How to Save Selected Answers from Microsoft Forms as a PDF
Question details
The user wants to export or print an individual response from Microsoft Forms as a PDF, showing only the selected answers while hiding all unselected choices.
- Product
- Microsoft Forms
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Exporting clean form responses to share or archive specific chosen answers without the visual clutter of unselected survey options.
- Observed behavior
- Microsoft Forms does not currently provide a built-in option to hide unselected choices when printing or exporting an individual response to PDF.
Ensure you have creator or admin access to the Microsoft Form so you can view the 'Responses' tab and export the raw data to a spreadsheet.
Export Responses to Excel and Filter the Data
Since Microsoft Forms cannot natively hide unselected answers, you can export the data to a spreadsheet, manually remove unwanted information, and then save the cleaned table as a PDF.
This workaround requires you to manipulate the raw response data in a spreadsheet application. By doing this, you have full control over the layout and can generate a clean, customized PDF containing only the selected choices.
Log into Microsoft Forms, open your specific form, and navigate to the 'Responses' tab.
Click the 'Open in Excel' button to download the spreadsheet containing all user responses.
Open the downloaded spreadsheet, locate the specific response you want to save, and hide or delete any columns containing unselected options.
Select your cleaned data, navigate to 'File' > 'Export' or 'Print', and choose the 'Save as PDF' option.
Submit a Feature Request to Microsoft
If you frequently need this feature, you can submit direct feedback to Microsoft to request the ability to hide unselected options in future updates.
Use WPS Office to Easily Filter and Convert Form Data to PDF
After downloading your Microsoft Forms data, you can use WPS Spreadsheet to quickly filter out unselected answers, format the layout, and export the exact information you need as a clean PDF document without any hassle.
- 1. Open the Data in WPS Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Office, open the Excel file you downloaded from Microsoft Forms, and locate your response data.
- 2. Filter Unwanted Answers: Highlight your data headers, go to the 'Data' tab, and click 'Filter' to easily hide any blank or unselected response columns.
- 3. Set the Print Area: Select the specific cells containing the cleaned response data you wish to keep, navigate to 'Page Layout', and select 'Print Area' > 'Set Print Area'.
- 4. Export to PDF: Click the 'Menu' button in the top left corner, select 'Export to PDF', adjust your page fit settings, and save the document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I print an individual response directly from Microsoft Forms?
Yes, you can print an individual response by going to the Responses tab, clicking 'View results', selecting the three dots on the specific response, and choosing 'Print response'. However, this native print layout will include all unselected options.
Are there automated ways to generate PDFs with only selected answers?
Yes, you can use Microsoft Power Automate to create a custom flow. By mapping form responses to a custom Word template that only includes chosen variables, you can automatically convert that Word document into a clean PDF upon form submission.
Why do unselected choices appear when I print a Microsoft Form?
Microsoft Forms is designed to show the full context of the original question, including all available options, to maintain the original layout of the survey or quiz for auditing purposes. There is no built-in toggle to disable this behavior yet.
