Skip to Main Content

CSM Google Apps for Education

Creating a Form

Create a survey using Google Forms

You can plan events, make a survey or poll, give students a quiz, or collect other information in an easy, streamlined way with Google Forms. You can create a form from Google Drive or from an existing spreadsheet that can record the responses to your form.

  1. Go to docs.google.com/forms.
  2. In the top left, click Blank Add.
  3. A new form will automatically open.

You can add any questions you want in the form template. You can also organize your form by adding headers and dividing your form into several pages. Learn more about editing your form.

Note: Create a form in Google Drive by going to drive.google.com and clicking New and then More and then Google Forms.

Create a form from a spreadsheet in Google Sheets

To poll, survey, quiz, or otherwise collect information using a form from a spreadsheet in Google Sheets:

  1. While working with a spreadsheet, click Insert and then Form.
  2. A message will display at the top of the page notifying you that a new form has been created.
  3. To begin editing your form, click Add questions here in the message.
  4. To get rid of this message and continue editing your spreadsheet, click Dismiss. 
    • If you dismiss this message, you can edit your form at any time. Click Form and then Edit form.
  5. A new form will automatically be created. A new tab will appear at the bottom of your spreadsheet labeled “Form responses,”  where all responses to your form will be added.

Edit Forms

Edit your form

After you've created a form, you can add and edit questions and other content. If you want to organize your form by topic, you can add sections.

Add questions, headers & sections

Add a question

As you type your question, Google Forms may try to predict the type of question and suggest response options.

  1. Open a form in Google Forms.
  2. Click Add Add.
  3. Next to the question title, choose the type of question you want.
  4. Type the possible responses to your question. If you want to prevent respondents from leaving a question blank, toggle "Required" from Off to On.
Add an image or video

Add an image or video to a question or answer

To add an image to a question:

  1. Click a question.
  2. To the right, click Add image Insert image.
  3. Upload or choose an image.
  4. Click Select.

To add an image to an answer:

  1. Click a multiple choice or checkbox question.
  2. To the right of the answer, click Add image Insert image.
  3. Upload or choose an image.
  4. Click Select.

Add an image or video on its own

You can add an image or YouTube video to your form.

  1. Open a form in Google Forms.
  2. To add an image, click Add Image Insert image​​. To add a video, click add Video Video.
    • You can’t add videos to questions, but you can place them before or after a question.
  3. Choose your image or video and click Select.
Upload files to a form

If you use Google apps through work or school, respondents can upload files as a response to a question. Uploaded files will take up Google Drive storage for the survey owner. Learn how to clear Google Drive space and increase storage.

  1. Open a form in Google Forms.
  2. Click Add Add.
  3. Next to the question title, click the Down arrow Down Arrow.
  4. Click File Upload.
  5. Click Continue.

After you create your question, you can:

  • Adjust the maximum file size.
  • Change the file type.
Add a section

Sections can make your form easier to read and complete.

  1. Open a form in Google Forms.
  2. Click New Section Section.
  3. Name the new section.
Duplicate an item

Questions or images

  1. Click a question or image.
  2. Click Duplicate Copy.

Sections

  1. Click a section header.
  2. Click More More.
  3. Click Duplicate section.

Edit or delete items

Edit an item

To edit a question, header, or description, click the text you want to change.

Delete an item

Questions or images

  1. Click a question or image.
  2. Click Delete Trash.

Section

  1. Click a section header.
  2. Click More More.
  3. Click Delete section.

Randomly order questions and answers

You can have questions and answers to appear in a different order for everyone who fills out your form.

Note: Questions and answers will only be shuffled once per email address. To make sure everyone sees a different order, make sure each person is addressed individually.

Shuffle question order

If your questions are in a specific order, you shouldn’t shuffle your questions.

  1. At the top, click Settings Settings.
  2. Click PRESENTATION
  3. Check the box by Shuffle question order.
Shuffle answer choices

You can have answer choices to appear in a different order for everyone who fills out your form. This only works for answers that use multiple choices, checkboxes, and drop-downs.

  1. Click a question.
  2. In the bottom right, click More More.
  3. Click Shuffle option order.

Add Themes

Add a theme to a form

If you want to personalize your form or tailor it to your audience, you can add a theme to a form.

Add a theme or color

  1. Open a form in Google Forms.
  2. Click Style .
  3. Choose a color for your form. Or, to add a theme, click Insert image .

You’ll see your new theme and you can continue editing your form.

Upload an image as a theme

  1. Open a form in Google Forms.
  2. Click Style.
  3. Click Insert image.
  4. Click Upload photos.
  5. Drag a photo into the window or click Select a photo from your computer.
  6. Click Done.

Show Questions

Show questions based on answers

You can set up a survey so that people only see certain sections based on their answers.

  1. Open a form in Google Forms.
  2. Click Add Add.
  3. Click Multiple choice, Checkboxes, or Dropdown.
  4. Type your question.
  5. On the right of the question, click More More.
  6. Click Go to section based on answer.
    • You can also choose Submit form if you want the survey to end based on an answer.
  7. Choose specific sections to send people to.

Skip sections in your form

  1. Open a form in Google Forms.
  2. To add a section break, click Add section Section.
  3. At the bottom of each section, you can choose which section people go to next.