# How data works in Formsort

Formsort is designed to help you **collect responder data** and reliably **send it to your own databases, tools, and workflows**. While we offer secure, built-in response storage, our goal is always to give you full control over your data.

### We store responses by default

As soon as someone begins interacting with your form, their answers—including partial ones—are automatically saved and visible in the **Responses** tab of the Formsort studio. These responses remain accessible unless archived.

* All answers are **encrypted** and **HIPAA-compliant**.
* **Enterprise teams** can opt out of storage entirely, relying solely on external integrations.

### Send answers to your own systems

In addition to storing data, Formsort allows you to **forward responses to third-party destinations** via:

* Our native integration ecosystem
* External API lookups
* Dynamic URL parameters and cookies

This makes it easy to fit Formsort into your broader data ecosystem.

### Incomplete sessions are stored separately

To support session continuity, we also store partial form-fills in a separate, temporary system—so responders can return and finish later.

* These sessions are saved in an **encrypted S3 bucket** and retained for **21 days** from the time of last submission.
* Each time a responder revisits a form and submits new data, the 21-day clock resets.
* This mechanism is separate from your saved responses and can be used even if response storage is disabled.

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### HIPAA-compliant answer storage

All stored responses are **encrypted and comply with HIPAA standards**. Formsort does not delete responses, but users can manage response access and visibility through archiving.

{% hint style="info" %}
Enterprise users can disable response storage - Formsort will not store your form responses on the platform. Instead, responses are held in a secure, encrypted S3 bucket for 21 days only, after which they are permanently deleted. Use external integrations to manage your long-term data storage.
{% endhint %}