Does Google Forms Save Progress? (Complete Guide)

Many users ask a common question: “Does Google Forms save progress?”
The short answer is yes, but only under specific conditions. Google Forms does have an autosave function, but it does not work the way many people expect. This often leads to confusion, lost responses, and incomplete submissions, especially when forms are long or complex.

Google Forms autosaves only for users who are signed into a Google account, and the saving process happens quietly in the background. This article explains exactly how autosave works, its limitations, and why many people prefer other advanced tools.

How Google Forms Autosave Works

Google Forms includes a built-in autosave feature that saves answers as drafts in the respondent’s Google Drive.
Whenever a user starts typing, Google Forms automatically stores that progress every few seconds.

Respondents will see a small message at the bottom of the form that says:
“Draft saved.”

This message confirms that the form saved successfully and can be reopened later,  but only if certain conditions are met.

When Autosave Works

Google Forms autosave works only when all of the following conditions are true:

1. The Respondent is Logged into Their Google Account

Autosave requires authentication. If the user is not logged in, Google Forms has nowhere to store the draft.

2. The Form Creator Has Not Disabled Response Editing

If “Restrict users from editing responses” is turned on, autosave cannot function, because the form cannot store drafts meant for future editing.

3. The Respondent Uses the Same Device and Browser

Drafts are linked to the user’s Google account and to the browser cookies.
If they switch devices, browsers, or clear cookies, the saved draft may disappear.

4. The Form is Not Set to “Limit to 1 Response” for Anonymous Users

This setting requires sign-in validation. If sign-in is not enforced, drafts may not be saved or restored correctly.

When all of these conditions are met, respondents can close the form and return later using the same link. Their answers will still be there as long as the draft has not been deleted.

When Autosave Does NOT Work

There are several situations where Google Forms cannot save progress, even if the user expects it to.

1. Respondents Are Not Logged into Google

This is the most common reason drafts are lost. Without an account, Google has no place to store the form data.

2. The Form is Opened in Incognito Mode

Incognito mode blocks cookies and prevents Google Drive drafts from being stored. Once the tab is closed, all progress is lost.

3. The Form Requires File Uploads but Permissions Are Misconfigured

If the form includes a file upload field, respondents must be logged in. If permissions conflict with this rule, autosave may not function at all.

4. Respondents Clear Cookies or Use Privacy-focused Browsers

Deleting cookies removes the session data used to restore a draft. Tools like Brave, DuckDuckGo, or strict privacy settings may block autosave entirely.

5. The Form Uses “Collect Emails,” but Sign-in is Not Required

Google Forms may collect emails without enforcing login. In this situation, autosave gets confused because it cannot link draft data to a verified Google session..

How to Ensure Autosave Is Turned On in Google Forms (For Form Creators)

While Google Forms autosave is enabled by default, the form creator can turn this feature off manually. If autosave is disabled, respondents will not be able to save their progress or return to the form later, even if they are signed into a Google account. To avoid this problem, it’s important to check your form settings before sharing it. Here’s how to make sure autosave is enabled.

Step 1: Open Your Google Form

Go to your Google Forms dashboard and open the form you want to edit. Autosave settings can only be managed by the form owner or collaborators with edit access.

Step 2: Navigate to the Settings Tab

At the top of the form, click the Settings tab. This is where you control response limits, presentation options, confirmation messages, and autosave settings.

Step 3: Open the Presentation Settings

Inside the Settings menu, find the Presentation section and click the dropdown arrow to expand additional settings. Presentation settings affect how respondents experience the form.

Step 4: Check the Autosave Setting

Look for the option labeled “Disable auto-save for all respondents.”
This toggle should remain OFF.

• If it is off, autosave is enabled and respondents’ drafts will be saved automatically.

• If it is on, autosave is disabled and respondents will lose progress when they close the form.

By keeping this setting turned off, you ensure that users can save their progress as they type and return to their draft for up to 30 days, as long as they remain signed into their Google account and use the same browser.

Does Google Forms Let You Resume Later?

Yes, but Only Signed-in Users Can Resume Later.

Google Forms does not offer a native “Save and Continue Later” feature for anonymous submissions. This is a major limitation for schools, HR teams, and marketers who collect responses from people who may not have Google accounts.

