Disconnect between form and spreadsheet

If responses are being submitted but nothing appears in the Excel workbook, the most common causes are that the workbook is no longer using a live data connection, the workbook is blocked from syncing, or the workbook was changed in a way that broke sync.

Check these points:

1. Confirm the workbook has a live connection to the form.
   • A live connection exists only when the form was created in OneDrive for work or school, SharePoint Online, Excel for the web, Microsoft Teams, or with the Microsoft Forms web part.
   • If the form was created in Microsoft Forms and then Open in Excel was used only to export results, that workbook may be just a snapshot with no live data connection.
   • A workbook opened with Download a copy is also offline and will not sync.
2. Open the form and check the Responses area.
   • Use Open results in Excel for the connected workbook.
   • If the form shows Sync all responses to a new workbook, use that option. This creates a new workbook with the most current responses and restores syncing.
3. Check whether the workbook is locked or checked out.
   • If the file is stored in OneDrive for Business or SharePoint, another person may have locked it or checked it out.
   • In that case, Forms cannot sync data to the current workbook until the lock is cleared, or the responses are synced to a new workbook.
4. Check whether the workbook was manually edited.
   • If a table was added manually, sync can fail.
   • Forms guidance is to delete the manually added table and try syncing again, or sync to a new workbook.
   • To avoid future sync issues, do not add extra content directly in the synced workbook.
5. Check for policy or library settings that block sync.
   • If the workbook is IRM protected, Excel Online may not be able to open it, so Forms cannot sync to it.
   • If the workbook is stored in SharePoint and the library requires content approval, workbook sync will not work.
6. If the workbook opens but still does not refresh, verify who is triggering the update.
   • Data update in Excel can be triggered only by the form owner and users in the organization who have edit permissions to the workbook.
   • External users cannot trigger the data update.

If the goal is automatic logging of every new response into Excel regardless of workbook sync state, use Power Automate:

1. In Power Automate, select Create.
2. Choose Automated cloud Flow.
3. Set the trigger to Microsoft Forms – When a new response is submitted.
4. Add Microsoft Forms – Get response details.
5. Add Excel Online (Business) – Add a row into a table.
6. Store the Excel file in OneDrive or SharePoint, and make sure the destination range is formatted as a table.

References:

• How to ensure your form and workbook are in sync
• How to get missing data in Forms
• How do I know if the data in my Excel workbook is up to date?
• Check and share your form results
• Setting Up an Automated Workflow Between Microsoft Forms and Excel Through Power Automate