Exporting & Archiving Data

Formtorch gives you full ownership of your submission data. This guide covers how to export it from the dashboard, automate exports via API, and archive data before it ages out of your retention window.

One-time export from the dashboard

Open your form’s submissions page

In the dashboard , navigate to your form → Submissions.

Click Export

Click Export in the top-right of the submissions table.

Choose a date range

Select All time for a complete export, or a narrower range if you only need recent data.

Download

The CSV downloads immediately. For large forms, the file streams progressively.

The export includes all field values plus metadata: submittedAt, isSpam, spamScore.

Automated exports with the API

For regular archiving (e.g. nightly), use the Export Submissions API endpoint:


curl "https://app.formtorch.com/api/v1/forms/YOUR_FORM_ID/export?range=7days" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  --output submissions-$(date +%F).csv

Pipe the response to a file and schedule the command with a cron job or a workflow tool like Make or n8n.

Archiving before data ages out

Submission history is limited by your plan:

Plan	Retention
Free	30 days
Starter	1 year
Pro	Unlimited

If you’re on the Free or Starter plan and want to preserve older data:

Export before the retention cutoff (set a calendar reminder)
Store the CSV in Google Drive, S3, or another durable location
Consider upgrading to Pro for unlimited retention if manual archiving is too cumbersome

Formtorch cannot recover submissions that have aged past your plan’s retention limit. Export proactively if you need long-term records.

What’s included in the export

All field values from the form
Metadata: submittedAt, isSpam, spamScore
Spam submissions are included with isSpam=true
Test submissions are excluded

Nested objects (from JSON submissions) are flattened with dot notation: address.city, address.zip.

Learn more

Export Submissions — dashboard export options and CSV format reference
Export Submissions API — automate exports via the REST API
Data Retention & Deletion — retention limits by plan, GDPR deletion