How to download Microsoft Forms responses (Excel)

Microsoft Forms can give you every response as an Excel file (.xlsx). Getting a plain downloaded copy is the one step people often miss, so this guide goes slowly.

Before you start

• You need: a computer, and you must own the form (or be a co-author).
• Time: about 2 minutes.
• Nothing changes in the form. You’re only making a copy.

Step by step

1. Open your form at forms.office.com.
2. Click the Responses tab at the top.
   You’ll see: a summary with the number of responses and charts.
3. Find the Open results in Excel button. Don’t click the main part yet; look for the small ▾ arrow next to it.
4. Click the ▾ arrow and choose Download a copy.
   You’ll see: an .xlsx file download to your Downloads folder.

If there’s no arrow: click Open results in Excel. If Excel for the web opens, choose File › Create a copy › Download a copy (or File › Save as › Download a copy).

Check that it worked

• In Downloads there’s a file ending in .xlsx, usually named after your form.
• If it opens in Excel, the first columns are ID, Start time, Completion time, Email and Name, then one column per question. That’s what you want.

What might confuse you

• “Clicking the button opened Excel online instead of downloading.” On work and school accounts the main button makes a live workbook in OneDrive. Use the ▾ arrow › Download a copy instead, or download from Excel for the web as above.
• “Email and Name say anonymous.” Your form doesn’t record who answered. The printer can hide these columns.
• “Multiple-choice answers end with a semicolon, like Option A;Option B;”. That’s Microsoft’s format. The printer splits them and shows every option with the chosen ones ticked.
• “New responses aren’t in my file.” A downloaded copy is a snapshot. Download again to include newer responses.

Next: print it

Drop the .xlsx on Print Microsoft Forms responses. Choose one per page, several per page or a table, and print. Nothing is uploaded.

Print the responses one per page →