Easy WordPress Form Export: Automated Data Backup

Exporting WordPress form submissions manually can be time-consuming if you gather data regularly. Downloading each entry individually to monitor leads, orders, or feedback is tedious, and oversights are likely.

WordPress lacks a native function for automatically exporting form entries. However, with WPForms, you can automate this process using its export feature, eliminating the need for additional plugins or custom coding.

Rather than manually downloading CSV files or copying data, WPForms allows you to save entries as structured files on a schedule.

This tutorial will guide you through setting up automatic form exports using WPForms, ensuring your submissions remain organized effortlessly.

Why Auto Export WordPress Form Entries?

Automatically exporting WordPress form entries lets you save and organize data from those form submissions without any manual effort.

Rather than logging in each time a form is submitted, you can automatically route the data to your email, a cloud storage service, or another integrated application.

It’s a straightforward method for maintaining organization, creating backups, and ensuring accessibility, without ongoing effort.

Many WordPress site owners use forms for lead generation, order placement, feedback collection, or appointment scheduling. Managing these submissions becomes increasingly time-intensive as their volume grows; this is where automatic exporting proves advantageous.

With automatic exports, you can:

• Back up form entries to a location you control.
• Cut down on repetitive admin work.
• Maintain well-structured and readily available data.
• Ensure that you never miss or ignore form submissions.
• Streamline both your reporting and subsequent follow-up tasks.

Once configured, automated exporting operates seamlessly, allowing you to concentrate on crucial website improvements.

I will now guide you through the process of automatically exporting form entries using WPForms.

How to Auto Export WordPress Form Entries

The recommended method for automatically exporting WordPress form entries involves utilizing WPForms, a top-tier contact form plugin for WordPress.

It offers a robust Entry Automation addon specifically engineered for this purpose.

This addon manages tasks such as sending regular email reports, backing up submissions to Google Drive, and automatically deleting entries post-processing—all without manual intervention.

At CanadaCreate, we rely on WPForms to develop a variety of forms, ranging from basic contact forms to our yearly reader surveys.

All of its functionalities have undergone rigorous testing and are documented in our comprehensive WPForms review.

It’s a tool that functions efficiently, saving time, so I readily endorse it for both novice and experienced users.

Moreover, the setup process is fast and straightforward.

Step 1: Plugin Installation and Activation of WPForms

First, you need to install and activate the WPForms plugin.

If you need assistance, a detailed guide on WordPress plugin installation is available.

After activating the plugin, activate your license key by navigating to theWPForms » Settings page in your WordPress dashboard and add your license key.

This key is available in your account area on the WPForms site. Activating it unlocks all plan features, including premium addons like Entry Automation.

With your license activated, go to theWPForms » Addons page from your WordPress admin sidebar.

Locate the ‘Entry Automation Addon’ and click ‘Install Addon’ to enable it on your site.

Step 2: Configure the Form for Automated Exports

With WPForms and the Entry Automation addon enabled, create the form for automatic entry exports.

Begin by going to theWPForms » Add New page in your WordPress dashboard and a name for your form.

Then, you can either choose a premade template like a contact form, registration form, or feedback form—or build one from scratch using the drag-and-drop builder.

If you want to speed things up even more, WPForms includes an AI Form Builder that can generate a complete form for you in seconds.

All you have to do is type in a short prompt, like ‘a simple customer feedback form,’ and the AI will instantly create a form with the right fields, layout, and structure. I’ve tested this feature myself, and it works really well.

Now, you will be taken to the visual builder where you can easily customize your form by dragging fields from the left panel into your form layout on the right.

You can add fields like Name, Email, Dropdowns, Checkboxes, File Upload, and more based on the type of information you need to collect.

If you’d like more help building the right form, I’ve got you covered. At CanadaCreate, we’ve written step-by-step tutorials to walk you through different form types:

• How to Create a Contact Form in WordPress (Step by Step)
• How to Create a User Registration Form in WordPress
• Beginner’s Guide to Creating an Online Order Form in WordPress
• Ways to Use Conditional Logic in WordPress Forms (Use Cases)
• How to Create a WordPress Form with Payment Options (Easy Way)

Once your form looks good, you can configure its confirmation email settings. Then, click the ‘Save’ button at the top to store your changes.

Step 3: Set Up Automatic Export for Your Form Submissions

With your form configured, you can automate data exports, removing the need for manual downloads of form entries.

