Close a survey by changing its status from open to closed

When you stop wanting responses to a survey in SurveyMonkey, you close it. A closed survey no longer accepts new answers, but the responses you already collected stay in your account. You can reopen a closed survey later if you need more data, or leave it closed and export what you have.

The process takes about 30 seconds and happens in your survey settings. You do not need to delete anything or lose your data — closing just turns off the response collection.

Key Takeaways

  • Close a survey by opening it, clicking the Collect Responses tab, and selecting Close Survey from the menu.
  • A closed survey keeps all the responses you collected but stops accepting new ones immediately.
  • You can reopen a closed survey at any time if you decide you need more responses.
  • Closing a survey is different from deleting it — closed surveys stay in your account and can be reopened or shared as read-only.

Steps to close your survey right now

Step 1: Log in and find your survey. Go to surveymonkey.com and sign into your account. On your dashboard, locate the survey you want to close and click its name to open it.

Step 2: Click the Collect Responses tab. At the top of the survey page, you will see several tabs. Click Collect Responses — it is usually the second or third tab from the left, depending on your account type.

Step 3: Look for the Close Survey option. In the Collect Responses section, you will see a button or link that says Close Survey. Click it. The exact location varies slightly by account type, but it is always in this tab.

Step 4: Confirm you want to close it. SurveyMonkey will ask you to confirm. Click the confirmation button. Your survey is now closed and will not accept new responses.

What happens when you close a survey

Closing a survey stops new responses from coming in, but nothing else changes. All the answers people already submitted stay in your account. You can still view them, download them, or run analysis on them. The survey itself remains in your account under your list of surveys.

Anyone who tries to take the survey after you close it will see a message saying the survey is no longer accepting responses. They will not be able to submit an answer. If you shared a link to the survey, that link will no longer work for new responses.

Reopen a closed survey if you change your mind

You are not stuck with a closed survey. Go back to the Collect Responses tab and look for an Open Survey or Reopen Survey button. Click it and the survey will accept responses again. The old responses stay, and new ones will be added to the same data set.

This is useful if you closed a survey too early or want to collect more data after a break. You can open and close the same survey as many times as you need.

Difference between closing and deleting a survey

Closing and deleting are two different actions. When you close a survey, it stays in your account and you keep all your data. When you delete a survey, it is removed from your account and you lose the responses unless you exported them first.

Most of the time you want to close, not delete. Close a survey when you are done collecting responses but want to keep the data. Delete a survey only if you no longer need it at all and want to clean up your account.

Share a closed survey as read-only

After you close a survey, you can still share it with others — but they will only be able to see the results, not take the survey. This is useful if you want to show colleagues or clients what you learned without letting them add more responses.

In the Collect Responses tab, look for a Share Results or Share Survey option. You can generate a link that shows the data and analysis. Anyone with that link can view your findings, but they cannot submit new answers.

Export your data before closing (optional but smart)

Before you close a survey, consider downloading your responses. This gives you a backup in case you ever need the raw data outside of SurveyMonkey. Click the Analyze Results tab, then look for a download or export button — usually labeled Download or Export Data. You can save responses as a CSV file or Excel spreadsheet.

Exporting is not required to close a survey, but it is a good habit. Your data stays in SurveyMonkey after you close, but having a local copy means you are never dependent on the platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people see that the survey is closed if I send them the link?

Yes. When someone clicks a link to a closed survey, they will see a message saying the survey is no longer accepting responses. They will not be able to fill it out. If you want to let people see the results instead, use the read-only share link from the Collect Responses tab.

Can I close a survey on my phone or tablet?

Yes, the SurveyMonkey app works on mobile devices and has the same close option. Open the survey, go to Collect Responses, and tap Close Survey. The process is the same as on a computer.

What if I close a survey by accident?

Reopen it immediately by going back to the Collect Responses tab and clicking the reopen button. Your data is not lost and the survey will start accepting responses again. There is no time limit on how long you can leave a survey closed before reopening it.

Do my responses disappear when I close a survey?

No. All the answers people submitted before you closed the survey stay in your account. You can view, analyze, and download them anytime. Closing only stops new responses from being collected.

Can I close a survey that has no responses yet?

Yes. You can close a survey at any point, whether it has one response or one thousand. Closing an empty survey just means it will not accept any responses if someone finds the link.