What is Partial submissions?
Most people who start filling out a form don't finish it. Partial submissions are how you capture what they left behind. A partial submission is a form response that was started but never completed, and was saved anyway. Normally, if someone closes the tab or walks away mid-form, that data is gone. With partial submissions enabled, the form builder captures whatever was entered up to that point, even without the respondent hitting submit.
Two types of partial submissions
How that data gets saved, and what you can do with it, varies significantly between tools.
- Auto-save / passive capture happens silently in the background as the respondent fills in the form. They don't do anything special; the tool just saves their progress at regular intervals or after each field. If they abandon the form, you still have whatever they entered. The respondent may never know this is happening.
- Checkpoint happens openly. After a certain point, a notification comes up, and the respondent can see that their progress is being saved and can be seen by the form owner.
These two approaches serve different purposes, have different implications for privacy, and are not offered equally across tools. Many tools offer one but not both.
The details that nobody mentions
- Partial submissions raise real GDPR questions: Capturing data someone didn't explicitly submit is a grey area under privacy law, particularly in Europe. The respondent started filling in a form, but did not consent to having their unfinished data stored and acted upon. If your audience includes EU residents, this is worth reviewing with someone who knows your regulatory context. At minimum, a disclosure in your form's privacy notice is advisable.
- Partial data is often messy: Unlike a completed submission, a partial one might have half a name, no email, or fields filled in the wrong order. If you're piping this into a CRM, be prepared for records that need cleaning. Automation that works cleanly on completed submissions can behave unexpectedly with partial ones.
- It's always a paid feature: At least in our experience. Despite being genuinely useful, partial submissions are often gated behind mid-tier or high-tier plans.
- Auto-save doesn't always mean they can resume: Some tools auto-save form progress in the respondent's browser, which means if they clear their cache, use a different browser, or switch devices, the progress is gone. But you will get the unfinished data in any event.
- Following up on partial submissions can backfire: Sending a "You didn't finish!" email to someone also means "we were watching you the moment you started typing, haha! And it spells knowledge with 'dge'", So... Know your audience and use it wisely.
Form builder tools that offer Partial submissions
Typeform
The gold standard for conversational forms and surveys
Paperform
Document-style form tool with flexible features for agencies and developers
Formplus
Formplus is a form solution that offers both offline and online forms.
Tally
A simple form builder tool with a Notion-like document editor interface
Frequently asked questions
Are partial submissions the same as draft responses?
They're closely related but the terminology differs between tools. "Draft" usually implies the respondent intentionally saved their progress (a.k.a save-and-continue feature). "Partial submission" more often refers to data captured passively, without the respondent actively choosing to save it.
Can respondents tell that their partial data is being saved?
Only if you tell them. Passive auto-save happens silently, with no visible indication to the respondent. Whether you disclose this, and how, is a design and legal decision.
What happens if someone comes back and completes the form after I've already seen their partial data?
Form builder tools that support partial submissions merge the partial and completed records, marking the partial as superseded. However, if the same respondent starts a new form on a different browser or device, it usually saves a separate submission.
Will I be able to see partial submissions if the respondents enabled the "Do not track" setting in their browser?
Some tools may ignore the browser's "Do Not Track" setting while some, like Paperform, honor it. So if "Do Not Track" is enabled, the partial submission may not be available. Make sure to check the documentation or ask the support team before you commit to a form builder tool with a partial submissions feature.
Do partial submissions include e-signature fields?
No. Form builder tools do not record e-signature fields for partial submissions due to security and privacy reasons.