A Google Form and its linked response spreadsheet are separate files. Changing access to one does not complete the handover of the other. This matters when a staff member stops managing a customer enquiry form but the spreadsheet still contains customer information.

Begin with a small map: the form, its currently linked response sheet, the people who can edit each, and the person responsible for new enquiries. Include any exported copies in the business’s own records; changing a live permission cannot take back a copy already retained elsewhere.

Inspect both permission lists

Google notes that when a new response spreadsheet is created, form collaborators receive access to it. Later permission changes on the form do not automatically synchronise to the linked sheet. Review and update both files separately for the authorised handover.

Open the form’s Responses area and verify the actual destination rather than relying on a similarly named spreadsheet in Drive. If the form has been used for several years, an old response sheet may still exist even after the active destination changed.

Do not use Unlink as an access-removal shortcut. Unlinking stops new responses being sent to that spreadsheet, but it leaves the existing data there. Deleting a form and deleting its sheet are also separate actions.

Test continuity and closure

With fictitious information, submit one clearly identified test response. Confirm the new responsible person can find it in the form and in the intended sheet, and understands which view they should use for daily work.

Reopen the sharing information on both files to confirm the agreed access list. Record unresolved ownership or sharing issues before the departing account is closed.

Keep cleanup separate from the access change. Google warns that deleting responses inside a form cannot be undone. A handover should not require wiping old responses simply to make the interface look tidy. Keep the original records until their owner has chosen and checked the retention arrangement.

References: Google Forms response destinations.