Delete a form in three steps

To delete a Microsoft Form, open the form in your web browser, click the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner, and select Delete. Confirm the deletion when prompted. The form and all its responses disappear permanently — there is no recovery option after you confirm.

The process takes about 30 seconds. You do not need to remove the form from any shared locations first, though anyone with the link will see an error message after deletion instead of the form itself.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleting a form removes it permanently along with all collected responses, so download your data first if you need to keep it.
  • The delete option lives in the three-dot menu at the top right of the form editor, not in your Forms home page.
  • Shared forms disappear for everyone who has the link, but deletion does not notify people who received it.
  • If you only want to stop collecting new responses without losing the data, close the form instead of deleting it.

Where to find the delete button

Open the form you want to delete by going to forms.office.com, signing in with your Microsoft account, and clicking the form name. You are now in the form editor — the page where you add questions and see response data.

Look at the very top right of the page. You will see a three-dot menu icon (sometimes called a "more" menu) next to the Share button. Click it. A dropdown menu appears with several options, including Delete near the bottom. Click Delete.

A confirmation dialog will ask "Are you sure you want to delete this form?" Click the red Delete button to confirm. Once you do, the form is gone.

Save your responses before deleting

If people have already filled out your form, deleting it erases all their responses. Before you delete, download the data if you need to keep it for records, analysis, or follow-up.

To save responses, stay in the form editor and click the Responses tab at the top. You will see a summary of answers and a button labeled Open in Excel. Click it to download all responses as an Excel file that you can keep on your computer. This takes about 30 seconds and works even if you have hundreds of responses.

After you have downloaded the file, you can safely delete the form without losing the data.

The difference between closing and deleting

Microsoft Forms lets you close a form, which is different from deleting it. When you close a form, it stops accepting new responses, but the form and all existing responses stay in your account. You can reopen it later if you change your mind.

To close a form instead of deleting it, click the three-dot menu and select Close form. People who try to open the form will see a message saying it is no longer accepting responses, but the form itself still exists in your account.

Use close when you want to stop collecting data but might need the form or its responses later. Use delete only when you are certain you will not need the form again.

What happens to shared forms

If you shared your form with others by sending them a link or embedding it on a website, deleting the form breaks that link. Anyone who tries to open it will see an error message instead of the form.

Deletion does not send a notification to people who received the link — they will only know the form is gone if they try to open it and see the error. If you want to let people know the form is no longer available, you will need to contact them separately.

If the form was embedded on a website or shared document, that embed code will also stop working after deletion.

Recovering a deleted form

Microsoft Forms does not have an undo or recovery feature. Once you confirm deletion, the form and all its data are permanently removed from your account. There is no way to restore it through Microsoft support or by checking a deleted items folder.

This is why downloading your responses before deletion is important. If you realize you deleted a form by mistake and still have the Excel file of responses, you can recreate the form manually by adding the same questions again, but the original form itself cannot be brought back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete a form that other people are still filling out?

Yes, you can delete a form at any time, even while people are actively responding to it. However, anyone in the middle of filling it out will lose their progress. If you want to stop collecting responses without losing data, close the form instead of deleting it.

What if I delete a form by accident?

There is no recovery option for deleted forms. If you still have the Excel file of responses that you downloaded earlier, you have that data. Otherwise, the form and responses are gone permanently. In the future, download your data before deleting any form you might need again.

Does deleting a form notify people who received the link?

No, deletion does not send any notification. People will only know the form is gone if they try to open the link and see an error message. If you need to let people know, you will need to contact them directly.

Can I delete a form from my Forms home page instead of opening it?

No, the delete option only appears in the three-dot menu inside the form editor itself. You must open the form first. From your Forms home page, you can only see a list of your forms — the delete button is not available there.

What happens to a form if I delete my Microsoft account?

If you delete your entire Microsoft account, all forms and responses associated with that account are deleted as well. This is permanent and cannot be undone.