# Partial submissions

Recover leads from responses that started but never finished.

> ✅ **Pro feature** — included in the Pro plan.


## Partial submissions

When someone answers some questions but never hits submit, formbase saves what they entered as a partial submission. Available on Pro and Business plans, it helps you understand drop-off and follow up with leads.

> ℹ️ **Pro feature**
> <p>Partial submissions need a Pro or Business plan. On Free, formbase neither saves a draft on the server nor shows the filter.</p>

<h2 id="when-captured">When a partial is captured</h2>

formbase autosaves a partial about 1.5 seconds after the respondent's last edit, then again after each later pause, keeping whatever they have answered so far.

If someone opens your form but never touches a field, formbase creates no partial.

A [request](/requests/overview) saves a draft the same way, so a recipient who starts and walks away leaves a partial too. The Submissions table's Channel column tells the two apart.

<h2 id="viewing-partials">Viewing partials</h2>

Use the status filter at the top of the Submissions tab to switch between:

- **Completed** — only fully submitted responses. The default.
- **All** — every submission, regardless of status
- **Partial** — only unfinished responses

Each option carries its count. The filter also applies when you export, so you can download partials on their own for outreach.

<h2 id="what-gets-saved">What gets saved</h2>

- Every answer entered up to the last autosave, including file uploads and signatures
- The share link or request it came through, and the last save time

A partial's **Submitted at** cell is empty, and it has no PDF — the download stays disabled until the respondent submits.

Signatures are saved but never shown before submission: the inbox marks the cell **Hidden until submitted**, and exported partial rows leave the signature blank. In the Summary tab, File upload and Signature cards show only their header stats in any case.

<h2 id="use-cases">Use cases</h2>

- **Drop-off analysis** — find which page or question makes people leave. Often reveals confusing wording, sensitive questions, or a form that feels too long.
- **Lead recovery** — if a partial includes an email address, let the [reminder schedule](/submissions-analytics/respondent-notifications#abandoned-reminder) chase it automatically.
- **A/B testing** — compare partial-to-completion rates between form variants. The AI chat can help generate alternatives to test.
- **Content optimization** — use partial data alongside the Analytics tab to decide which questions to reorder, simplify, or remove.

<h2 id="partials-in-summary-analytics">Partials in Summary and Analytics</h2>

Both the **Summary** and **Analytics** tabs can be filtered to show partial-only data — answer breakdowns for people who dropped off, without mixing in completed responses.

<h2 id="privacy-retention">Privacy and retention</h2>

formbase deletes partial submissions — and their uploaded files — 30 days after they were last saved. That window is a per-form setting, separate from the retention you set for completed submissions. See [Submission retention](/submissions-analytics/submission-retention).

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

<div class="not-prose grid gap-3 sm:grid-cols-2">
  - [Self notifications](/submissions-analytics/self-notifications) — Get alerted when submissions arrive
  - [Respondent notifications](/submissions-analytics/respondent-notifications) — Re-engage respondents who didn't finish
  - [Share link analytics](/submissions-analytics/share-link-analytics) — Compare channel performance
</div>