Microsoft Form isn’t updating the responses in the linked Excel file.

Hi @Chia,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing the situation regarding your organization’s use of Microsoft Forms. Below is a detailed explanation of the root cause and recommended steps to resolve the issue effectively:

Microsoft introduced a new syncing mechanism for Forms and Excel in November 2024 to improve reliability and performance. However, this new system requires the Excel file to be opened in order to trigger synchronization, replacing the previous method where updates occurred automatically in the background.

This is a system-wide change that applies to all Forms linked to Excel, regardless of whether the files are stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. It is not caused by any misconfiguration or error on your side.

To restore automatic updates, you may consider one of the following approaches:

1. Use Power Automate to Log Responses into Excel

• Create an automated flow with the following steps:
  • Trigger: “When a new response is submitted” (Microsoft Forms)
  • Action 1: “Get response details”
  • Action 2: “Add a row into a table” (Excel Online for Business)
  • The Excel file must contain a pre-defined table and be stored in OneDrive or SharePoint.
• Once set up, responses will be logged into Excel instantly, without needing to open the file.

Pros: Fully automatic, scalable, officially recommended by Microsoft. Cons: Requires creating a flow for each form; standard licenses have limits on flow runs.

2. Log Responses into a SharePoint List or Database

• Instead of Excel, responses are stored in a SharePoint List.
• Excel or Power BI can connect to this list for analysis.

Pros: Avoids Excel sync issues; data updates immediately. Cons: Requires adjusting your data processing workflow; Excel formulas won’t apply directly.

3. Schedule Regular Opening of Excel Files

• Set a schedule to open each Excel file daily or hourly to trigger sync.
• You can use Excel Online to open multiple files simultaneously.

Pros: Simple to implement, no complex setup required. Cons: Manual, prone to oversight, not scalable for large numbers of forms.

Recommendation

Given the scale of usage in your organization, we recommend starting with Power Automate for your most critical forms and expanding gradually. Microsoft provides detailed documentation to guide this setup.

Setting Up an Automated Workflow Between Microsoft Forms and Excel Through Power Automate - Microsoft Support

If you have any updates regarding the issue, or if you encounter any difficulties, please feel free to share them with me.

In case you have any other questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out — I’m always here to help.

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