Did the platform save my draft answers?

⚠️ Who is this article for? This guide is for survey respondents who stepped away from a survey partway through and want to know if their answers were saved. If you need to set up auto-save functionality for surveys you're administering, contact your HR team or reach out to support@engagerocket.co.

EngageRocket can save your progress as you complete a survey, so you don't lose answers if you step away. However, saving behavior depends on how your survey was configured.

💡 Where to start: Go back to your original survey link and open it again. If auto-save is enabled, your previous answers should still be there. If not, you may need to ask your HR team or survey administrator whether the survey supports draft saving.

Understand how survey drafts work

Some surveys are set up to auto-save your answers as you go, while others require you to submit your complete responses in one session. If your survey has auto-save enabled, any answers you entered before closing the page should be preserved. If it doesn't, your partial responses may not be stored. Check with your HR team to confirm whether draft saving is enabled for your survey.

Return to your survey using the original link

To resume a survey with saved answers, use the same survey link you originally received. Open the link in the same browser you used before, if possible. If your answers were auto-saved, they should appear when you reopen the survey. You can then continue from where you left off.

Check for a resume or continue option

Some surveys show a message when you return, asking if you want to resume your previous session or start fresh. If you see this option, select "Resume" to pick up where you left off. Your saved answers should load.

Clear cookies only if necessary

Browser cookies store information about your survey session, including saved answers. Don't clear cookies unless you've been instructed to do so for troubleshooting. If you accidentally clear your cookies, you may lose access to your saved draft. If this happens, contact your HR team or survey administrator—they may be able to help you recover your answers.

Ask your HR team about draft retention

Different surveys have different rules about how long drafts are saved. Some surveys keep drafts for days or weeks, while others may delete them after a shorter period. Ask your HR team or survey administrator how long your draft answers will be available and whether you can resume the survey later.

Submit your survey when ready

Once you've finished answering all questions in your survey, click the submit button to officially complete it. After submission, your draft will be converted to a final submission. Only submitted surveys are counted as complete responses.

Something not working?

I reopened my survey link but my answers are gone.

• Likely cause: Your survey may not have auto-save enabled, you may have closed the survey without saving, or your browser cookies may have been cleared.
• Action: Ask your HR team or survey administrator if the survey supports draft saving. If it does, they may be able to see if your answers are still in the system. If the survey doesn't support drafts, you'll need to start over.

I see a message saying my draft has expired.

• Likely cause: Your draft answers were saved, but the retention period has ended and they've been deleted from the system.
• Action: You can no longer access that draft. Ask your HR team or survey administrator if you can start a new survey or if they can extend the deadline for you to complete it.

I closed my survey but I'm not sure if my answers were saved.

• Likely cause: You may not have seen a save confirmation, or auto-save may work differently than you expected.
• Action: Return to your survey link and open it again. If your answers appear, they were saved. If they don't appear, ask your HR team whether the survey has auto-save enabled. If it does but your answers didn't reappear, reach out to us at support@engagerocket.co with details about what happened.

I accidentally cleared my browser cookies and lost my draft.

• Likely cause: Browser cookies store your survey session information. Clearing cookies removes access to saved drafts.
• Action: Unfortunately, once cookies are cleared, draft recovery depends on whether your HR team has backups. Contact your HR team or survey administrator immediately and explain what happened. They may be able to help you recover your answers or allow you to retake the survey.

I resumed my survey but some of my previous answers are missing.

• Likely cause: The survey page may not have fully loaded, or there may be a technical issue with answer retrieval.
• Action: Refresh the page and wait for it to fully load. Your answers should appear. If some answers are still missing after refreshing, take a screenshot and reach out to us at support@engagerocket.co with details about which answers didn't reappear.

I don't know if I'm looking at a saved draft or a new response.

• Likely cause: The survey doesn't clearly indicate whether you're resuming a draft or starting fresh.
• Action: Look for any indication on the survey (like "Resuming your previous response" or "Draft saved on [date]"). If you're unsure, ask your HR team or survey administrator which is which. To be safe, don't submit until you're confident you have the right version.

How long will my draft be saved?

• Likely cause: Draft retention varies depending on how the survey is configured.
• Action: Ask your HR team or survey administrator how long draft answers are stored for your specific survey. Complete your survey before the retention period ends if you want to make sure your answers are preserved.

Still need help?

If you have questions about whether your survey draft was saved, how to resume it, or whether the platform supports draft saving, reach out to us at support@engagerocket.co. Include details about when you last worked on the survey and what you're seeing when you try to reopen it. We'll help clarify whether your answers are saved and how to proceed.