To begin, go to the Settings » Entry Automation tab within the WPForms form builder. This section allows management of automatic entry exporting and deletion.

To begin, click the ‘Add New Task’ button.

A pop-up window will appear, prompting you to name your task. A descriptive name, such as ‘Weekly Contact Form Export to Email’, is recommended for easy identification.

This task will be like setting up a small workflow for your form. You can even create multiple tasks for one form, such as one task to send weekly email reports and another to back up entries to Google Drive.

After entering the name, click the ‘OK’ button to move forward.

You will then be prompted to select a task type.

WPForms provides two choices: Export Entries and Delete Entries. Choose the ‘Export Entries’ option for this process.

You can set up a deletion task later if desired, for instance, to automatically delete older submissions after a set duration, like 30 days.

Upon selecting the export entries option, you’ll see settings for naming the export file. While you can manually enter a name, using Smart Tags is highly recommended.

These tags automatically insert information such as the form name or date, maintaining file organization with minimal effort.

Click the Smart Tag icon to view and insert relevant tags.

We should now consider the exporting of your form entries, specifically how and where they will be delivered. Start by selecting your desired file format, as this choice dictates the structure of your exported data.

WPForms supports various file types, each providing unique benefits.

• CSV – This is the standard choice and works seamlessly with spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.
• Excel (XLSX) – This file type retains simple formatting and organization, producing more visually appealing and professional reports. I suggest using this if the file is for clients or those with limited technical experience using Microsoft Excel.
• PDF – Ideal for creating neat, printable summaries. I prefer this option when a refined, presentable document is needed for meetings.
• JSON – This is the preferred format for developers or anyone incorporating the data into other platforms or applications.

With the file type selected, the next step is to specify the destination for the exported file.

WPForms allows you to automate this process, eliminating the need for manual sending or uploading. The available destination choices include:

• Email – Send the export to one or more email addresses.
• Google Drive – Save a copy of the export directly to your Google Drive account.
• Dropbox – Store the file in your Dropbox folder for easy sharing and access.
• FTP – Upload the export to a server using FTP. This option is designed for more advanced users or developers who need to send data to a custom application or a separate server.

Once you select your destination, WPForms will walk you through the connection steps.

For example, if you choose ‘Email’, then you will need to add the email address where the entries would be sent. On the other hand, if you choose Dropbox, then you will have to integrate it with WPForms.

However, you don’t need to worry, since the plugin makes the process super beginner-friendly. Just follow the steps on the screen.

Step 4: Choose Form Fields and Apply Entry Filters Before Exporting

After setting your export format and destination, scroll down to configure what data should be included in the export and whether you want to filter the entries.

First, you’ll see the ‘Entry Information’ section. This area is neatly divided into two parts: Form Fields and Additional Information, giving you full control over what gets shared.

Under ‘Form Fields’, you’ll see the actual fields from your form—like Name, Email, and Comment or Message. Just check the boxes for the fields you want to include.

If you’re exporting a longer form with multiple inputs, you can use the ‘Select All’ option to save time.

Then there’s the ‘Additional Information’ section. This includes extra details that WPForms tracks automatically, like Entry ID, Entry Date, Entry Notes, and Type.

You can select any combination of these fields to customize your export. I’ve found this especially useful if you only need a few key pieces of information for a weekly report or want to hide internal notes before sharing a file externally.

The ‘Filter’ area enables you to refine your export, including only entries meeting specific criteria such as submissions within a date range or those with particular responses.

WPForms defaults to ‘Any Field contains’ for filtering, which you can modify to refine entries by specific form fields and their corresponding values.

For instance, with a ‘Reason for Contact’ dropdown, filter the export to include only entries where the reason is ‘Support Request’ or ‘Business Inquiry’.

This ensures your exports focus on the message types most relevant to you.

Filtering by entry status is possible. WPForms allows selecting entries that are Published, Abandoned, or Spam.

Use this filter for finalized submissions, or to analyze incomplete/flagged messages separately.

You can also export all entries or just the new ones since the last export, automating reports without duplicate data.

After selecting fields and filters, WPForms customizes the export to meet your specifications.

Step 5: Schedule WordPress Form Entries Export

With export settings and filters configured, schedule when WPForms automatically runs the export.

Scroll to the ‘Schedule’ section to access these settings.

You can start by choosing how often the export should happen. You can set it to run daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on how often you need updates.

Next, pick the specific day(s) you want the export to run—like every Monday or the 1st of each month. You also need to add a start date and, optionally, an end date if you’re only exporting for a limited time.

