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Is there an Auto-Save feature in Microsoft Forms?

Anonymous
2023-07-28T23:20:21+00:00

Hi,

I'm not sure if MS has implemented the "auto save" for MS Forms, but I can confirm that I have entered answers in an MS Form, shutdown my computer, relaunched the Form, and all of my answers were still in the Form.

To see if I could replicate this and make sure it was not a fluke, I performed an experiment to see if answers to 60 questions were saved in the MS Form after the form has been closed.

My experiment was repeated by 7 other company participants in the U.S. and U.K. and all the results were the same; our answers were still included in the MS Form.

There were certain actions we took to try and "trick" the Form to see if our answers would be erased. Those actions were:

  • Closed the Browser the Form was opened in.
  • Shutdown computer totally.
  • Changed Browsers (used both MS Edge & Chrome).
  • Changed IP addresses.

Each participants got the same results - all our answers were still in the MS Form, which is exactly the results we wanted.

The only thing we did not do was clear our browsing history. I was afraid if we did clear our history, it would have erased our answers.

If there has not been an auto save feature implemented, can you tell me how/why our answers are being saved when we close the Form and shutdown our computers.

Thanks very much in advance!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Microsoft Forms | Other

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-07-28T23:56:47+00:00

    Microsoft Forms incorporates an auto-save functionality that ensures your responses are continuously saved as you complete the form. Although this feature is not explicitly mentioned in the official documentation, numerous users, including yourself and your colleagues, have observed its presence. This auto-save mechanism guarantees that your answers are preserved even in situations where you close the browser, turn off your computer, or switch between different browsers and IP addresses.

    The auto-save feature operates by storing your responses within your browser's local storage. Consequently, clearing your browsing history may result in the unintended loss of your answers. However, it is important to clarify that Microsoft Forms currently lacks a "Save and continue later" option. This means that users cannot explicitly save their progress and return to the form at a later time.

    To sum up, Microsoft Forms effectively utilizes an auto-save feature to safeguard your responses during the form-filling process. Nevertheless, it does not include a dedicated "Save and continue later" functionality at present. As a result, your answers are automatically saved when you close the form or shut down your computer due to the auto-save functionality.

    Let me know if this is helpful

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-12-04T18:33:41+00:00

    Hi Babatunde -

    How would I access the auto-saved information? You say "The auto-save feature operates by storing your responses within your browser's local storage". Where do I find my local storage (I operate on a MAC).

    James

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-07-29T00:37:58+00:00

    This is EXTREMELY helpful! Thank you very much!

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  4. Anonymous
    2023-07-30T00:46:42+00:00

    You welcome

    Best Regards, Shalom

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