Are you just getting started with Google Forms? Never heard of it before? Either way, here are some tips to help you get going with Google’s powerful form tooland start building surveys and forms online for free.
What the Heck Is Google Forms?
If you already know about Google Forms, feel free to skip ahead. If you don’t, here’s the crash course. We’ll go over the basics, and get you brushed up on what Google Forms is and how you can start using it right away.
Google Forms is a free survey tool that’s part ofG Suite—Google’s complete office suite (althoughsome peoplerefer to it all as Google Docs). The other main services included in the cloud-based suite are Sheets (Excel), Docs (Word), and Slides (PowerPoint).
RELATED: What is Google Workspace, Anyway?
Google Forms lets you collect information from people via personalized quizzes or surveys. You can then connect the info to a spreadsheet on Sheets to automatically record the answers. The spreadsheet then populates with the responses from the quiz or survey in real-time. This makes Google Forms one of the easiest ways to save data directly into a spreadsheet.
With Forms, you can collect RSVPs, start surveys, or create quizzes for students with a simple online form. You can share your form via email, a direct link, or on social media and ask everyone to participate.
And since Forms is an online tool, you can share and collaborate with multiple people on the same form in real-time.
Have you heard enough? Let’s get started!
How to Sign Up for a Google Account
Before you can use Google Forms, you have to sign up for a Google (an @gmail) account. If you already have one, feel free to move on to the next section. If not, we’ll go over the simplest way to create a Google account and get you set up with Forms.
Head over toaccounts.google.com, click “Create Account,” and then select “For Myself.”
On the next page, you provide some information—first and last name, username, and password—to create your account.
You also have to verify your phone number so Google can make sure you’re not a bot.
After you verify your phone number, the subsequent pages require you to provide a recovery email address, your date of birth, and gender. You must also agree to the privacy statement and terms of service. After that, you’re the proud new owner of a Google account.
How to Create a Blank Form
Now that you have a Google account, it’s time to create your first Form. Head over to theGoogle Formshomepage and place the cursor on the multicolored plus sign (+) in the bottom-right corner.
The plus sign turns into a purple pencil icon; click it to create a new form.
Pro Tip: You can typeforms.newinto the address bar from any browser and hit Enter to create and open a new blank form automatically.
How to Customize Your Form
One of the first things you might want to do after you create a new blank form is give it a bit of personality. Google Forms lets you customize the theme and help it stand out by adding an image, color, and font style.
Click the artist’s palette at the top of the screen. From here, you can choose a header image from one of the many stock photos provided (or upload one of your own), the primary color of the form, the background color, and font style.
While customization is lacking when it comes to the theme of forms (aside from being able to upload any image for the header), Google Forms makes up for it with everything else it has to offer.
After you customize your form, close the theme options to return to your survey.
How to Choose Question Types
When you create a Google Form, you can choose the types of questions you want people to answer. Whether you want static answers from a multiple-choice form or essay-length responses, you can create your ideal form in a snap!
Click the drop-down menu next to the question field.
Then, select the type of question you want from the list.
Your choices are:
- Short Answer:Responses only require a few words. You can set rules people have to follow in their answer with data input validation. Great for email addresses or URLs.
- Paragraph:Responses require long-form answers of one or more paragraphs. Data input validation is available for this type of response, as well.
- Multiple Choice:People choose between a set of options (one per question). You can include “Other” and an option so people can input a short answer. Depending on a person’s answer, you can also send them to a different section of the form.
- Checkboxes:Responders choose one or more of a set of options, including the “Other” option for a short answer.Depending on a person’s answer, you can send them to a different section of the form.
- Drop-down: People choose their answer from a set of options in a drop-down menu (one per question). Based on the answer, you can, again, send people to another section of the form.
- File Upload:This allows the person to upload a file in response to a question. Uploaded files use Google Drive space for the survey owner. You can specify the size and type of files people can upload.
- Linear Scale:People can rate your question on a scale that starts at 0 or 1, and ends on a whole number from 2 to 10.
- Multiple Choice Grid:This creates a grid from which people can select one answer per row. Optionally, you can limit answers to one choice per column and shuffle the row order.
- Checkbox Grid:This option creates a grid from which people can select one or more answer per row. Optionally, you can limit answers to one choice per column and shuffle the row order.
- Date:Responder must choose the date as an answer to the question. The default is day, month, and year. Optionally, you can include the time in people’s answers.
- Time:Responder must choose the time of day or a duration of time.
