Save and return surveys

Implementing a save and return feature allowing respondents to leave and continue later.

A step-by-step interactive tutorial on save and return surveys in SurveyEngine. Preview the live tutorial, then download and upload it to your account to examine the construction.

Ben White, 08.07.2026

What this tutorial covers

Implementing a save and return feature allowing respondents to leave and continue later.

Each page of the tutorial demonstrates a specific technique. Work through it as a respondent first, then open the editor to see how it was built.

What you will learn

After completing this tutorial you will be able to implement save and return surveys in your own SurveyEngine surveys.

Download the tutorial ZIP and upload it to your account to use it as a starting point or template for your own work.

TLDR Quick links

Preview the live tutorial

Download the tutorial ZIP

Open a free account

Step-by-step walkthrough

Step 1: Enable save and return. In the survey settings, enable the save and return feature to generate a unique return link for each respondent.

Step 2: Display the return link. Add a text block that displays the respondent's unique return link so they can save it.

Step 3: Send the return link by email. Configure SurveyEngine to email the return link to respondents who provide their email address.

Step 4: Test the return flow. Preview the survey, save it partway through, then use the return link to confirm the respondent is returned to their saved position.

Step 5: Monitor partial completions. Use the fieldwork dashboard to track respondents who have started but not completed the survey.

Try the live tutorial

The live tutorial is a working SurveyEngine survey. Click through it as a respondent to see the finished result.

Then download the tutorial ZIP file and upload it to your SurveyEngine account to examine how it was built. Open any page in the editor to see the configuration.

Preview the live tutorial or download the ZIP file to load it into your account.