- Home
- Guides
- Microsoft Forms
- How to transfer a Microsoft Form to another account: 3 methods
How to transfer a Microsoft Form to another account: 3 methods
Microsoft Forms cannot hand ownership directly to another user. This guide covers three workarounds: add a collaborator, share a duplicate link, or move the form with all its responses to a Microsoft 365 group.
By Nur Islam- 6:38 video
- 6 steps
- 1.3K views
Jump to a step (6)
When a colleague leaves or changes roles, their forms and responses are tied to their account. If that account is deleted, the forms go with it. IT admins and managers need a way to keep the form, its link and its responses alive under someone else.
There is no direct way to transfer ownership of a Microsoft Form to another person. Which workaround you use depends on what you need to keep. A collaborator gets access but depends on the creator's account. A duplicate copies the questions only. Moving the form to a Microsoft 365 group keeps the responses and file attachments and survives the creator's account being removed.
What you need
- A Microsoft Form you own
- The other person's Microsoft 365 account
- For method 3: access to the Microsoft 365 admin center to create a Microsoft 365 group
Step by step
0 of 6 done-
01
Method 1: add a collaborator
Open the form, select the
...(More form settings) menu and chooseCollaborate or Duplicate. Select+ Get a link to view and editand choose who can use it:- Anyone with a Microsoft 365 account (can be outside your organization)
- People in your organization
- Specific people in your organization
Copy the link and send it. The other person opens it, can edit the form and use
View responsesto see earlier responses, and finds the form underRecentin their Forms dashboard.They do not become the owner. If the creator's account is deleted, the collaborator loses the form and its responses.
-
02
Optional: let the collaborator copy it
A collaborator can also use
Duplicateon the shared form to make a copy in their own account. The copy is a brand new form with no responses. -
03
Method 2: duplicate the form as a template
Open the form, select
...>Collaborate or Duplicate>Get a link to duplicate. Anyone with this link can copy the form, inside or outside your organization.The other person opens the link and selects
Duplicate it. The copy appears in their account withCopyadded to the name, which they can remove. Responses do not carry over and the copy gets a new link. Use this to reuse a form as a template. -
04
Method 3: create a Microsoft 365 group
Open the Microsoft 365 admin center and go to
Teams & groups>Active teams & groups. Add a newMicrosoft 365group (the demo names itMicrosoft Forms).- Owners: add yourself and the person receiving the form
- Members: add the same two people
- Group email address: for example
microsoftforms - Keep it
Privateand untickAdd Microsoft Teams to your group
Select
Create group. -
05
Move the form to the group
In Microsoft Forms, under
My forms, open the...menu on the form and selectMove to a group. If the new group does not appear, refresh the page and try again. Pick the group and selectMove.The creator is no longer the owner. The form now belongs to the group.
-
06
Check access and remove the original owner
The other user refreshes Forms, opens the group and sees the form with all previous responses and file attachments.
Back in the admin center, open the group, go to
Membershipand remove the original creator from owners and members. Now only the new person manages the form, and it stays accessible even if the creator's account is deactivated or deleted.
Tips and common problems
- Collaborators depend on the creator's account. If it is deleted, they lose the form and all responses.
- Duplicated forms start with zero responses and a new link. Update anywhere the old link was shared.
- A newly created group may not show in Move to a group straight away. Refresh the Forms page.
- Moving to a Microsoft 365 group is the only method that keeps responses and file attachments, so use it for offboarding.
- If the creator's account is hard deleted (about 30 days after it is soft deleted), forms that were not moved to a group are lost for good.
Which method should you use?
| Method | Responses kept | Survives creator leaving | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Collaborate | Yes, visible to collaborator | No | Temporary sharing |
| 2. Duplicate link | No | Yes (it is a new form) | Reusing a form as a template |
| 3. Move to a Microsoft 365 group | Yes, with file attachments | Yes | Offboarding and long-term ownership |
Questions
Can you transfer ownership of a Microsoft Form to another user?
Not directly. Microsoft Forms has no transfer ownership option for individual users. The complete workaround is to move the form to a Microsoft 365 group that includes the new owner.
How do I keep a departing employee's Microsoft Forms and responses?
Create a Microsoft 365 group with the new owner, move the form to that group with Move to a group, then remove the departing employee from the group. The form and responses stay in the group after their account is removed.
Do responses carry over when I duplicate a Microsoft Form?
No. A duplicate copies the questions and settings only. It starts empty and has a new link.
