# Exporting submissions

Download responses as CSV, Excel, or PDF — bulk or per-submission.

## Exporting submissions

Export responses for offline analysis, archival, or sharing with your team.

<h2 id="where">Where to export from</h2>

The download button works on the **Summary** and **Submissions** tabs. It is disabled on **Analytics** — switch back to Summary or Submissions to export.

<h2 id="formats">Formats</h2>

- **CSV** — best for spreadsheets and lightweight imports into other tools.
- **Excel (XLSX)** — preserves data types and handles large forms cleanly.
- **PDF (per submission)** — a formatted, printable copy of one response, including images and signatures.

<h2 id="bulk-export">Bulk export</h2>

Apply whatever filters you want (status, share link, search), then use the download button and pick CSV or Excel. The file downloads to your computer. Submissions from a test request are never included.

<h2 id="per-submission-pdf">Per-submission PDF</h2>

Choose **Download PDF** from a row's action menu. The PDF is in the language the respondent answered in. The first download prepares it, which takes a few seconds; after that it downloads at once. Partials have no PDF.

If your storage has no room to keep the PDF, each download prepares a fresh one, up to 20 a day per workspace.

<h3 id="pdf-contents">What the PDF contains</h3>

A PDF is the form itself, rendered with this respondent's answers, so it includes:

- **The form cover and logo**, as they were when the respondent submitted
- **Every block up to the thank-you page**, in form order, with the answers filled in
- **Hidden and calculated field values**, wherever the form shows them
- **Images and signatures**, embedded in the document
- **Schedule appointment details** — event, date/time, attendee, and meeting location
- **A closing line** with "Submitted at" and, unless you've turned branding off, the formbase badge

Metadata such as the [reference PINs](/building-forms/answer-piping#metadata-variables) appears where your form mentions it, not as a separate block.

<h3 id="pdf-snapshot">PDFs use a snapshot of your form</h3>

formbase freezes a snapshot of your published form every time someone submits. The PDF always shows that snapshot — not the current version of your form.

This means:

- **Editing your form after someone submits does not change their PDF.** The PDF shows the form exactly as the respondent saw it.
- **Downloading a PDF weeks later produces the same document** as if you had downloaded it right after submission.
- **Emailed PDFs and downloaded PDFs show the same thing.** formbase renders both from the same frozen snapshot, in the respondent's language. When formbase keeps a PDF with the submission — because the form has a Signature question or an integration sends its link — the download hands you that stored file.

<h3 id="pdf-branding">Branding on PDFs</h3>

The branding setting in **Form settings → General** controls whether the formbase badge appears at the end of the PDF. formbase freezes it at submission time, so toggling it later only affects future submissions. Turning branding off requires a Pro or Business plan.

<h3 id="pdf-email-attachment">PDF as an email attachment</h3>

You can attach a PDF to both the self notification and the respondent confirmation. Turn on **Attach submission PDF** in **Form settings → E-mail Notifications** under either email. formbase then renders the PDF right after the respondent submits and attaches it to the outgoing message. If the PDF cannot be rendered within 15 minutes, the email goes out without it. Attaching the PDF requires a Pro or Business plan; downloading it from the submission works on every plan.

See <a href="/submissions-analytics/self-notifications">Self notifications</a> and <a href="/submissions-analytics/respondent-notifications">Respondent notifications</a> for setup details.

<h2 id="whats-included">What's included by format</h2>

CSV and Excel export exactly the columns the table is showing, in the order you put them in — so hiding a question in the question controls also drops it from the file. Translating a submission never changes an export: exports always carry the submitted values.

<h2 id="repeating-groups">Repeating-group data in exports</h2>

A <a href="/building-forms/repeating-groups">repeating group</a> lets respondents add as many entries as they need, so the number of answers varies per submission. CSV and Excel stay one row per submission by giving the whole group **one column**.

That cell lists every entry as `Field: value` pairs, entries separated by a pipe. A "Guests" group with Full name and Age, filled in three times, reads:

```
Full name: Jane Appleseed, Age: 34 | Full name: Marcus Lee, Age: 29 | Full name: Priya Shah, Age: 41
```

A member the respondent left blank shows `-`, and a submission where nobody added an entry shows `-` for the whole group.

If you need one row per entry instead, export from the **Summary** tab: its group rows carry the group name, the entry count, the submission count, and one row per member field value.

<h2 id="summary-export">Summary export</h2>

Exporting from the **Summary** tab gives you per-question totals and breakdowns instead of individual responses — one row per option, value, or response, each carrying the question, its type, the response count, the viewed count, and the drop-off count. Choice questions add Option, Count, and Percentage; Rating and Linear scale add an average row; Ranking adds average rank and first-place counts; Payment adds a total per currency plus one row per transaction with its receipt link.

<h2 id="filtered-exports">Filtered exports</h2>

Exports respect whatever filters you have active. If you've filtered by status, share link, or search term, the exported file contains only matching submissions.

> 💡 **Export partials for follow-up**
> <p>
>     Set the status filter to <strong>Partial</strong> before exporting to get a list of unfinished responses you can follow up on. Signature
>     answers stay blank on those rows until the respondent submits.
>   </p>

<h2 id="automating">Automating exports</h2>

formbase does not offer scheduled exports. For real-time delivery to a spreadsheet, connect <a href="/integrations/google-sheets">Google Sheets</a> or <a href="/integrations/airtable">Airtable</a>. New submissions sync automatically.

<h2 id="next-steps">Next steps</h2>

<div class="not-prose grid gap-3 sm:grid-cols-2">
  - [Partial submissions](/submissions-analytics/partial-submissions) — Recover responses that never finished
  - [Google Sheets integration](/integrations/google-sheets) — Auto-sync submissions to a spreadsheet
  - [Airtable integration](/integrations/airtable) — Push responses for flexible reporting
  - [Repeating groups](/building-forms/repeating-groups) — Let respondents add as many entries as they need
</div>