Forms response sheet not updating for other users, only owner of sheet

Question

Forms response sheet not updating for other users, only owner of sheet

Samantha Painter 0

We are using a Microsoft form to collect information from our team members but they need to be able to see the results that populate in the response sheet. I shared the response excel sheet with our employees but when they open it they do not see the most up to date version with the responses. The sheet does not update until I (owner of sheet) goes into the sheet. How can I fix this so that when they open the sheet they see the most up to date responses?

Ruby Nguyen 3,640 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-11-04T19:05:53.6933333+00:00

Hi Samantha,

I hope you're having a good week.

I'm just checking in to see if there have been any updates on the issue.

Whenever you have an update, I'd be grateful if you could let me know.

Thanks again for your time.
Nafisat Badmus 0 Reputation points

2026-11-04T20:02:59.78+00:00
Hi Samantha, that's how the Forms-to-Excel link works: the sheet only refreshes when the form owner opens it. There are three ways round it, from simplest to most robust:

Let them see results inside Forms. Open the form > ... Collaborate "Get a link to view and edit" and share that with the team. They'll see live responses on the Responses tab. Note that this also lets them edit the form.

Make the form belong to the team, not to you. If you use a Team or Microsoft 365 group, move the form into it (Forms > ... Move to a group). The response workbook then lives in the team's SharePoint site and doesn't depend on one person.

Send responses to a SharePoint list with Power Automate. Use the "When a new response is submitted" trigger, then "Get response details", then "Create item" in a SharePoint list. The list updates instantly for everyone, can be filtered and sorted, and you can add views such as "This week" or "Needs follow-up". This is the option I'd pick if the team relies on the results day to day.

Whatever you choose, share the online link to the file, not a downloaded copy. A downloaded copy never updates. Happy to help further if useful.

2 answers

Your answer

Ruby Nguyen 3,640 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-11-04T19:05:53.6933333+00:00

Hi Samantha,

I hope you're having a good week.

I'm just checking in to see if there have been any updates on the issue.

Whenever you have an update, I'd be grateful if you could let me know.

Thanks again for your time.
Nafisat Badmus 0 Reputation points

2026-11-04T20:02:59.78+00:00

Hi Samantha, that's how the Forms-to-Excel link works: the sheet only refreshes when the form owner opens it. There are three ways round it, from simplest to most robust:

Let them see results inside Forms. Open the form > ... Collaborate "Get a link to view and edit" and share that with the team. They'll see live responses on the Responses tab. Note that this also lets them edit the form.

Make the form belong to the team, not to you. If you use a Team or Microsoft 365 group, move the form into it (Forms > ... Move to a group). The response workbook then lives in the team's SharePoint site and doesn't depend on one person.

Send responses to a SharePoint list with Power Automate. Use the "When a new response is submitted" trigger, then "Get response details", then "Create item" in a SharePoint list. The list updates instantly for everyone, can be filtered and sorted, and you can add views such as "This week" or "Needs follow-up". This is the option I'd pick if the team relies on the results day to day.

Whatever you choose, share the online link to the file, not a downloaded copy. A downloaded copy never updates. Happy to help further if useful.

Answer 1

Good day Samantha,

If the Form was created as a personal Form and the response workbook is stored in OneDrive, the workbook refreshes when the Form owner opens it from Responses > Open in Excel. As a result, people who only have access to the Excel file can see older data until the workbook is refreshed by the owner.

Here are a few options you can try:

Option 1: Share the form as a collaborator

If the users need to view responses and can also edit the Form:

Open the form in Microsoft Forms.
Select More form settings > Collaborate or Duplicate.
Under Add collaborators, select Copy the collaboration link, then share it with the users who need access.

Collaborators can view responses directly from the form and analyze the results.

User's image

Option 2: Use a Microsoft 365 group form

If the form is owned and managed by a team:

Create the form in a Microsoft 365 Group or move the existing form to the group.

User's image

Open the group form and go to Responses.
Select Open in Excel.
Use the workbook stored in the group's SharePoint site.

Group members can access the workbook and view updated responses without relying on a single owner.

Additional information is available in the following resources:

Share a form or quiz to collaborate | Microsoft Support

Move your form to a group | Microsoft Support

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Answer 2

Give each employee edit permission to the live workbook in OneDrive or SharePoint; internal users with edit permission can trigger the Forms data refresh when they open it, whereas view-only and external users cannot.^1^

In OneDrive or SharePoint, select the response workbook and open Manage access.
Grant the employees Can edit access rather than Can view.
Share the link to that cloud workbook—not a downloaded or emailed copy.
Ask an employee to open the workbook in Excel for the web and confirm that the latest response appears.

A workbook opened through Open results in Excel has a live Forms connection. By contrast, Download a copy creates an offline workbook with no connection to the form.^1^

External users cannot trigger an update even when the workbook is shared with them. If any recipients are outside your Microsoft 365 organization, this approach will not give them independently refreshed data.

If updates must occur without anyone opening Excel

Create a Power Automate flow that writes every new submission into a separate Excel table:

Create an Excel workbook in OneDrive or SharePoint.
Add column headings and format the destination range as an Excel table.
In Power Automate, select Create → Automated cloud flow.
Add the Microsoft Forms trigger When a new response is submitted.
Add Get response details, using the trigger’s Response Id.
Add Excel Online (Business) → Add a row into a table.
Select the workbook and table, then map each Forms answer to its corresponding Excel column.
Save the flow, submit a test response, and verify the run in the flow’s run history.

This records submissions without requiring the owner or another editor to open the Forms-linked workbook.^2^

Do not have both the native Forms connection and Power Automate write responses into the same destination table, because that can create duplicate rows.

If editors still cannot refresh it

The live connection may be damaged:

Open the form with the work or school account that owns it.
Go to Responses → More options.
Select Sync all responses to a new workbook.
Share the newly created workbook with Can edit permission.

The new workbook is stored beside the original in OneDrive or SharePoint and contains the latest responses. This repair option is available to Office 365 Education and Microsoft 365 Apps for business users and appears only when the form has a live workbook connection.^3^

Also check these documented blockers:

The workbook is locked or checked out.
A table, formula, or other content was manually added to the synchronized response area.
Information Rights Management prevents Excel for the web from opening it.
The SharePoint library requires content approval.

For a locked, altered, or unusable workbook, synchronize all responses to a new workbook. Keep analysis formulas and custom tables in a separate workbook or sheet rather than modifying the synchronized response structure.^4^^5^

References

Forms response sheet not updating for other users, only owner of sheet

2 answers

Correct the sharing arrangement

If updates must occur without anyone opening Excel

If editors still cannot refresh it

Your answer