Having a good contact form is essential on your WordPress website. The real value, however, is in completed form submissions. There is so much data you can analyze and use to your advantage. Sometimes, you might need to share this data with others. So, if you are looking for ways to export WordPress form submissions so you can send them, share them, or print them, you are on the right track!
In this article, we will show you 4 ways you can export WordPress form entries. This includes exporting form submission data to Excel, CSV, PDF, and sending form submissions to Google Sheets with its growing popularity worldwide. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
- Export submissions to CSV file for free
- Need your form submission data exported to Excel?
- Exporting form submissions into PDF
- Send form submission entries to Google Sheets
- Bonus: Create scheduled submission exports
1. Export submissions to CSV files for free
If you are looking for a way to export your form submissions for free, the great news is exporting submissions as a CSV is a part of the core (free) Ninja Forms plugin. You don’t need an add-on for this.
If you wish to export submissions to a CSV file, you can go to Ninja Forms > Submissions. Once you select the form you wish to export submissions from, hover over the submission and click Export. Doing this, it will automatically download a CSV file of your WordPress form submission.
2. Need your form submission data exported to Excel?
Sometimes, CSV files can get clunky and hard to read. You might want to keep your submissions easily organized in an Excel format. If that’s so, it’s time to use our Excel Export add-on!
If you need to take control of your exported data, Excel Export is the tool you need. You can selectively choose the fields, the form, and the date range that you want. Excel Export will save you hours of unnecessary labor by pulling the data into a .xlsx or .xls spreadsheet file with the push of a button.
Once you have installed the Excel Export add-on, you will see the Excel Export option under the Ninja Forms Dashboard.
After clicking on the Excel Export, you’ll see the Excel Export screen. Here, you can select the form from the drop-down list, filter submissions, and the fields you want to include in the export. You can also select the Excel file type.(.XLSX or . XLS).
Want to learn how to export your submissions to Excel format step by step? Check this tutorial!
3. Exporting form submissions into PDF
Let’s be honest. PDF format is far more universal document format than CSV or Excel format. PDF files are easily accessible despite what device, web browser, or operating system you use. It is also a great format if you are intending to print these files.
There is a big chance you want to export and share your form submissions in this preferred format. And we have you covered! Using our PDF Form Submission add-on, you can convert your submissions to PDF, customize this PDF, and export it easily. You can also export your submissions from the Submissions dashboard.
Below, we will show you how you can export submissions in PDF from the Ninja Forms Submissions. However, if you would like to learn how to convert your WordPress form submissions to PDF files first, you can check our blog post Need to Convert WordPress Form Submissions to PDF?
In order to export your submissions to PDF, you need to install the PDF Form Submission on your form builder. Once this is completed, navigate to Ninja Forms > Submissions, select the form you wish to export from, and hover over the individual submission you need an export of. You will see an option Export to PDF. When you click on it, it will automatically download a PDF file of the submission to your computer.
PDF downloads of submissions will work for all past and present submissions. For more information please see our PDF Submission documentation, and Submission Management guide.
4. Send form submission entries to Google Sheets
With more and more people communicating asynchronously, Google Sheets is gaining big popularity for collaborative teams. Unfortunately, there are not a whole lot of easy-to-find ways to integrate WordPress with them. Luckily, using Ninja Forms, you can connect and send your submission data to Google Sheets.
All you need is a free Ninja Forms plugin, Zapier account, and our Zapier add-on that can be also purchased individually! Connecting to Google Sheets with Zapier add-on through Zapier service does not require any coding. Here is the list of the supported triggers & actions:
Please note that the number of zaps you can make depends on your Zapier plan, but the number of zaps you’ll be able to integrate with Ninja Forms using the Zapier add-on is unlimited.
For a step-by-step tutorial on how to connect your WordPress website with Google Sheets, check our blog post How to Connect WordPress to Google Sheets.
5. Bonus: Create scheduled submission exports
There are only a few methods for handling your client’s form submissions. These methods include manually logging into your client’s website or regular checking on form submissions, teaching client submission management, or getting submission notifications each time user submits a form which can leave you or your client with an excessive number of submission emails. None of them are very ideal, so this is where the Scheduled Submissions Export makes your life easier.
Using this add-on, you can create hourly, daily, or weekly emailable submission digests that can be managed from one central location. No more manual submission checks, password requests, client training, and excessive submission notifications!
Want to learn more about the Scheduled Submissions Exports add-on? Check our documentation page and learn how to set up a form to automatically export submissions on a set schedule and how to view and manage existing export schedules.
Want to export form submissions? You have plenty of options!
In this article, we gave you 4 ways how you can export your form submissions from your WordPress forms. If you are looking for a free alternative, exporting CSV submissions will probably be your go-to option. Another popular way you can export your submission data is with an Excel Export add-on. Using this add-on you can export your submissions to an Excel file taking the exporting to another level with filtering conditions options.
If you want to convert your submissions to PDF, you can use our powerful PDF Form Submission add-on. You can not only customize your converted PDF submissions but you can also export submissions as a PDF and attach them to the email.
Is your team working asynchronously? Then, you will need everyone to have easy access to files they can edit and share. Saving submissions to Google Sheets will probably be your best alternative in this scenario.
So what are you waiting for? Pick your favorite method and start exporting your submission entries so you can take advantage of all the data you collected!
