Open your form and click the pencil icon to start editing
To edit a Google Form you have created, go to forms.google.com, find the form in your list, and click anywhere on the form's card. This opens it in edit mode. You will see a pencil icon in the toolbar at the top — this is the edit button, and it is already active when you open the form this way. If you are viewing a form someone shared with you and you have editing permission, the same pencil icon appears in the top right.
The form opens with your questions visible on the left side and a preview of how it looks on the right. Any changes you make appear in the preview when ready. You do not need to save — Google Forms saves automatically as you work.
Key Takeaways
- Open your form at forms.google.com, click its card, and you are in edit mode — no separate save step needed.
- Add questions by clicking the plus icon, delete them by clicking the trash icon next to each question, and reorder them by dragging.
- Change question type (multiple choice, short answer, dropdown, and so on) using the dropdown menu on each question card.
- Modify the form title, description, and theme by clicking the settings icon or the design tab at the top.
- Share your form for responses by clicking the Send button and choosing email, link, or embed — editing and collecting responses happen separately.
Add, delete, and reorder questions
To add a new question, click the plus icon (+) on the left side of the form. A blank question card appears. Type your question text in the top field, then choose the question type from the dropdown below it. Google Forms offers multiple choice, checkboxes, dropdown, linear scale, multiple choice grid, checkbox grid, short answer, paragraph, date, time, and file upload.
To delete a question, hover over it and click the trash icon. To move a question up or down in the form, click and drag the six-dot handle on the left side of the question card. The preview on the right updates as you drag, so you can see the new order before you release it.
If you want to duplicate a question — useful when you have several similar ones — click the three-dot menu on the question card and select Duplicate. This creates an exact copy below the original, which you can then edit.
Change question types and add answer options
Each question has a dropdown menu showing its current type. Click this dropdown to change a multiple choice question to a checkbox question, a short answer to a paragraph, or any other type. When you change the type, Google Forms tries to keep your existing answer options if they fit the new type.
For questions with answer options — multiple choice, checkboxes, dropdown, and grids — you add options by typing in the fields labeled "Option 1," "Option 2," and so on. Click "Add option" or press Tab to create a new field. To remove an option, click the X next to it. You can also mark one option as the correct answer by clicking the three-dot menu and selecting "Mark as correct answer" — this is useful if you are creating a quiz form.
For linear scale questions, you set the range (for example, 1 to 5 or 1 to 10) and can add labels at the left and right ends to explain what the numbers mean.
Make questions required or optional
By default, respondents can skip any question. To require an answer, click the toggle switch labeled "Required" at the bottom right of the question card. When a question is required, respondents see a red asterisk next to it and cannot submit the form without answering it.
You can also set up conditional logic so that a question only appears if the respondent answers a previous question in a certain way. Click the three-dot menu on a question and select "Go to section based on answer." This lets you branch the form — for example, if someone selects "No" to "Do you own a car?" you can skip them to a different section.
Edit the form title, description, and appearance
At the top of the form, you see the title and description fields. Click either one to edit the text. The title appears at the top of the form when someone opens it to respond; the description appears below the title and is optional.
To change the form's colors and fonts, click the paint palette icon (design tab) at the top. You can choose a preset theme or customize colors yourself. Click "Customize theme" to pick a background color, header color, and font. These changes affect how the form looks to respondents but do not change how you edit it.
You can also add an image or video to the top of the form by clicking the image icon in the toolbar. This appears above the title and helps identify the form's purpose.
Adjust settings for responses and notifications
Click the settings icon (gear) at the top right to open form settings. Here you can choose whether respondents can edit their responses after submitting, whether to collect email addresses, and whether to show a confirmation message after submission.
In the Responses tab (the checkmark icon at the top), you can see all submitted responses, read them as a CSV file, or link the form to a Google Sheet so responses appear in a spreadsheet automatically. You can also set up email notifications so you receive a message each time someone submits the form.
If you want to stop collecting responses without deleting the form, click the settings icon and toggle off "Accepting responses." The form stays in your account but respondents see a message saying it is no longer accepting submissions.
Share your form and manage who can edit it
Click the Send button (arrow icon) at the top right to share your form. You can send it via email, copy a link to share manually, or get an embed code to place the form on a website. When you share a link, anyone with the link can respond — they do not need a Google account unless you require sign-in in the settings.
To let someone else edit the form, click Send and choose the email option. Type their email address and make sure the dropdown is set to "Editor" rather than "Viewer." Editors can change questions, see responses, and adjust settings. Viewers can only see the form and responses but cannot make changes.
If you share the form link publicly and later want to limit who can respond, go to settings, click "Restricted to users in [your organization]" if you are using a Google Workspace account, or require sign-in with a specific email domain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I edit a form after people have started responding?
Yes. You can add, delete, or change questions at any time, and existing responses stay in your Responses tab. However, if you delete a question, the responses to that question are also deleted. If you change a question type, old responses may not display correctly in the new format.
How do I move questions from one form to another?
Open both forms in separate browser tabs. In the source form, click the three-dot menu on the question you want to move and select Duplicate. Copy the question card, then go to the destination form, click the plus icon, and paste. You will need to recreate the question manually since copy-paste does not work between forms — duplicating within the same form is the fastest method.
What happens if I change a multiple choice question to a checkbox question?
Google Forms keeps your existing answer options when you change between similar types like multiple choice and checkboxes. If you change to a very different type like short answer, the options disappear and you start fresh. You can undo the change when ready by pressing Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z on Mac) if you make a mistake.
Can I edit a form someone else created and shared with me?
Only if they gave you editor permission. If you have editor access, you see the pencil icon and can make any changes. If you only have viewer permission, you can see the form and responses but cannot edit questions or settings. Ask the form owner to change your permission level in the Share settings.
How do I undo a change I made by accident?
Press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Cmd+Z (Mac) to undo your last action. You can undo multiple steps by pressing the shortcut repeatedly. If you have already closed the form, you cannot undo — but you can manually recreate or restore the question since Google Forms saves versions of your form.