Saving & retrieving responses

Formsort securely stores form answers, allowing you to view, manage, and download them from the responses table. Responses are encrypted and stored in compliance with HIPAA standards.

Formsort answer storage

All answers, including partial ones, are automatically saved and accessible from the Responses tab in the Formsort dashboard. Once a responder starts filling out a form, their answers are saved by default, even if they don’t finish the form (moving it to a finalized state).

Answers cannot be deleted from this table but can be archived to remove them from the active response view.

Formsort form responses

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Returning responders and response storage

The responses table shows the latest answer set for a specific responder_uuid. As a result, answers are saved and displayed depending on your flow settings.

You can control whether returning responders' answers overwrite previous responses, create new responses, or are blocked from submitting again.

• Replace previous responses with new answers

  • Enable "Restart once flow completed" and disable "Start each session as a new responder."

  • Each time a responder returns, their new answers overwrite the previous response.

• Save each new session as a separate response

  • Enable both "Restart once flow completed" and "Start each session as a new responder."

  • A new responder_uuid is assigned for each session, storing submissions separately without overwriting previous responses.

• Prevent responders from submitting again

  • Disable both "Restart once flow completed" and "Start each session as a new responder."

  • Once a responder completes the form, their response remains stored, and they cannot submit another.

These settings determine how responses appear in your responses table and how new or returning responders’ data is recorded.

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Downloading answers

Answers can be downloaded in CSV format. If no specific answers are selected, all answers for the flow will be included in the download.

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Archiving answers

If an answer is no longer needed in the active view, it can be archived. Archiving removes answers from the default table view while keeping them stored securely.

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Email notifications for form answers

You can receive email notifications when new responses are submitted. Choose from two options:

• Every response – Receive an email immediately when a form is completed.

• Daily summary – Get a single email at 5 PM UTC with a summary of all responses from the day.

Email notifications help you stay updated on new submissions without manually checking the Responses table.

Formsort notifications

Notifications are sent to Formsort users, not form responders. These emails are meant for your internal team and will not be sent to the person filling out the form.

Notifications include a link to view the response in the Formsort dashboard. A Formsort account is required to access the response data.

Notifications are only available for responses stored in Formsort. If your account is configured to opt out of data storage, you will not receive email notifications.

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Managing answer access with user groups and access policies

Formsort allows you to control who can access answer data using user groups and access policies.

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Data security and retention

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.

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.