How to share form submissions with clients (without sharing your account)
Short answer: Give each client their own account with read access to only the forms you choose, revocable at any time. Never share your workspace login, and treat emailed CSV files as a leak waiting to happen.
If you build websites for other people, the submission data is not yours. Your client wants to read their leads; you want to keep control of the platform. Most workflows solve this badly.
The three usual approaches
| Approach | What breaks |
|---|---|
| Forward every notification email | No history, no search, and the client cannot log in |
| Share your dashboard login | Full access to every client, no audit trail, impossible to revoke |
| Email a CSV each month | Stale by the next day, and the file is unencrypted in an inbox |
Per-form, read-only access
The alternative is a distinct account type: a client account with no workspace, no billing, and read access only to the specific forms you invite them to. They can see submissions, filter, search and export if your plan allows it, and nothing else exists for them to click.
- 1You open the form's Clients tab and invite the client's email address.
- 2They receive a single-use link that expires in seven days.
- 3On acceptance, their account is created as a client — never as a developer with a workspace.
- 4They land in a portal listing only their shared forms.
- 5You can revoke the permission at any time; the next request fails immediately.
What the client can and cannot do
| Capability | Client viewer |
|---|---|
| Read submissions for shared forms | Yes |
| Filter, search, view a submission | Yes |
| Export CSV (paid workspace) | Yes |
| Change lead status | No |
| Edit the form or its endpoint | No |
| See other clients' forms | No |
| Invite anyone | No |
Every one of those rows is enforced on the server and mirrored in the database policies, not decided by hiding buttons.
Practical rules for agencies
- Invite a role address (`leads@client.com`) rather than an individual, so staff changes do not lock you out.
- Revoke when a project ends; keep the data, drop the access.
- Use one form per purpose, not one form for everything — permissions are per form.
- Tell the client what they can export before they ask.
The point is simple: the client gets their data without getting your account. That separation is the difference between a favour and a maintained workflow.