Whether you’ve just purchased one of our pre-built Google Forms or you’re curious about how they work, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know. You’ll learn how to customize the form to match your brand, link it to a Google Sheet for easy tracking, and share it.

It’s a simple, streamlined way to stay organized—and once you set it up, it can save you hours of manual work.

1: Rename and Add a Description

When your form opens, the first thing you’ll want to do is give it a name and a clear description.

Click the form title at the top left to rename it.
Just below the title, click on the form description field to explain the purpose of the form or include any important instructions.

2: Personalize the Theme

To customize the visual design of your form:

Click the palette icon in the top-right menu (Customize Theme).
Choose a header image from Google’s built-in gallery or upload your own for a branded touch. Note- when you add a header, the form’s colors will update pulling from the colors in your header.
- To use our Canva Template Google Form Header, click on the link provided to you at purchase, edit the template in Canva and download it as a Jpeg or PNG. Then open your Google Form and insert the new header onto your Form.
Pick your theme color and background color to match your branding.
Select a font style.

3: Edit and Organize Questions

To add or change questions:

Click the + button in the right sidebar to add a new question.
Choose the question type from the dropdown (e.g., short answer, multiple choice, checkboxes, dropdown, etc.).
Click the duplicate icon to reuse a question or the trash icon to delete one.
Use the drag handle on the left to rearrange question order.

4. Adjust ‘Go to section based on answer’

Want to personalize your form or skip questions that don’t apply? Google Forms lets you direct respondents to different sections based on their answers. This feature is available for multiple-choice and drop-down questions.

How to Add It:

Click on the three vertical dots (⋮) in the bottom right corner of your question box.
Select “Go to section based on answer.”
A dropdown menu will appear next to each answer choice.
Use these menus to choose which section each response should lead to.

To Remove It:

Click on the question box where the feature is active.
Click the three vertical dots (⋮) in the lower right corner.
Deselect “Go to section based on answer.”
The dropdown menus next to each answer will disappear, and all responses will follow the default form flow.

How to Edit It:

Click on the question you'd like to change.
Use the dropdown arrows next to each answer option under "Go to section" to adjust where each one leads.

5: Turn On Responses

Before collecting any data, make sure your Google Form is set to accept responses.

Here’s how:

Click on ‘Published’ at the top right side of your form.
A window will open. Make sure ‘Accepting responses’ is toggled on, Responders reads ‘Anyone with the link’ and Press Save.

6: Set Up Email Notifications for New Responses

Want to be notified instantly when someone fills out your form? Google Forms makes it easy to enable response notifications.

To turn on email notifications:

Go to the ‘Responses’ tab.
Click the three-dot menu (︙) in the top right corner of that tab.
Select ‘Get email notifications for new responses.’

You’ll now receive an email every time someone submits a response.

7: Connect Your Form to a Google Sheet

To keep your responses organized and easier to analyze, you can link your form to a Google Sheet.

Here’s how:

In the ‘Responses’ tab, click ‘Link to Sheets’.
You’ll be prompted to:
- Create a new spreadsheet, or
- Select an existing spreadsheet
Click Create a new spreadsheet, and your responses will now automatically sync to a new Google Sheet.

Every new form submission will appear in real-time, with each question becoming a column header.

8: Customize the Confirmation Message (Outgoing Message)

After someone submits your form, they’ll see a default message that just says, “Your response has been recorded.” You can customize this to make it more helpful or personal.

Here’s how:

Click the ‘Settings’ tab in the top menu.
Go to ‘Presentation’.
Find ‘Confirmation message,’ and click edit. Here you can change your outgoing message.

Note - make sure all other settings are turned off so that people who do not have a Google Account can still complete the form.

9: Preview Your Form

Click the eye icon in the top menu to preview how your form will look to respondents.

If you want to try the form out, send a trial run to a friend - you cannot send the form to yourself.

10: How to Share Your Google Form

Once your form is ready, it’s time to send it out and start collecting responses!

To share via link:

Select the link icon (🔗).
Optional: Check the box for “Shorten URL” to make it cleaner.
Click Copy and paste the link wherever you need—text message, email, social media, etc.