This feature is unavailable on legacy plans.
In each form's Responses tab, you can delete individual responses or delete them in bulk. You can also configure your form settings to automatically delete responses after a specific period.
Admins can also use the Organization defaults to apply a deletion date to all new forms created in your OpenForms account. If you set a deletion date per form or with your Organization defaults, we recommend regularly exporting your response data to ensure a record is maintained.
If no retention period is set by the form author, or through the Organization defaults, then the responses are retained until they are manually deleted.
Set a Deletion Date
Form authors can set auto-delete response periods per form. To do so:
- Go to your form > Settings > General settings.
- Under Submitted Responses > Default retention period, select Auto-delete responses permanently.
- Enter the Number of days to keep responses before deleting. This field is set using days; for example, you would enter 365 to keep responses for one year.
- Select Save general settings.
- Save and Publish your form.
Now, when a respondent submits a response, it will automatically have a deletion date of the number of days you have set, including the submission time. If you set the retention period to 365 days, a response submitted at 10 a.m. June 30, 2025, will automatically be deleted at 10 a.m. June 30, 2026.
If you change the Default retention period after the form has already received responses, then it will only apply to new submissions received. Prior responses will retain the only deletion date or have no automatic deletion date.
If you have a workflow in use on your form, the automatic deletion date will only apply once the response has cleared the final step of your workflow.
Manage and Update Deletion Dates
You can keep track of response deletion dates in the form's Responses tab. You can also use this tab to export response data for the form, which we recommend doing before responses are deleted.
You can:
- View the Deletion date for each response in Response details > Metadata. This will be blank if there is no deletion date set for the response and be marked Currently in workflow if it has not yet reached the workflow's final step.
- See how soon each response will be deleted from the Responses list. This is indicated by the clock icon, which will fill and turn red as the deletion date approaches.
- Use the Filters to enter a Deletion From and To date to see responses with a specific retention period. This is useful when you must export responses that will soon be deleted.
- Change the deletion date by filtering to the relevant responses and selecting Bulk actions > Apply new retention period. In the pop-up window, enter the Number of days to keep responses before deleting and select Apply. To change the date for a single response, we recommend filtering by the Receipt number before applying the new retention period. Please note that the new deletion date will be set from the day you apply the change, not the original submission time and date.
If you choose not to set an automatic deletion date, you can still delete individual or bulk responses manually when viewing form responses.