Microsoft Forms recovery: restore deleted forms & responses

A missing Microsoft Form or missing responses usually has one of four causes: a deleted form, lost or overwritten linked Excel rows, accidental ownership change, or edits that removed responses. Start with owner-level recovery (Forms Recycle bin, OneDrive/SharePoint version history) because those are quickest and least disruptive; if that fails, escalate to your Microsoft 365 admin who can use tenant restore, Compliance/Retention, PowerShell, or backups.

How do I know exactly what’s missing right now?

Symptom

When to use this section: identify whether the whole form is missing, responses are missing, the linked Excel file lost rows, or ownership changed so you no longer have access.

Applicability and quick checks (Before you start):

• Product and versions: Microsoft Forms in Microsoft 365 / Office 365 browser-based Forms and the linked Excel workbook stored in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online. These steps assume the cloud Forms service and OneDrive/SharePoint Online; they do not apply to non-cloud or on-premise installations.
• Privileges needed: owner of the form or owner of the linked Excel file for owner-level fixes. Global Admin/SharePoint Admin/Compliance Admin for tenant-level restores.
• Restart/backup: no restart required. Back up any current Excel file before you restore older versions.

Checks to perform now:

• Sign in to forms.office.com with the account that created the form and look for the form in My Forms.
• If you see the form, open the Responses tab and note the response count and most recent timestamp.
• If the form uses a linked Excel workbook, open that file in OneDrive or SharePoint and check whether recent rows are present.
• Check email, Teams, or SharePoint for ownership-transfer messages and note who last edited the form.

What the symptoms typically mean:

• Entire form missing from forms.office.com: deleted form (owner-level Recycle bin or tenant restore needed).
• Form present but response count dropped: missing responses or Excel overwrite; compare Responses tab to the workbook.
• Linked Excel file missing rows: version history or file restore is the likely fix.
• You can’t open the form because you’re not the owner: accidental ownership change or removed permissions; you need the current owner or an admin to reassign access.

When can I recover it myself and when do I need an admin?

Who can act and what they can usually fix.

What an owner can do:

• Restore a recently deleted form from the Forms recycle bin (if the form owner’s account is intact).
• Restore previous versions of the linked Excel workbook in OneDrive/SharePoint using version history.
• Ask the current owner to add you as co-owner or transfer ownership if you lost access.

What requires an admin or tenant tools:

• Deleted form where the Forms recycle bin shows nothing or the owner’s account has been deleted: Microsoft 365 admin can restore deleted users and their OneDrive content.
• Files not in the OneDrive first-stage recycle bin: a site collection admin or SharePoint admin can check the second-stage (site collection) recycle bin.
• Recovering content preserved by retention or running a Compliance content search: Compliance or Global admins must use Microsoft Purview.
• Tenant-wide restores beyond recycle-bin windows or automation across many users: PowerShell or third-party backup tools and admin intervention.

Examples to choose by symptom:

• Deleted yesterday by the owner: try Forms Recycle bin first (owner path).
• Form belonged to a departed user whose account was removed: ask your Microsoft 365 admin to restore the user or their OneDrive content.

First-aid fixes owners can do immediately

Where to act: Microsoft Forms (form owner) or OneDrive/SharePoint (file owner).

Privilege: you must be the form owner or the owner of the linked Excel file.

1. Check the Forms recycle bin.
2. Go to forms.office.com and sign in with the account that created the form.
3. Open the bottom-left menu and click Recycle bin.
4. Locate the deleted form and choose Restore.

Forms > Recycle bin

Expected result: the form returns to your My Forms list and the Responses tab should show any recovered submission count. If the form does not reappear, the deletion may be older than the recycle-bin retention window or the form is owned by a different account.

2. Open the linked Excel file in OneDrive or SharePoint and check version history.
3. In Forms, open the form and click Responses > Open in Excel to locate the workbook, or find the workbook directly in OneDrive/SharePoint.
4. In OneDrive/SharePoint, right-click the file and choose Version history.
5. Restore the version created before the data loss.

OneDrive/SharePoint > [file] > Version history

Expected result: missing rows reappear in the workbook. If the Responses tab in Forms still shows fewer submissions than expected, the form may have accepted submissions after the restored version and you will need to merge records or export current responses.

3. Reassign ownership or add a co-owner.
4. If you can still open the form but don’t have owner privileges, ask the current owner to open the form, click Share > Share to collaborate, and add you as a co-owner.

Expected result: regaining owner or co-owner rights lets you manage the form and access responses. If the current owner is unavailable, escalate to your admin.

Restoring an Excel file’s previous version changes the workbook contents but does not change who owns the form itself.

If the owner can’t recover it: admin and advanced restoration options

Where to act: Microsoft 365 admin center, SharePoint/OneDrive admin tools, Microsoft Purview (Compliance), PowerShell, or third-party backups.

Privilege: Global admin, SharePoint admin, or Compliance admin depending on the action.

