How to edit a Google Form

Gone are the days of sending out surveys in the mail or asking people to fill out tons of paper forms. Today, online options like Google Forms make it easier than ever to collect and organize responses.

But to get the most out of your Google Forms, you need to know how to set them up and edit them to best fit your needs. Keep reading to learn the ins and outs of editing a Google Form to create customized surveys, feedback forms, and quizzes seamlessly.

Step 1: Create or access a Google Form to edit

The first step in learning how to use Google Forms is opening the form you want to edit, whether you already have one or need to make a new one. 

Existing forms

If you’ve already created a form, you can access it from your Google Drive. Simply open Drive and search for the form by its name. To help narrow your search, you can also choose Forms from the Type dropdown menu, so you don’t see any other types of files. Double-click on the name of the form to open it.

New forms

If you need to create a Google Form, navigate to your Google Drive. Select New and then Google Forms from the dropdown menu that appears. This will open a new, blank form that you can begin editing. Whenever you open a new form, it’s in editing mode by default. You can change settings, add sections and important questions, and make many other customizations.

Step 2: Edit your Google Form 

When you’re first working on your Google Form, no one else will be able to see it unless you add collaborators. You publish the form once it’s ready, and only then can respondents view the form and submit their answers. 

Luckily, you can still make changes even after you publish your form. Just make sure you understand how to edit a Google Form before and after publishing so you don’t run into any issues down the line.

Before publishing

While it is possible to edit Google Forms on mobile devices, editing on the desktop version is generally easier. After you open your form through Google Drive, you should be in editing mode by default, so you can change elements like the form name, title, and description by simply clicking on them and adding your desired text.

Adding questions

On the right side of your new form, you’ll see a vertical menu of icons. These are all the available options for editing your form. Click on the plus symbol to add a new question. Then fill out the details for the question, including the question itself, what type of question it is, and any answer options (if applicable). 

You have nine options for each question:

• Short answer — Best for straightforward responses, like names or email addresses
• Paragraph — Best for open-ended questions, like requesting feedback or explanations
• Multiple choice — Best for when you want respondents to choose one answer out of several
• Checkboxes — Best for when you want respondents to select one or more applicable options from provided answers, like the days they will attend an event
• Dropdown — Best for when you need to save space but still want respondents to choose one option from several; similar to multiple choice but with a dropdown menu
• Linear scale — Best for when you want respondents to score something on a numerical scale, like their interest or job satisfaction
• Rating — Best for when you want respondents to rate something using a star, heart, or thumbs-up scale
• Multiple choice grid — Best for when you want respondents to rate several related categories of items on the same scale
• Checkbox grid — Best for when you want respondents to choose multiple options for each category or row, similar to a multiple choice grid

If you want to add a question similar to one you’ve already formatted, select the duplicate icon at the bottom of the finished question. The icon looks like one rectangle stacked on top of another.

Make sure to toggle on the Required option for each question you need respondents to answer. For any optional questions, you can leave this option toggled off.

Adding other elements

You can upgrade your form by adding images and videos or by creating sections that group your questions together. Use the icons from the vertical menu on the right side of each question to add these elements as desired. For photos, you can upload files, capture images with your webcam, search Google Images, or choose photos from your library. You can also embed videos directly from YouTube.

Deleting questions

Sometimes, you add a question and later realize you don’t want it in your form anymore. In that case, select the question and then click on the trash icon below to delete it.

Rearranging questions

You can easily rearrange questions after writing them, so don’t worry about perfecting the order at first. To move a question, hover over the top of it, then click and drag it to the desired position in your form. Move questions around until you’re happy with the order.

Alternatively, you can go to your form Settings menu, click on Presentation, and toggle on Shuffle question order. This will allow each respondent to see the form questions in a totally random order. The shuffle option is generally best for quizzes.

Once you’re happy with all the edits you’ve made to your form, you can click on Publish in the upper right corner of your screen and start sharing the link with the people you want to respond. But before you do, be sure to check out steps three and four first.

After publishing

Let’s say you created your form and hit Publish, only to realize there’s something else you need to change. Don’t worry. You can still edit your form even after publishing and sharing it.

To edit a published form, open the form again from Google Drive. You should enter editing mode automatically, so go right to the part of your form you want to change. If you’re editing a question, click on the question and make the necessary changes. To add a new element, use the corresponding icons from the right-side menu.

You can also adjust your form settings after publishing, such as whether to collect respondents’ email addresses or display a progress bar as respondents complete the questions. Simply select Settings from the top menu and make all the edits you want. These changes will save automatically, and the link to the form will reflect them right away for future responses. However, any edits you make will not affect the responses you have already received.

Step 3: Customize your form theme and design

Google Forms’ default design may not align with your own vision for your form. Feel free to customize it by clicking on the artist palette icon in the top right-side menu. 

From there, you can change

• Font style, size, and color
• Header image
• Theme color
• Background color

Make adjustments to better suit your preferences and enhance your form’s visual appeal.

Step 4: Preview and save your form

Before you share your form, it’s a good idea to preview it exactly as your respondents will see it. From the top menu of your screen, select the eye icon to open a preview in another tab.

Scroll through the preview to make sure all the questions look the way you intended. If necessary, make any final edits before clicking on Publish and sharing the form with your audience.

Don’t worry about how to save a Google Form — the form saves automatically as long as you’re connected to the internet. 

Once your form’s ready, you can share the link to it or embed your Google Form into a website or email.

Jotform: A better online form alternative 

Whether you’re on the go or just looking to enhance your Google Forms, Jotform’s Form Editor for Google Forms is a must-have. Available in the App Store and Google Play Store, the app makes it easy to create and edit forms right from your mobile devices. Using the app, you can

• View your form responses
• Create new Google Forms or edit existing ones
• Share your forms with collaborators or respondents
• Export responses to Google Sheets

If you’re still looking for more, Jotform offers an even more comprehensive online form solution than Google Forms. Like Google Forms, Jotform allows you to create customized digital surveys, quizzes, and questionnaires. But Jotform takes it even further, with

• Advanced customization options, such as creating conditional form fields
• Enhanced online form integrations, like Canva, Salesforce, and PayPal
• An extensive variety of question types, such as product order details

Worried about making the switch away from Google Forms? Jotform makes it easy to migrate your existing Google Forms to Jotform. And once you do, you’ll be able to use features like Offline Mode, for editing forms even without an internet connection and Kiosk Mode, which lets you collect form submissions from a single device. With the Jotform Payment Integration, you can collect online payments in your forms via Square, Stripe, PayPal, and more, and you’ll get paid right away with just a click from the respondents. Or, if you need a signature on a response, Jotform’s Sign feature is the perfect solution.

Get started today by trying one of Jotform’s 10,000+ powerful and easy-to-customize online form templates. Before you know it, you’ll have created stunning, functional forms that perfectly fit your needs.