Step-by-step guide
How to make a questionnaire in Google Forms
Google Forms is free with a Google account and handles most questionnaires well: customer surveys, sign-ups, course evaluations, quick team polls. This guide walks through the whole thing, from a blank form to responses in a spreadsheet, using the button names Google uses in its own help center.
The short version: start a blank form, write your questions, pick an answer type for each, try it in preview, publish, and share the link. Answers show up on the “Responses” tab and can go to a spreadsheet.
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Before you open Google Forms
- A Google account. You need one to create and edit the form. The people answering usually don’t; the exceptions are in the FAQ at the end of this page.
- A computer, ideally. Google’s instructions are written for a computer, and a bigger screen makes it easier to build and review your questions.
- A rough list of questions. Write down what you want to learn and what you’ll do with each answer. With that in hand, building the form takes minutes.
How to make the questionnaire, step by step
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01
Start a blank form
Go to forms.google.com and click “Blank form.” Click the title to name your questionnaire, then use the line below it to say what the answers are for and how long it takes.
- You can also start from Google Drive: click “New,” then “Google Forms.”
- If responses should land in a spreadsheet you already have, open it and click “Tools” > “Create a new form.” Responses go to a new sheet in that spreadsheet.
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02
Write your questions
A new form starts with one question. Click it and type your question. To add the next one, click Add (the plus sign) in the toolbar on the right of the form. A question can include an image or a video if that helps explain it.
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03
Pick an answer type
To the right of the question title is a menu of question types. Choose the one that makes the answer easiest to give, and easiest to read later.
- “Multiple choice” when people pick one option, and “Checkboxes” when they can pick several.
- “Dropdown” for long lists, like states or courses.
- “Linear scale” or “Rating” for scores, like 1 to 5.
- “Short answer” for names and numbers, and “Paragraph” for comments.
- “Date” and “Time” for scheduling. “Multiple choice grid” and “Checkbox grid” to rate several items on the same scale.
- “File upload” to collect documents or photos. To answer it, people need to sign in to a Google Account, and the files are stored in a new folder in the form owner’s Google Drive.
- Turn on “Required” for any question that can’t be skipped.
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04
Split it into sections if it’s long
Click “Add section” to start a new page, so people see a few questions at a time. At the bottom of each section, you choose which section comes next.
- To change the path based on an answer, open the More menu at the bottom right of the question and choose “Go to section based on answer.” It works on “Multiple choice” and “Dropdown” questions.
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05
Set the look and the settings
Click “Customize Theme” at the top to pick a theme and background color, add a header image, and change the fonts. Then open “Settings” to decide how responses come in.
- Under “Responses,” you can collect email addresses, let people edit their answers after submitting, or turn on “Limit to 1 response.” With that limit on, people must sign in to a Google account to answer.
- In the presentation settings, you can edit the confirmation message people see after they submit.
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06
Test it as a respondent
Click “Preview” at the top right and answer the whole questionnaire. Check that required questions make sense, that sections lead where they should, and how long it took you.
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07
Publish and share the link
Click “Publish” at the top right. Under “Manage,” choose who can respond; “General access” lets anyone with the link answer. Click “Done,” then “Publish.” Until the form is published, people with the link can’t open it.
- To get the link, click “Share,” then “Copy responder link.” Check “Shorten URL” if you want a short link for texts or social posts.
- To put the questionnaire on your website, open the More menu and choose “Embed HTML.”
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08
Read the responses
Answers arrive on the “Responses” tab. “Summary” turns each question into a chart, and “Individual” shows one response at a time.
- To get everything in a spreadsheet: on “Responses” > “Summary,” open the More menu, click “Select destination for responses,” choose “Create a new spreadsheet,” and click “Create.” The sheet lives in Google Sheets.
- To download a file instead, use More > “Download responses (.csv).”
- To stop collecting answers, click “Published” and turn off “Accepting responses.” You can also set a close date or a response limit.
Steps and button names follow Google’s help center for Google Forms. Google updates the interface from time to time, so a button may sit in a slightly different place on your screen.
Tips for good questionnaire questions
A questionnaire that’s easy to answer gets better answers. These work in any tool:
- One idea per question. “Was our support fast and friendly?” is two questions. Split it, or you won’t know which part fell short.
- Use choices where you can. Options and scales are quick to answer and chart themselves. Save open text for what you can’t predict, like “What could we do better?”
- Don’t lead the answer. “Did you love our service?” nudges people toward yes. “How was our service?” leaves the answer to them.
- Keep it short. Cut any question whose answer you won’t use. If it runs long, say up front how many minutes it takes.
- Take it yourself first. Fill it out on your phone, the way most people will, and ask someone outside the project to try it before you send the link to everyone.
A questionnaire with your brand, in trulyform
Google Forms covers a lot. When the questionnaire goes to clients and should look like your business, trulyform is another way to do it. Here’s what changes:
- Start without an account. Open a template and edit it right away. You create a free account only when you publish, with no credit card.
- One question at a time. People see a single question per screen, which keeps the questionnaire light on a phone.
- Your look, not a default one. Ready-made themes, background, text and button colors, typeface and corner rounding, with a desktop and phone preview as you go.
- Logic from any answer. Show or hide questions, make an answer required, or skip ahead based on what someone said. Calculations add up scores or prices as people answer.
- No account needed to answer. Not even to upload files.
- Responses where you already work. Google Sheets, Google Drive, Slack, HubSpot, Notion, Airtable and webhooks, on every plan, including Free.
Start from the Customer feedback template
It comes with a satisfaction score, questions about what people liked and what could be better, and a contact question. Swap in your own questions, change the colors, and see how it looks.
Opens straight in the editor. No sign-up, no credit card.
When Google Forms is the better choice: if you need free forms for a very large number of responses, quizzes with an answer key and automatic grading, or Apps Script automations inside Google Workspace. trulyform can score answers with calculations, but it has no answer key or automatic grading.
trulyform can’t import Google Forms yet. If you already have one, open a similar template and paste in your questions. See the full Google Forms comparison.
Good questions
Google Forms questionnaire FAQ
Still curious? Send us a note or email support@trulyform.com.
Is Google Forms free?
Yes. All you need is a Google account to create questionnaires and collect responses, at no cost.
Do people need a Google account to answer?
Usually not. If access is open to anyone with the link, people can answer without signing in. A Google account becomes necessary when the form has a file upload question, when “Limit to 1 response” is on, or when access is restricted to an organization or group.
How do I see the responses in a spreadsheet?
On the “Responses” tab, under “Summary,” open the More menu and click “Select destination for responses.” Choose “Create a new spreadsheet” or “Select existing spreadsheet,” then click “Create” or “Select.” Responses then appear in Google Sheets. For a file instead, use “Download responses (.csv)” in the same menu.
Can I make a graded quiz?
Yes. In “Settings,” turn on “Make this a quiz.” On each question, click “Answer key” to mark the right answer and set its points. Under “Release grades,” choose “Immediately after each submission” or “Later, after manual review.”
How many questions should a questionnaire have?
There’s no right number. Keep only the questions whose answers you’ll actually use, and say up front how long it takes. A customer satisfaction survey often works well with a few questions and a space for comments.
Can I move my Google Forms questionnaire to trulyform?
Not automatically yet, and your form and responses stay in your Google account. In trulyform, open a similar template without an account and paste in your questions.