WPForms will run the export at midnight by default, but you can customize the time of day to fit your team’s workflow or reporting schedule.

Once that’s done, the plugin takes care of the rest—automatically generating and sending the export file exactly as you configured.

Step 6: Add a Task to Delete Form Entries After Export (Optional)

Once your form is live and the automation is running, you can go one step further by setting up a separate task to delete the entries after they’ve been exported.

WPForms doesn’t bundle this into the export task itself. Instead, you’ll need to create a new task with the ‘Delete Entries’ option and configure it to run after the export.

Don’t forget to toggle the ‘Run After Previous Task’ switch to make sure the tasks run in sequence.

You can even drag to reorder the tasks, so deletion only happens once the data has been safely exported.

This method is useful for maintaining a streamlined WordPress database, preventing excessive data accumulation. A compact database enhances site performance and accelerates website backups.

Furthermore, it aligns with sound data privacy principles.

Limiting the storage of user data on your website to the necessary duration mitigates risks and facilitates adherence to privacy regulations such as GDPR.

Step 7: Monitor Everything from the Automation Dashboard

If you handle several forms or plan routine exports, a consolidated view of all automated operations can be extremely useful.

The WPForms Automation Dashboard simplifies this by providing a central location for monitoring all active tasks.

I found this feature invaluable during testing, as it provided immediate insight into active processes, their schedules, and their operational status.

You can find it by navigating to the WPForms » Tools » Entry Automation page, where you can:

• See a list of all forms with configured automation.
• Examine the types of tasks, schedules, and current states.
• Verify the successful completion of export or deletion tasks.

It’s the easiest method for maintaining order and verifying the accurate execution of all processes.

🔄 Bonus: Take Automation Even Further with Uncanny Automator

Automated data exports from WordPress forms represent just one avenue for time savings. I also suggest exploring additional automated workflows using Uncanny Automator.

As the premier WordPress automation plugin, it offers direct integration with WPForms, enabling you to initiate robust workflows immediately upon form submission.

While WPForms’ Entry Automation is perfect for managing the entries themselves (like exporting or deleting them), Uncanny Automator lets you use a form submission as a trigger to perform actions in other plugins or apps.

For instance, a form submission can automatically trigger a Slack notification, create a new user, enroll someone in a course, or generate a WooCommerce coupon.

This automation streamlines processes and saves considerable time. It’s an excellent method to enhance site automation without coding.

To begin, refer to our guide on building automated workflows in WordPress using Uncanny Automator.

Frequently Asked Questions About WordPress Form Entries

These are common questions from our audience regarding automatically exporting WordPress form entries.

What are the drawbacks of relying on email for automated form data export?

The primary drawback is the lack of centralized data storage; the data resides in your email. Consequently, manual sorting, organization, or backup is necessary for long-term record-keeping.

Furthermore, a crowded inbox increases the potential for overlooking crucial information.

I’ve found this approach effective for smaller sites or individual business owners who require a simple way to review entries without accessing WordPress.

However, a more scalable solution may be necessary as your site expands.

When the need arises, WPForms simplifies migration to cloud storage services like Dropbox or Google Drive, ensuring consistent backups and simplified management of your data.

Is there a way to stop form spam from being exported?

Indeed. WPForms integrates spam prevention measures such as Google reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, and a smart honeypot feature, effectively preventing unwanted submissions from cluttering your inbox.

Furthermore, WPForms provides a form entry filter to exclude incomplete or abandoned submissions. This ensures that your exports contain only valid and completed entries, streamlining record-keeping and saving you time.

For details, see our guide on how to block contact form spam in WordPress.

Can exporting form entries reduce database bloat?

Yes, it promotes a streamlined and optimized database. By exporting and then deleting form entries from WordPress, you prevent the accumulation of unnecessary data, resulting in quicker backups and a more responsive admin interface.

Will auto-exporting form entries slow down my WordPress site?

No, auto-exporting form entries won’t affect your site’s speed if set up correctly.

Because the export runs in the background, users won’t experience any decrease in performance while submitting a form. Consider it a scheduled operation on your computer; it runs silently at a predetermined time without interfering with your ongoing activities.

During testing, I did not notice any performance degradation, even on a website running several forms.

I hope this article helped you learn how to auto export WordPress form entries. You may also be interested in our beginner’s guide on how to create GDPR compliant forms in WordPress and our list of best practices for contact form page design.

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