How to delete old Google Form™ responses without losing them

Updated October 20, 2026

Deleting responses from a Google Forms™ form is permanent: Google has no way to put them back with their original timestamps. So the order matters: copy, check, then delete.

Small forms: delete one at a time

Below 10,000 responses, the Responses tab's Individual view lets you delete single responses. Download a CSV first so you have a copy.

Big forms: the all-or-nothing problem

Past 10,000 responses, Google notes the Individual view may disappear, which leaves Delete all responses as the main option. That clears everything, including this week's responses you still need in the form.

A safe routine

Copy: download a CSV, or keep an archive spreadsheet that receives every response.
Check: confirm the copy has the responses you're about to remove (count them, and spot-check the newest and oldest).
Delete: remove only those responses.
Repeat on a schedule, so the form never gets big again.

Form Keeper follows exactly this routine for you: it checks each response in your archive (ID, time and answers) before clearing it, and can keep the most recent ones, for example the last 5,000 or the last 90 days.

See exactly where your form stands

Form Keeper's free health meter shows your response count, how fast it's growing, and the date your form reaches each of Google's limits. It can also archive every response to a sheet you own and clear old ones on a schedule, without losing anything. Learn about Form Keeper.

Google Forms™, Google Sheets™ and Google Drive™ are trademarks of Google LLC. Form Keeper is made by Coding Friend LLC and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.