How to Add More Questions
If you’re creating a survey or quiz, you’re likely going to include more than one question on it. Google Forms makes it super-easy to add as many questions as you want, and you can vary the types of questions. You can even separate them into sections, so everything doesn’t appear on a single page.
To add more questions to your form, click the plus sign (+).
To add another section to separate questions, click the icon that looks like two rectangles.
Optionally, you can give the section a name and description to distinguish it from other sections later on.
If you want to add any questions to a different section, it’s simple! Just drag and drop them between sections. At the end of the section, click the drop-down menu to choose where the form should direct people next.
How to Create a Quiz
Google Forms isn’t just for surveys or event invites. Teachers can use Forms to create digital quizzes, which automatically grade, send results (if enabled), and collect student responses.
It’s one of the easiest ways to give students immediate feedback and reduce the amount of time you spend grading quizzes.
Click the Settings cog at the top of the page.
Click the “Quizzes” tab, and then toggle on “Make This a Quiz.”
After you enable quiz mode, you can choose when to release a student’s mark, and what information he can see after he’s submitted his quiz. When you finish, click “Save” to exit the window.
Once you return to your quiz, select one of the questions, and then click “Answer Key” to edit the correct response, and the weight each question has in the quiz.
Here’s where you set the correct answer(s), decide how many points each one is worth, and add answer feedback for the answers to each question.
Click “Edit Question” to close the answer key and save your changes.
Note: While you can only select correct answers for multiple-choice, checkbox, and drop-down questions, you can associate any question with a point value for correctness.
How to Collaborate on Forms
Like all Google suite applications, Forms lets you collaborate with others. Anyone you share a unique link with can edit the questions in your form. This makes it a lot easier to work on the same survey with a group.
To do this, click the three dots at the top of the page, and then click “Add Collaborators.”
Next, under the heading “Who Has Access,” click “Change.”
Select “On – Anyone with the link” to generate a shareable link. Anyone with this link can then access and edit your form. Click “Save.”
Now, you can copy and share the link with anyone you want to have access to your form.
You can do a lot more with these shareable links, as they also work with other Drive files and on mobile. For a deeper look at how links work and how to generate them,check out our guide.
RELATED: How to Create Shareable Download Links for Files on Google Drive
How to Store Responses in Google Sheets
Google Forms stores the answers to your Form automatically. It saves each response in the “Responses” tab at the top of your form and updates in real-time as people answer questions.
However, if you prefer a more in-depth way to analyze responses from your form, you can generate a new Google Sheet—or link to an existing one—to store and view answers. When viewing data stored in a spreadsheet, you can apply many types of calculations and Google Sheets’ functions to create formulas that manipulate your responses.
To do this, select the “Responses” tab, and then click the green Sheets icon.
Next, click “Create” to generate a new spreadsheet to store all your answers.
Each spreadsheet contains all responses, along with a timestamp of when the survey was completed.
If you already have a spreadsheet you want to use, you can do that, too! Instead of clicking “Create,” click “Select existing spreadsheet,” and then click “Select.”
Choose the spreadsheet you want from the list of those saved on your Google Drive, and then click “Select.”
As people answer each question in the form, their responses dynamically appear in the selected Google Sheet spreadsheet.
How to Use a Form Template
Sometimes, you don’t want to think about the format—or questions—of a survey. When that’s the case, you can use a template from the Google Forms template gallery. It has templates for everything from party invites to course evaluation forms.
To get started, head over to theGoogle Formshomepage and place the cursor on the multicolored plus sign (+) in the bottom-right corner.
The plus sign becomes a purple pencil and purple page icon. Click the purple page icon.
Once the window opens, choose a template from one of the three sections: Personal, Work, or Education.
Click on a template. The form opens in the current tab and saves to your Drive with all your other forms. If you want to add any questions or edit any existing ones, the templates are customizable, just like any other form.
Add the Final Touches
Before you share your form with everyone, be sure to check out the settings. From here, you can collect email addresses, create a confirmation message, limit responses to one per person, and more.
Click the Settings cog at the top of the page.
The first tab has a few settings you can enable. From here, you can collect email addresses and limit each person to one submission. You can also choose whether respondents can edit their answers after they’re submitted or see a summary chart at the end of the survey.
Note:If you enable “Limit to 1 response,” the respondent must log in with their Google account to access your form. Anyone without a Google account won’t be able to submit answers to your form. Unless you’re positive everyone has a Google account, leave this option disabled.
The “Presentation” tab has settings that show a progress bar that lets people know how far along they are in the form. You can also shuffle the question order, show a link to submit the form again (if “Limit to 1 response” is disabled), or compose a confirmation message that respondents see after they submit the form.
