PDF form was created and distributed, as Acrobat's tracking heavily depends on local files.
Verify Connection to the Original Distributed Form
Ensure the response tracker is properly linked to the original distributed file and accessible on your local drive.
Adobe Acrobat's desktop form tracking is highly dependent on the local computer's file system. If you try to track responses on a different device (like switching from a desktop to a laptop) or move the original files, the tracker will fail to locate new responses.
Launch Adobe Acrobat and navigate to View > Tracker from the top menu to open the Form Tracker window.
In the left pane under the 'Distributed Forms' section, find and select your specific form.
Check the file path of the response file. Confirm you are accessing the tracker from the exact computer where the form was originally distributed. The software must be able to reach the original local response file.
If the response file was moved, click 'Add File' or browse to manually reconnect the responses .pdf file to the tracker.
Consolidate Responses Manually
If the tracker remains broken, you can manually compile returned form responses into a single spreadsheet.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Acrobat form tracker work on my desktop but not my laptop?
Acrobat's desktop form tracking relies on the original local computer and the specific response files stored on that machine's hard drive. If you switch to a laptop, it won't have access to the original tracking database or local file paths, causing it to display no new responses.
What happens if I move the original distributed form file?
Moving the original distributed form or the compiled response file can break the file path connection in the Form Tracker. This severs the link and causes the tracker to display no new responses. You must keep the files in their original locations or manually reconnect them.
Can I recover form responses if my original PC crashes?
Desktop form tracking data is stored locally. If your PC crashes and you haven't backed up the response files (typically named with a '_responses.pdf' suffix), you may lose the compiled data. It is highly recommended to maintain regular backups of your distributed forms and response directories.
