Share, export and retain records

Decide who needs the completed record and where your organization will keep it. A Formesign response, downloaded PDF, emailed attachment, Google Drive file, and Google Sheet row are separate copies or destinations. Manage each deliberately rather than assuming one setting controls them all.

Share the appropriate record

For staff who need to operate the process, use collaborator access with the role needed for their work. For a recipient who only needs the final copy, share the completed PDF or an appropriately restricted Drive file instead of granting editing access to the whole form.

Before sharing, confirm the request is complete and review its answers, attachments, and certificate information. A final PDF can contain information beyond the short summary shown on a response card.

Check Google Drive permissions

Open the saved file or its parent folder in Drive and inspect who can access it. A folder's access can affect all documents saved there. Formesign collaborator settings and Google Drive sharing are separate controls; changing one does not establish the other's configuration.

When moving a process to another team, check the destination folder, Google account access, form ownership and notification recipients together. Do not rely on a former staff member's mailbox as your only record location.

Export what the process needs

Use reports and exports for structured response data and signed PDF downloads for the completed document itself. A table export is useful for filtering requests; it does not replace the signed original when the document is what you need to retain.

For marked health information, review export choices before creating another spreadsheet or download. Include only the fields appropriate to the destination and its authorized users.

Retention and deletion

Apply your organization's retention schedule and current service policies to each destination. These guides do not establish a universal retention period for every record type or jurisdiction.

Stop saving in Drive setup stops future saving and preserves files already in Drive. It is not a deletion action. Likewise, moving a response to a recoverable trash/status view does not demonstrate permanent removal from every downloaded, emailed or external copy.

If you need to remove records, identify which copies are in scope and ask support about the current product controls and consequences before relying on a complete-erasure claim. Keep necessary records accessible during any account or process change.

For an operational problem, start with records and sync troubleshooting; for service terms and privacy information, use the links in privacy and security reference.