After you finish, hit “Save” to save the changes and return to your form.
How to Share Your Form
After you’ve completed creating a form, it’s time to send it out and get some responses. You can share the form via email, a direct link, on your social media account, or you can embed it into your website.
To get sharing, open the form you want to share, and then click “Send.”
Choose how you want to share your form from the options at the top of the pane. From left to right, your choices are: email, direct link, an embedded link for your website, Facebook, and Twitter.
This beginner’s guide will have you creating Google Forms in no time! Whether you need a survey to find out what everyone’s bringing to the BBQ, or a quiz for your physics class,Google Forms is an easy-to-use, powerful tool. And it doesn’t cost a dime.
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FAQs
What are the 3 parts of a Google form? ›
...
Re-Use Google Form
- You will be prompted to Rename the form.
- You will need to Choose Response Destination.
- And, distribute the new URL.
Deleting questions is as simple as selecting the question at the top (the 6 dots : : :), then click the trash can at the bottom to delete.
How do I create a Google form from scratch? ›- Choose an option: From forms.google.com, click Blank or choose a template. ...
- Name your form: In the top-left corner, click Untitled form or the template form name and enter a new name.
- (Optional) Do any of the following actions: Add a description: Under the form name, add your text.
The Google Forms interface
The first time you open Google Forms, it will look pretty empty, but that's only because you haven't created or filled out any forms yet. The interface is easy to use and allows you to create new forms, open recent ones, access a variety of templates, and more.
It features an intuitive and user-friendly editor, so setting up simple forms and surveys in Google Forms doesn't require any coding knowledge. Google Forms has a number of helpful features, such as a drag-and-drop interface that you can use to reorder questions.
How do I organize responses to a Google form? ›- Open a form in Google Forms.
- In the top left under “Responses,” click Summary.
- In the top right, click More. Select response destination.
- Choose an option: Create a new spreadsheet: Creates a spreadsheet for responses in Google Sheets. ...
- Click Create or Select.
Luckily, Google Forms gives you the ability to store and organize your results in a spreadsheet with Google Sheets. To do so, click the Create Spreadsheet icon. This will bring up a menu where you can choose to either Create a new spreadsheet or Select existing spreadsheet.
What is the red * in Google Form? ›If you want students to answer the question, toggle on Required. A red asterisk will appear next to the quiz question to let them know that it is mandatory. If you want students to have the choice of answering the question, toggle off Required.
What does the red Star mean in Google Forms? ›A red asterisk means that the field is "required" and you won't be able to submit the form without filling that field.
What does the red asterisk mean in Google Forms? ›A red asterisk generally indicates an override of some kind. Examples include score overrides, due date extensions, and dropped assignments. It can also indicate a non-WebAssign assignment.
Are there templates for Google Forms? ›
Save time with templates in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, or Sites. You can choose an existing template or create your own. Create eye-catching resumes, brochures, or newsletters instantly using Docs. Get an instant format for invoices, budgets, expense reports, or schedules in Sheets.
Does Google have a form builder? ›Google Forms: Online Form Creator. Google Workspace. An integrated suit of secure, cloud-native collaboration and productivity apps powered by Google AI.
How many Google Forms can I create for free? ›...
Google Forms - Email Sending Limit
| Type of Google Account | Free Limit | Premium Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail Account | 20 | 400 |
| G Suite Legacy (Free Google Apps) | 20 | 400 |
| Google Workspace, GSuite for Work | 20 | 1500 |
Disadvantages of using Google forms
It is necessary to have internet to be able to use this tool. The design customization is very limited. Advanced users can change the design to use the tool with a greater number of purposes. There are some security concerns.
What's the Top Google Forms Alternative? WPForms is far and above the best alternative to Google Forms. Forms built with WPForms are just as easy to make but are much more professional-looking than Google Forms. Plus, the Form Pages addon makes it insanely easy to create dedicated landing pages.
What are the limitations of Google form? ›google form has a 10 MB maximum file size limit per form but it is a by default option which you can change and set up to 1 TB from the settings.
Do you have to use Gmail for Google Forms? ›To use Google Forms, you need a Gmail account. If you're still not sure how to create an account, just go to accounts.google.com and click “Create Account.” You can create a Google account with just your phone number.
Can Google Forms work without Gmail? ›By default, Google Forms don't collect email addresses. This is useful because people can respond anonymously and because people don't need a Google account to fill out your form.
