Google Forms is a quick way to create fill-in forms you can then send to anyone to complete. Your audience doesn’t have to sign in to Google either, making it a convenient way to gather data. However, this option is disabled by default. If you want to collect data without a sign-in requirement, you need to know how to make the form public.
If you’re unsure how the process goes, look no further. Below, you’ll find all the required information needed to make forms public and how to share them. Please read to the end for the details.
All new Google Forms require recipients to sign in to their Google accounts. While many people today have accounts, it’s not as convenient, and people may be disinclined to answer. Therefore, the best way to collect data is to make the form public.
Here’s how you can make a Google Form public:
- Go to the Google Forms
website.
- Create a new form or use an existing
one.
- Click on
“Settings.”
- Uncheck “Requires Sign
In.”
By doing so, your Google Form is now public. Anyone who receives the form can then fill it out without using a Google account.
Sharing Google Forms
There are a few ways to share your Google Form with the intended recipients or audience. By including it in an email or embedding it as part of a website, Google makes the process simple.
The first method is sending it via email.
- Open your Google
Form.
- Click on “Send” in the top-right corner.
- Pick the email icon from the pop-up that
appears.
- Add all the
recipients.
- Include a subject and
message.
- Click on “Send” to release the
form.
Now, all you need to do is wait for everyone to complete it. You may reach fewer people by using email addresses, but that’s the intent for some users.
There’s an even easier way to share your form with the world. All you need to do is copy the URL after making the Google Form public.
- Go to your Google
Form.
- Select “Send” and wait for the pop-up to
appear.
- Click on the middle option beside “Send
Via.”
- You will now have a URL under the “Link”
heading.
- Click on “Copy” or highlight the
URL.
- Paste it as needed and wait for everyone to fill out the forms.
Usually, the URL is quite long and may not be convenient for your purposes. For example, some social media platforms like Twitter have a character limit. In this situation, check the “Shorten URL” option.
By shortening the URL, you can fit it within a single tweet. It can also appear less cluttered if you intend to paste it into a social media post or ad.
Finally, you may have seen how some websites have a Google Form embedded. Thanks to some HTML code, it’s possible, but don’t worry about complicated steps. You don’t need coding knowledge to implement it on your website.
- Head to your Google
Form.
- Click on
“Send.”
- Go to the “<>”
tab.
- Adjust the form height if
necessary.
- Under “Embed HTML,” copy the
link.
- Go to your website and embed it somewhere suitable.
These forms help gather data passively, meaning you can leave it there and wait for visitors to fill it up.
Testing the Form
After completing the steps above, you can test your Google Form and see if it’s truly public. The best way is to open another browser that doesn’t have Google sign-in enabled. Copy the link and visit the form.
If you’re able to fill it in, that’s a sign of success. Being unable to access the form may mean you have to try again, or there might be a glitch.
Additional FAQs
Can you fill out a Google Form anonymously?
Anyone can do that if the form’s author disabled the option mandating logins. Most users don’t require participants to do that since it would inconvenience some people. There’s an option to collect email addresses, but authors can also uncheck it to ensure total anonymity.
For All to See
Thankfully, making a Google Form accessible to the public only requires a few clicks and a few minutes of your day. As long as the form is available and people get the link, they can fill it in. You can even collaborate with others to work on the perfect questionnaire.
Have you tried any of these methods before? How many forms have you created in the past? Let us know in the comments section below.
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