Drawbacks of Google Forms’ Save Progress Feature

Google Forms is widely used because it is free and easy to set up, but its save-progress feature comes with several limitations that affect both the form creator and the respondent. These drawbacks often lead to lower completion rates, lost responses, and a poor user experience, especially for longer or more complex forms. Here are the main issues explained in detail.

1. No Manual Save Button

One of the biggest drawbacks of Google Forms is that it does not provide a manual Save or Save & Continue Later button. Respondents cannot choose when to save their work or confirm that their progress is securely stored. Instead, they must rely entirely on Google Forms’ autosave function, which only works when the user is signed into a Google account.

This creates uncertainty because users are never fully sure whether their answers were saved. If autosave fails due to a network issue, browser problem, or account conflict, then all progress may be lost without warning. This can be frustrating, especially for forms that require thoughtful and lengthy responses.

2. Does Not Work for Anonymous Users

Google Forms autosave only works for respondents who are logged into their Google account. This means anonymous users, or users who do not have a Google account, cannot save their progress at all.

As soon as they close the browser tab, all their answers disappear. This limitation makes Google Forms unsuitable for public surveys, customer feedback forms, event registrations, or any scenario where respondents should not be forced to sign in. In many cases, businesses and organizations see higher drop-off rates simply because users prefer not to log in or do not have a Google account to begin with.

3. No Multi-Step Forms

Google Forms displays most questions on a single page, making long forms look overwhelming and difficult to navigate. Without a multi-step or multi-page layout, respondents cannot complete the form in smaller, manageable sections.

Research from the Baymard Institute shows that long, single-page forms can reduce completion rates by up to 27% because users feel overwhelmed or discouraged by the amount of information they must fill in at once. Multi-step forms are proven to improve user engagement and reduce abandonment, but Google Forms does not offer this feature natively. As a result, creators of long forms often struggle to maintain user attention.

4. No Conditional Progress Saving

While Google Forms allows basic conditional logic, its autosave feature does not support advanced progress saving through branching paths or checkpoints. Respondents moving between conditional sections may lose answers if their session breaks or if autosave does not trigger at the right moment.

There is no way to set specific save points or to ensure that progress is saved after each major section. This limitation makes Google Forms unreliable for complex surveys, applications, onboarding processes, or any form that requires dynamic question flows. Without conditional progress saving, users may find themselves having to restart the form repeatedly.

5. Higher Drop-Off Rates

Forms without a clear save option typically see much higher abandonment rates. Research shows that 32% of users abandon long forms, and 47% leave immediately when they see there is no save-and-resume option. Since Google Forms does not offer a dedicated save-progress feature for all users, many respondents simply quit halfway through, especially when the form is long or requires detailed answers. This results in incomplete data, fewer submissions, and lower response quality. Google Forms provides no built-in solution to reduce this problem, leaving form creators with fewer tools to improve completion rates.

A Better Alternative: Involve.me 

If you need a save progress form, multi-step funnel, or anonymous save-and-resume, Google Forms may fall short. This is where involve.me stands out.

Why involve.me Works Better

• Respondents can save progress manually and return anytime.

• Break long forms into steps to increase completion rates by up to 53%.

• Guide users through customized form paths.

• Users can click Save Progress, which Google Forms does not offer.

• Track completion rates, drop-off points, and connect data to CRMs seamlessly.

If your team needs professional forms, involve.me is a strong upgrade.

Final Words

Google Forms can save progress, but only for users who are signed into their Google accounts and only through its limited autosave feature. This restriction can create challenges for organizations that need reliable data collection, especially when building surveys, applications, registrations, or long multi-step forms.

Many respondents either do not have a Google account or prefer not to sign in, which leads to lost progress and higher drop-off rates. If your workflow requires features like Save & Continue Later, multi-step user flows, anonymous resume, advanced conditional logic, or conversion tracking, then Google Forms may not be enough. In these cases, involve.me offers a much stronger and more flexible alternative. It gives respondents full control over saving their progress, supports complex logic, and provides detailed analytics to help you optimize every step of your form.

Try involve.me for free and create professional, user-friendly forms that people can save and complete anytime.

Sources

• Google Workspace: Autosave in Google Forms

• Baymard Institute: Form Abandonment Statistics

• HubSpot Research: Online Form Conversion Benchmarks

• Statista: User Drop-Off Behavior in Long Forms