Microsoft Forms — Avoiding Data Loss When Users Leave the Organisation

Microsoft Forms is an easy way to create forms and collect responses. However, by default Forms are deleted and the data lost when a user leaves the organisation. This article describes how to create or change forms so that they are not deleted when users leave, and how to restore forms if a user account has already been deleted less than 30 days ago.

What happens to Microsoft Forms when an employee leaves

If a user creates a form via forms.office.com, by default this will be linked to their personal account only. Furthermore, the data is not stored anywhere outside the form itself, and is not protected by retention policies.

Individually created forms therefore have the following limitations and risks:

• If a user account is deleted, the form data is deleted after 30 days
• The form can be recovered only during this 30 day window — it is not possible to recover the data afterwards
• Personal form data is not stored in Exchange or SharePoint or any accessible location, and is not held if you have retention policies
• Although the responses can be downloaded as an Excel file, this is only generated on request

If that data should in any way persist or not be tied to an individual user, forms should not be created using forms.office.com and instead be linked to a group (see below).

Restoring a Form for a Deleted or Disabled User (Admins Only)

If a user has already left, an admin can recover the form for up to 30 days after the account has been deleted. The requirements are:

• Your account needs to be Global Administrator or Office Application Administrator and have a valid Forms license
• The employee whose form you want to transfer has an account that has been deleted or disabled
• The form is transferred within 30 days of when an account was deleted (no limit if the account is just disabled)

To recover the form:

1. Go to https://forms.office.com/Pages/delegatepage.aspx?originalowner=[email address]
2. On the form, click More form actions, then select Move
3. Choose to move to your user account, or a group

Note: If you don’t see a group, make sure you are a group owner. If it’s a Teams channel, also a Microsoft 365 group, remove yourself and add yourself via Teams admin.

If the user was deleted more than 30 days ago, you will see an error.

Restoring a Deleted Form

You can also restore a form in case it was deleted by mistake.

1. Go to forms.office.com
2. Click on Recycle bin
3. On the form you want to restore, select More options in the lower right corner of the form tile, then click Restore

Move a Form to a Group

If an individual already created the form using forms.office.com, you can move it to a Team or group.

1. Go to forms.office.com
2. On the form you want to move, select More options in the upper right corner of its tile, then choose Move or Move to a group
3. Choose the group you want to move your form to, then select Move

If you move to a Team, you can then add it to a new tab in a channel by selecting an existing form.

Creating a Form Linked to a Group

If a form is created and linked to a Microsoft 365 group (such as a Team), the form and the collected data will be stored in the team SharePoint site as an Excel file. It’s then easy to access, back up, and will be subject to any retention policies applying to SharePoint Online.

The easiest way to do this is using Teams. Note that all Team members will have edit rights to the form, as well as be able to see all responses.

1. In a Teams channel (e.g. General), click + to add a Tab and choose Forms
2. Choose the first option to create a shared form
3. Create the form as normal — you can share the link using the Collect Responses button
4. Submitted data will be automatically saved to an Excel spreadsheet in the General channel folder. All Team members will have access to this data

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to recover a form after someone leaves?

30 days from the date the account was deleted. If the account is only disabled there is no time limit, which is why disabling a leaver’s account first and deleting it later is the safer sequence.

Can I transfer a form to someone else?

Yes. An administrator can move it to their own account or to a Microsoft 365 group — see Restoring a Form for a Deleted or Disabled User above for the exact steps and the required roles.

Can I restore a form a user deleted by mistake?

Yes, while it is still in the Forms recycle bin. See Restoring a Deleted Form above. Note this is separate from recovering a leaver’s forms — the recycle bin only holds items the user deleted themselves.

What is the safest way to avoid this entirely?

Create the form against a Microsoft 365 group — from a Teams channel tab, for example. The form and its responses then live in the group’s SharePoint site, where they are covered by your retention policies and are not tied to one person’s account.