Elementor form submissions are useful only when a website team can find, review and handle them in a controlled way. The native Elementor workflow lets administrators access collected entries in WP-Admin, inspect individual submissions and export all or selected records to a CSV file. At the same time, a form may send submitted information to email or configured third-party services, so the Elementor submissions area may not be the only place where lead data exists.
This guide explains where to review Elementor form submissions, how Elementor form CSV export works, how to disable stored submissions and how agencies can organize a safer review process. It focuses on the supported administrative workflow rather than the underlying database table or schema. It also explains why disabling native storage is not the same as removing copies held by other systems, and why retention and deletion procedures should be documented for each website.
What Elementor Form Submissions Are and When to Use Native Storage
Elementor’s native collection workflow is enabled through the Collect Submissions action. When that action is enabled, Elementor stores form-submission information that can be accessed from the WordPress administration area. This gives a site owner or authorized team member a central place to review entries received through the form.
Native storage can be useful when a business needs to inspect submissions inside WordPress as part of lead handling, support or another documented process. It also provides a practical starting point for Elementor lead management because administrators can review entries before deciding whether a limited export is necessary.
Native collection versus connected form actions
Stored submissions should be distinguished from other actions configured after a form is submitted. Elementor form actions can send submitted information to email or third-party platforms, including services such as Mailchimp, Zapier or Slack, depending on the configured actions and integrations. Consequently, an agency should map the complete data flow before changing storage or deletion procedures.
That review should identify whether the form sends information beyond Elementor, which team receives it and which destinations may retain a copy. Treat names, email addresses, phone numbers, messages and uploaded files as potentially personal and confidential data. Disabling native storage does not establish that these other copies have been removed.
Where to Find and Review Elementor Form Submissions
To review submissions collected through Elementor’s native workflow, open the WordPress administration area and go to Elementor > Submissions. This is the supported Elementor submissions dashboard for accessing stored entries. The documentation confirms the dashboard location, but it does not specify an underlying database table or schema, so the administrative workflow is the appropriate way to describe and manage the data.
Use the dashboard to review the entries available through Elementor’s collection feature. A site owner can use this view to check whether a message requires follow-up, whether an entry belongs to a defined business process or whether the information should be retained according to the site’s documented procedure. Review only the information needed for that purpose.
Reviewing individual entries
The submissions area allows an administrator to open an individual submission and inspect its details. This is preferable when the task concerns one lead or a small number of entries, because it avoids creating a broader copy of the stored list unnecessarily.
Access to Elementor > Submissions should be limited to staff who need it for their role. Use separate user accounts rather than shared administrator credentials where possible. When demonstrating the workflow, preparing screenshots or creating an agency handover document, use redacted or synthetic examples instead of real lead data. A review process should expose only the information required for the relevant task.
How to Export Elementor Form Submissions to CSV
Elementor supports two practical export paths. From the submissions area, an administrator can export the complete stored submissions list or select specific entries and export only those records. The resulting CSV file can then be used for a defined internal process, but it should be treated as sensitive lead data rather than as an ordinary document.
Before exporting, identify why the file is needed, who needs access and where it will be stored. If the purpose concerns only a limited group of leads, a selected export reduces the amount of information copied outside the dashboard. A complete export should be reserved for a documented purpose that requires the full stored list.
Full-list and selected-entry exports
For a full export, use Export All to CSV in the Elementor submissions area. This creates a CSV containing the complete stored submissions list available through the native workflow.
For a limited export, select the required submissions with the available selection controls and use the option to export the selected entries to CSV. This approach can suit an agency that needs to process or share only a defined set of leads. Match the export method to the business purpose instead of exporting the entire list by default.
Store the downloaded file in an approved, access-controlled location. Protect it during internal sharing, avoid placing real lead data in public demonstrations and delete temporary local copies when they are no longer needed. The CSV export represents the records available through Elementor’s stored-submission workflow; it does not automatically represent information held by every connected service.
How to Disable Stored Form Submissions
Elementor provides a global setting for disabling its stored-submission feature. In the WordPress dashboard, open Elementor > Settings > Advanced and set Form Submissions to Disable. This setting concerns Elementor’s storage of form submissions and answers the configuration question directly.