1. Restore a deleted user and their Forms data (admin).
2. In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Users > Deleted users and restore the user account if it’s still in the deleted-users window.
3. Transfer ownership or sign in as that restored user to recover forms.

Microsoft 365 admin center > Users > Deleted users

Expected result: the user account returns and any OneDrive/Forms content tied to that account becomes accessible. If the deletion is beyond the tenant retention window, proceed to other options.

2. Recover files from SharePoint or OneDrive recycle bins (admin or site collection admin).
3. In the affected user’s OneDrive or the SharePoint site that stored the workbook, open Recycle bin and look for the Excel workbook or supporting files.
4. If not in the first-stage recycle bin, check the site collection (second-stage) recycle bin and restore the file.

OneDrive/SharePoint > Recycle bin

Expected result: the workbook is restored to its location and version history is available. If the file is not found, consider backup or Compliance search options.

3. Use Compliance/Retention tools (admin).
4. In Microsoft Purview, run a content search or check retention policies for preserved Forms or OneDrive/SharePoint items and export any preserved content as allowed.

Microsoft Purview > Content search / Retention

Expected result: content preserved by retention can be identified and exported. If no retention policy existed at the time of deletion, this method will not recover past data.

4. PowerShell and third-party backups.

• PowerShell can restore users or automate retrieval of OneDrive content. Use official Microsoft cmdlets appropriate to your tenant and follow change-control processes.

Connect-MgGraph -Scopes User.ReadWrite.All
# Example placeholder: adapt to your tenant and cmdlets
Restore-MgUser -UserId <deleted-user-id>

• If your organization uses third-party backup tools (Veeam, AvePoint, etc.), request a restore of the Forms-linked workbook or the user’s OneDrive.

Tenant-level restores and restoring deleted users can affect other services or data. Verify what you will restore and follow your org’s change-management process.

When to contact Microsoft Support: if admins exhaust tenant restore options, the content is older than retention windows, or you suspect a service-side issue that admins cannot resolve. Provide timestamps, form names/IDs, and owner details when you open the support ticket.

How to confirm the recovery worked and where to find recovered responses

How to verify the fix:

1. Check Forms directly.
2. Sign in to forms.office.com as the form owner and confirm the form appears under My Forms.
3. Open the form and click the Responses tab. Note the response count and time of the most recent submission; those should match the expected values.

Forms > [your form] > Responses

Expected result: the Responses tab shows the recovered count and charts. If the count is lower than expected, continue to step 2.

2. Open the associated Excel workbook.
3. From the Responses tab click Open in Excel to open the workbook stored in OneDrive/SharePoint.
4. Verify the row count and timestamps match the Responses tab. If you restored an earlier version, make sure you picked the correct one.

Expected result: the Excel file contains rows for each submission with timestamps and answers. If the Responses tab and Excel disagree, some responses may be missing from the workbook or the form accepted submissions after the restored version.

Partial recovery steps if counts don’t match:

• Compare timestamps in the Forms Responses tab and the Excel rows to identify missing submissions.
• If missing responses exist in email notifications or a downloaded CSV, append them manually to the workbook and document when the issue occurred.
• Export current responses from Forms (Responses > Open in Excel) for a fresh copy and merge as needed.

Recovered responses appear in the Responses tab and in the linked Excel workbook; use both places to confirm a full recovery.

How to stop this happening again — quick prevention checklist

Practical steps to reduce future loss and speed recovery.

• Assign at least one co-owner for each important form so ownership loss or account deletion won’t block recovery.
• Store the linked Excel workbook in a SharePoint document library when multiple people need access; SharePoint preserves version history centrally.
• Export responses regularly or schedule automated exports to a secure location for critical data.
• Work with your admin to enable retention policies that cover Forms and associated OneDrive/SharePoint files if compliance requires longer preservation.
• Keep a simple inventory of important forms and their owners, and record ownership changes in a shared log so you can identify who to contact if something goes missing.

Conclusion

Try owner-level recovery first: Forms Recycle bin and OneDrive/SharePoint version history. If those don’t restore the missing form or responses, involve your Microsoft 365 admin to check deleted users, tenant recycle bins, Compliance/Retention tools, and backups or PowerShell restores. When you escalate, provide timestamps, the form name/ID, and the owner account to speed recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a deleted form stay in the Forms recycle bin?

Microsoft does not publish a single universal window for Forms recycle-bin retention. The exact behavior can depend on tenant settings and the state of the owner’s account. If you can’t find a deleted form in the Forms recycle bin, check OneDrive/SharePoint recycle bins for the linked workbook and contact your admin promptly.

If I restore the Excel workbook, will the Forms Responses tab update automatically?

Restoring the workbook brings back the spreadsheet data, but the Responses tab in Forms is the live submission record. Restoring the workbook often reconciles counts, but if the form accepted submissions after the restored version you may need to merge missing rows manually.