What Is Google Forms?
Google Forms is a free online tool for creating surveys, quizzes, and forms. It's part of Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) and integrates seamlessly with Google Sheets, Google Drive, and other Google products.
Whether you're collecting event RSVPs, running customer feedback surveys, creating quizzes for students, or gathering research data, Google Forms provides a straightforward way to collect and organize responses.
Key benefits:
- Free to use with any Google account
- No response limits on the free tier
- Real-time collaboration with team members
- Automatic data collection in Google Sheets
- Works on any device (desktop, tablet, mobile)
- Built-in summary charts for quick analysis
Getting Started
Creating your first Google Form takes just a few minutes. Here's how to get started:
How to Access Google Forms
- Go to forms.google.com — This is the quickest way to start. You'll be prompted to sign in with your Google account if you haven't already.
- From Google Drive — Click "New" in the top left, then select "Google Forms" from the dropdown menu. You can also choose from templates.
- From Google Sheets — Go to Tools → Create a new form. This automatically links responses to your spreadsheet.
Creating Your First Form
Once you're in Google Forms, you'll see a blank form with an "Untitled form" header. Click on it to give your form a name and add a description.
The form editor is intuitive: each question appears as a card. Click on a card to edit it, use the floating toolbar on the right to add new questions, and drag cards to reorder them.
Use sections to break long forms into multiple pages. This improves completion rates by making the form feel less overwhelming. Add a section by clicking the "Add section" icon (two horizontal rectangles) in the floating toolbar.
Question Types
Google Forms offers 11 question types, each suited for different kinds of data collection. Here's when to use each one:
Short Answer
Single-line text responses. Use for names, email addresses, or brief open-ended questions. You can add validation for numbers, text length, or regular expressions.
Paragraph
Multi-line text responses. Use for detailed feedback, comments, or any question requiring a longer written response.
Multiple Choice
Respondents select one option from a list. The most common question type for surveys. You can add an "Other" option that lets respondents type their own answer.
Checkboxes
Respondents can select multiple options. Use when answers aren't mutually exclusive (e.g., "Which features do you use?").
Dropdown
Similar to multiple choice, but options appear in a dropdown menu. Better for long lists (like countries or states) to keep your form compact.
Linear Scale
Numeric rating from 1-10 (or any range you set). Classic choice for satisfaction ratings, agreement scales, or likelihood scores. You can label the endpoints (e.g., "Not at all likely" to "Extremely likely").
Multiple Choice Grid
A matrix where respondents select one answer per row. Efficient for rating multiple items on the same scale (e.g., rating different aspects of a service).
Checkbox Grid
Like multiple choice grid, but respondents can select multiple columns per row. Use for availability scheduling or multi-attribute selection.
Date
A date picker for collecting specific dates. Options include year and time. Useful for scheduling, event registration, or collecting birthdates.
Time
A time picker for collecting specific times. Can be set to time of day or duration.
File Upload
Respondents can upload files to your Google Drive. Use for collecting documents, images, or other files. Note: respondents must sign in to Google to upload files.
Use the "Go to section based on answer" feature with multiple choice questions to create branching logic. This lets you show different follow-up questions based on how someone responds.
Sharing Your Form
Once your form is ready, click the "Send" button in the top right to share it with respondents. Google Forms offers several distribution options:
Share via Link
The most versatile option. Click the link icon to get a shareable URL. Check "Shorten URL" for a cleaner link. You can share this link anywhere: email, social media, messaging apps, or embed it in a website.
Share via Email
Enter email addresses directly in the Send dialog. Google Forms will send an email invitation with the form embedded. Recipients can respond directly from the email or click through to the full form.
Embed in a Website
Click the embed icon (< >) to get an iframe code you can paste into any webpage. Adjust the width and height to fit your site's layout.
Response Settings
Before sharing, review your settings (gear icon):
- Collect email addresses — Requires respondents to enter their email. Enable "Verified" to require Google sign-in.
- Limit to 1 response — Prevents duplicate submissions (requires sign-in).
- Edit after submit — Lets respondents change their answers after submitting.
- See summary charts — Shows respondents aggregate results after they submit.
If you want to collect emails without requiring Google sign-in, add a "Short answer" question with email validation instead of using the built-in email collection. This works for respondents who don't have Google accounts.
Viewing Results
Google Forms automatically collects and organizes responses. Here's how to access and analyze your data:
Responses Tab
Click the "Responses" tab at the top of your form to see submissions. You'll find three views:
- Summary — Auto-generated charts and statistics for each question. Great for a quick overview.
- Question — Browse responses one question at a time. Useful for reading through open-ended answers.
- Individual — See each respondent's complete submission. Navigate between responses with arrow buttons.
Google Sheets Integration
For deeper analysis, click the green Sheets icon to create a linked spreadsheet. Every response automatically appears as a new row. From there you can:
- Filter and sort responses
- Create pivot tables for cross-tabulation
- Build custom charts and visualizations
- Use formulas to calculate scores or metrics
- Share data with collaborators
Downloading Responses
From the Responses tab, click the three-dot menu to download all responses as a CSV file. This is useful for importing data into other tools like Excel, SPSS, or R.
Turn on email notifications (three-dot menu → "Get email notifications for new responses") so you know immediately when someone submits your form.