Before applying the change, confirm whether the business still needs WordPress-side records for lead handling, support, audit or another documented purpose. A change that removes the native review workflow may affect how the team handles incoming requests, so the operational need should be understood first.
What the global setting does—and does not do
Setting Form Submissions to Disable turns off Elementor’s stored-submission feature globally. It should not be described as deleting every copy of submitted data. Form actions may send information to email or third-party platforms, and other copies may exist in connected systems or backups.
After reviewing the setting, inventory the configured actions and destinations separately. If information has already been sent elsewhere, disabling Elementor storage does not by itself remove it from those locations. The same distinction applies to any files or records handled outside the native Elementor submissions area.
Agency Workflow for Safer Lead Review
Agencies often manage several websites and may review submissions on behalf of different clients. A repeatable process helps separate the act of reviewing a lead from the act of exporting, sharing or retaining its data. The controls below are practical risk-reduction measures, not Elementor-specific legal requirements or compliance guarantees.
Start by limiting dashboard access to staff who need it for their role. Use individual accounts where possible, and define who may review entries, create exports, share files and remove temporary copies. This makes responsibility clearer than relying on a shared administrator login.
A controlled review and handoff process
A controlled agency workflow can follow this sequence:
- Confirm that the person opening Elementor > Submissions needs access for a defined work purpose.
- Review the individual entry in the dashboard before creating any file.
- Export only the required entries when a CSV is necessary; use the full export only when the complete list is needed.
- Store the CSV in an approved, access-controlled location and document who may review or share it.
- Use redacted or synthetic examples in screenshots, training materials and handover documents.
- Delete temporary local copies when they are no longer needed and record retention or deletion responsibilities.
This process also helps an agency distinguish a dashboard review from a client handoff. A handoff should not automatically include the complete submission history. Share only the information required for the agreed purpose, and protect the file throughout the process.
Form data can include names, contact details, messages and uploaded files. For that reason, treat the dashboard and exported files as potentially confidential. Before disabling stored submissions, verify that the client’s documented workflow does not depend on WordPress-side records.
Retention, Privacy Requests and Data Outside Elementor
Managing Elementor form submissions also requires a view of what happens beyond the WordPress dashboard. WordPress provides Export Personal Data and Erase Personal Data tools that use email validation and administrator approval workflows. These tools can assist with requests concerning data held in WordPress and by participating plugins.
Separating WordPress data from external copies
WordPress privacy tools may not include data held by external services such as analytics, newsletters or other third-party platforms. If Elementor actions send information to an email service, CRM, automation platform, messaging service or another destination, that system requires a separate review. Do not treat a WordPress export as proof that every copy of a lead’s information has been included.
For each form, inventory the configured post-submit actions and document the destinations that receive submitted information. When reviewing a privacy request or deletion procedure, consider the Elementor submissions area together with email, integrations, external platforms and other documented storage locations. The same caution applies to backups or archives: a setting change in Elementor does not establish that those copies have been removed.
Retention review without a universal period
There is no single retention period established here for Elementor leads. The appropriate decision depends on the site owner’s purpose, applicable laws, contracts and business-record requirements. Define why the information is being kept, who is responsible for reviewing it and what procedure applies when it is no longer needed.
Regularly review stored personal data and erase or anonymise it when it is no longer required for the documented purpose. Keep the procedure practical: identify the dashboard records, exported CSV files and external destinations that are in scope. Privacy notices, consent mechanisms, retention rules and deletion procedures should be reviewed for the relevant jurisdiction and business context rather than treated as universal settings.
Elementor’s native workflow provides a clear administrative path: review entries under Elementor > Submissions, inspect individual records and export all or selected entries to CSV when necessary. If WordPress-side storage is no longer appropriate, set Form Submissions to Disable under Elementor > Settings > Advanced, but first confirm the operational consequences.
Finally, account for email, integrations, external services and backups instead of assuming that one Elementor setting controls every copy. Establish access, export, retention and deletion procedures for each website. Explore our WordPress plugins, WooCommerce extensions, themes and membership plans to find the right tools for your website.