What is the main purpose of Google Forms? ›With Google Forms, you can create and analyze surveys right in your mobile or web browser—no special software required. You get instant results as they come in. And, you can summarize survey results at a glance with charts and graphs.
How do I separate multiple responses in Google Forms? ›Just click the green Sheets icon in the Responses tab or click Select response destination in the menu, then create a new spreadsheet or select an existing one to store the answers. Note: You can store results from multiple forms in one spreadsheet; each form's responses will be saved to a separate sheet.
Can I edit a question in Google form after receiving responses? ›
Turn on Allow response editing. After people submit their answers, a confirmation page appears. They can click a link to reopen the form and change their answers.
How do I avoid multiple responses in Google Forms? ›- Open the Google Form in your browser.
- Click the Settings cog.
- In the General tab, click 'Limit to 1 response'
- Click Save.
After you've created a form, you can add and edit up to 300 pieces of content, like questions, descriptions, images, and videos. To organize your form by topic, you can add up to 75 sections.
What are the 4 main questionnaire categories? ›While there isn't an official book of survey questions or survey taxonomy, I find it helpful to break down survey questions into four classes: open-ended, closed-ended (static), closed-ended (dynamic), and task-based.
What are the four 4 types of questions? ›In English, there are four types of questions: general or yes/no questions, special questions using wh-words, choice questions, and disjunctive or tag/tail questions.
What are the five basic types of questions? ›Types of questions. There are 5 basic types of questions: factual, convergent, divergent, evaluative and combination. Factual questions solicit reasonably simple, straightforward answers based on obvious facts or awareness.
How can you tell if someone has viewed your Google Form? ›Viewing Activity
If someone has been invited to view or edit the document, the Viewers tab will tell you the last time they opened it. You can also click All Viewers to see everyone from your organization who has viewed the document, whether they were invited or clicked a shareable link.
- Open your Google Doc, Sheet or Slide file.
- In the top right, click the upwards moving arrow.
- The window that appears will show you who and when they viewed your file.
- You'll also get an option to email a reminder if someone has forgotten to view the file.
When you create a Google Form, anyone who gets the link is able to submit answers to the questions, but not see the responses or edit the form.
Can I create a Google Form for free? ›Google Forms is now a full-featured forms tool that comes free with your Google account. You can add standard question types, drag and drop questions into the order you want, customize the form with simple photos or color themes, and gather responses in Forms or save them to a Google Sheets spreadsheet.
Do you need a Google account to fill out a Google Form? ›
To use Google Forms, you need a Gmail account. If you're still not sure how to create an account, just go to accounts.google.com and click “Create Account.” You can create a Google account with just your phone number.
Can I create my own Google Form template? ›Save time with templates in Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, or Sites. You can choose an existing template or create your own.
Where do Google form responses go? ›Data from all responses is available immediately after each form submission in the Responses tab. The Responses tab contains 3 subtabs: Summary, Question, and Individual.
How do I create a questionnaire in Google Forms? ›- Click + NEW SURVEY.
- In step 1 (Write questions), select the appropriate question type(s) and write your question(s). ...
- In step 2 (Pick audience), name your survey and select your target audience. ...
- In step 3 (Confirm survey), review your survey questions and purchase responses.
Let people outside your domain open your form
If you create a form with a work or school account, you can choose if the form can be accessed only within your organization or also by people outside your organization. Important: If you turn off this restriction setting, anyone with the link can fill out your form.
Google Forms automatically saves your configuration settings. In the Questions tab, a message appears at the top of your form confirming that Google Form will collect email addresses after each submission.
Can Google Forms be shared with non Gmail users? ›Google Accounts don't have to use a gmail.com address. You can associate any existing email address with a Google Account. Alternatively, files can be shared with non-Google accounts using visitor sharing. Learn how to Share documents with visitors.
How do I answer a Google form without signing in? ›Open the form you'd like to make public in Google Forms. (If you haven't yet created one, you need to do that first.) Under the Settings tab, click on Responses. Under Requires Sign In, toggle all options to the off position, including Limit to 1 response.
What are the disadvantages of using Google Forms? ›Disadvantages of using Google forms
It is necessary to have internet to be able to use this tool. The design customization is very limited. Advanced users can change the design to use the tool with a greater number of purposes. There are some security concerns.
After you've created your form, click the three dots in the upper right corner and select Print. Or you can just hit Ctrl + P (on PCs) or Command + P (on Macs). Most modern browsers, including Chrome, will give you the option to print to PDF. To do so, select Save as PDF from the Destination dropdown.