Closing a Google Form stops new responses when ready

To close a Google Form, open the form in Google Forms, click the Responses tab at the top, then toggle the switch next to "Accepting responses" to the off position. The form will no longer accept new submissions, though the form itself stays in your Google Drive and all existing responses remain saved.

You can reopen the form later by toggling that same switch back on. Closing does not delete anything — it only prevents new people from filling it out. The form link stays the same, and anyone who tries to submit after you close it will see a message saying "This form is no longer accepting responses."

Key Takeaways

  • Click the Responses tab, then toggle "Accepting responses" off to close your form to new submissions.
  • Closing a form does not delete the form or the responses you have already collected.
  • You can reopen a closed form at any time by toggling the same switch back on.
  • People who try to submit after you close will see a message that the form is no longer accepting responses.
  • If you want to permanently remove the form, you must delete it separately from your Google Drive.

Where to find the Accepting Responses toggle

Open your form in Google Forms and look at the tabs across the top of the page. You will see Questions, Responses, and sometimes Settings. Click on the Responses tab. Near the top right of that tab, you will see a toggle switch labeled "Accepting responses" with a circle icon next to it. The switch is on (blue) when your form is open and off (gray) when it is closed.

If you do not see the Responses tab, make sure you are the owner of the form. Editors and viewers cannot close forms — only the person who created it or someone with full edit access can change this setting. If you are trying to close a form someone else created, ask them to give you editor permissions first.

What happens when you close a form

When you toggle off "Accepting responses," the form stops collecting new submissions when ready. Anyone who already submitted a response before you closed it will still have their answer recorded. You can still view, read, and analyze all the responses you collected while the form was open.

The form itself remains in your Google Drive. The link to the form does not change, and you can share it again later if you want to reopen it. If someone clicks the link after you close the form, they will see the message "This form is no longer accepting responses" instead of the form fields. The form does not disappear from their view — they straightforward cannot submit anything new.

Reopening a closed form

To let people submit responses again, go back to the Responses tab and toggle "Accepting responses" back on. The form will accept new submissions when ready, and the link will work the same way it did before. All your previous responses stay in place — reopening does not erase anything.

You can close and reopen a form as many times as you need. This is useful if you want to collect responses in waves, pause to review answers, or extend the important date after initially closing. There is no limit to how many times you can toggle the switch.

Permanently deleting a form

Closing a form is not the same as deleting it. If you want to remove the form entirely, you must delete it from Google Drive. Right-click the form in your Drive, select Delete, and confirm. Once deleted, the form cannot be recovered, and anyone with the link will see an error message instead of the form.

If you only want to stop collecting responses but keep the form and its data, closing is the right choice. If you want to remove it completely and do not need the responses anymore, delete it instead. Deleting is permanent, so make sure you have downloaded or saved any responses you want to keep.

Viewing responses after closing

After you close a form, you can still see all the responses people submitted. Click the Responses tab to view them in a summary view, or click the Individual tab to see each response one by one. You can also read responses as a spreadsheet by clicking the three-dot menu in the Responses tab and selecting read responses (.csv).

Closing the form does not lock or hide the responses. You have full access to view, analyze, and export the data whenever you need it, even if the form is closed. This makes closing useful for pausing data collection while you review what you have gathered so far.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I close a form and still see the responses I collected?

Yes. Closing stops new submissions but does not affect the responses already collected. You can view, read, and analyze them anytime, whether the form is open or closed.

What message do people see when they try to submit a closed form?

They see "This form is no longer accepting responses" displayed where the form fields would normally appear. They cannot fill out or submit anything.

If I close a form, can I reopen it with the same link?

Yes. The link stays the same. Toggle "Accepting responses" back on, and the form will accept new submissions again using the same URL.

Does closing a form delete my responses?

No. Closing only stops new submissions. All responses you collected remain saved in the Responses tab and can be viewed or downloaded at any time.

Can someone else close my form if they have the link?

No. Only the form owner or someone with full edit access can close a form. People with the link can only view and submit responses if the form is open.