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The Qualtrics API lets a script, rather than a person clicking through the web interface, pull survey responses out of Qualtrics. To use it you need three values: your API token, your datacenter ID and the survey ID. This guide shows where to find each one in the current Qualtrics support documentation, and the three-request sequence for exporting responses. It was checked against the Qualtrics support pages on 2026-10-29.
What the Qualtrics API is used for in research
Researchers use the API to automate work that is tedious by hand: downloading the latest responses on a schedule, feeding responses into an analysis script, or keeping a copy of the data in a lab’s own storage. If you only need a one-off download, the export option inside the Qualtrics web interface is simpler; see how to use Qualtrics for the interface itself. The API is worth setting up when the same export has to be repeated.
Two account facts matter before you start. The Access API permission must be enabled on the account, and each user in a license needs their own token (Qualtrics API integration overview).
Get access: the three values you need
1. Find your datacenter ID
Click the user settings icon at the top right, choose Account Settings, then open Qualtrics IDs. The datacenter ID is listed in the User section. Examples given by Qualtrics are az1, au1, co1 and ca1: two or three letters followed by a number. Requests go to a base URL of the form https://yourdatacenterid.qualtrics.com/API/v3/ followed by the endpoint path. Qualtrics says API calls still work with a wrong datacenter ID but are much slower, and the Get Response Export File request must use the correct one.
2. Generate your API token
On the same Qualtrics IDs page, find the box labeled API and click Generate Token. If you see a redesigned page, use the Switch to older version option first.
Do not click Generate Token if you already have a token. Qualtrics warns that a new token breaks any extension that uses the old one, and the old token cannot be recovered.
3. Find the survey ID
Survey owners open the Survey tab; the survey ID is in the page URL and starts with SV_ (for example SV_012345678912345). A Brand Administrator can instead go to the Admin page, open the Users tab, select the survey owner’s username, choose View Account Use Info, and click the survey name; the ID appears in the preview URL.
Step-by-step: export survey responses
Qualtrics describes the response export as three requests made in order. Exact endpoint paths and the list of file formats are in the Qualtrics API reference, which is the authority for request syntax.
- Collect your datacenter ID, token and survey ID as above.
- Send your token in the X-API-TOKEN header, with the token as its value.
- Create Response Export. This starts the export and is where you specify the file format and other preferences. It returns a Response Export ID.
- Get Response Export Progress. Check this repeatedly. Once percentComplete reaches 100, the file is ready.
- Get Response Export File. This downloads the result. Use the correct datacenter ID in the address.
Output and how to read it
The export arrives as a compressed file, so unzip it before opening the data in your analysis software. The format you receive is the one you specified when you created the export.
Troubleshooting
- The export file will not download. Check the datacenter ID. Other requests may still work with a wrong ID, only much more slowly, but Qualtrics says the Get Response Export File request must use the correct datacenter ID.
- No token option, or the API is refused. The Access API permission must be enabled on your account. Ask your Qualtrics administrator.
- A script that worked has stopped. Someone may have regenerated the token. The old token cannot be recovered, so the new one has to be placed in every script and extension that used it. In a lab, agree who generates tokens and where the current one is stored, because tokens are per user.
- The file download comes too early. Wait until the progress request shows percentComplete of 100.
Free alternatives
| Tool | API route | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|
| REDCap | Project-level API tokens for exports and automated data pulls | REDCap API tokens and exports |
For a wider view of when each survey platform fits, see the survey tool comparison, and for ending data collection, how to close a survey on Qualtrics. More tools are collected in the research tools hub.
FAQ
Where do I find my Qualtrics API token?
Under Account Settings, then Qualtrics IDs, in the box labeled API. Click Generate Token only if you do not already have one.
What is my Qualtrics datacenter ID?
It is shown in the User section of the Qualtrics IDs page, in a form such as az1 or ca1.
Does everyone on a license share one token?
No. Each user in a license needs their own token.
How do I export survey responses with the API?
Create a response export, poll its progress until percentComplete is 100, then download the compressed file.
Sources
- Qualtrics Support, API integration overview: qualtrics.com/support/integrations/api-integration/overview (checked 2026-10-29)
- Qualtrics Support, Finding Qualtrics IDs: qualtrics.com/support/integrations/api-integration/finding-qualtrics-ids (checked 2026-10-29)
- Qualtrics Support, Common API use cases: qualtrics.com/support/integrations/api-integration/common-api-use-cases (checked 2026-10-29)
