How to Master Microsoft Forms for Surveys and Quizzes

Ready to become a pro with Microsoft Forms? You can use it for all sorts of things, like quizzes, feedback, event sign-ups, or customer surveys. Many teachers and businesses choose Microsoft Forms because it’s simple and works well for quick tasks. You’ll get step-by-step help, best practices, and tips so your forms look great and keep information safe. Whether you’re just starting or already know the basics, you’ll find ways to make your surveys and quizzes more effective.

Key Takeaways

• First, sign in and make a new form or quiz.

• Give it a clear title and a short description.

• Add questions that are easy to understand. Use different types like multiple choice, rating, and text.

• Change how your form looks with themes and pictures. You can also add sections to make it neat and fun.

• Choose who can answer by setting permissions.

• You can also limit answers to keep data correct.

• Share your form with a link, QR code, or by embedding it. Watch answers come in with real-time analytics.

Microsoft Forms Features

Microsoft Forms has many tools to help you make surveys and quizzes. You can use it on a computer, tablet, or phone. It connects with other Microsoft 365 apps. This lets you collect and look at data right away. You can also work with others to build forms together. Here are some things that make Microsoft Forms special:

Surveys and Quizzes

You can use Microsoft Forms to make surveys and quizzes. Surveys help you get feedback or information from people. Quizzes help you see what someone knows or learned. Here is a simple comparison:

Question Types

There are many question types you can use. You can add multiple choice, text, rating, ranking, and Likert scale questions. Each type has its own limits. For example:

• Choice questions can have up to 499 answers.

• Each question can be up to 4,000 characters long.

• Ranking questions can have up to 10 choices.

• You can use up to 200 questions in one form.

Tip: If you need more choices, break your questions into smaller groups or use other question types.

Customization

You can make your forms look nice with themes and templates. Microsoft Forms now has a new look and easy templates for surveys, quizzes, and invitations. You can pick a style, add a cover page, and see how your form looks on a phone. Templates are on the left side of the design page. You can change details on the right. Sharing is easy, too. You can send your form by link, QR code, email, or Teams.

Create Forms

Creating a form in Microsoft Forms is simple and fun. You can build a survey or quiz in just a few steps. Let’s walk through the process together.

Start a New Form

You can start a new form or quiz in different ways. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you going:

1. Sign in to your Microsoft account. If you use a school or work account, log in through Microsoft 365.

2. Open Microsoft Forms from your list of apps or go to the website.

3. Choose New Form to make a survey, or New Quiz if you want to test knowledge.

4. Add a title and a short description. This helps people know what your form is about.

5. Click Add New to start adding questions.

6. Use the preview button to see how your form looks on a computer or phone.

7. Try submitting a test response to check if everything works as you want.

8. Edit your form as needed before sharing.

Tip: You can also start a form right inside OneNote by going to the Insert tab and picking Forms. This opens Microsoft Forms in a new browser tab.

If you want to save time, try using a template. Microsoft Forms offers templates for things like event sign-ups, feedback, or quizzes. Pick a template, then change the questions and design to fit your needs. Templates help you get started fast and keep your forms looking professional.

Add Questions

Adding questions is where you make your form unique. Microsoft Forms lets you pick from many question types, such as:

• Multiple choice

• Text (short or long answers)

• Rating (stars or numbers)

• Date picker

• Ranking

• Likert scale

• Net Promoter Score (NPS)

To add a question, click Add New and choose the type you want. You can also:

• Add images or videos to make questions more interesting.

• Use sections to group related questions together.

• Add titles and subtitles to sections for better organization.

• Use branching logic to show certain questions based on earlier answers.

Note: Keep your questions short and clear. Group similar questions together. This helps people stay focused and finish your form faster.

If you want to make your form even better, try these tips:

• Use a mix of question types to keep things interesting.

• Mark important questions as required.

• Add clear instructions if a question needs extra explanation.

• Preview your form on different devices to make sure it looks good everywhere.

Set Permissions

You control who can fill out your form. Microsoft Forms gives you several options:

• Let anyone with the link respond.

• Limit responses to people in your organization (like your school or company).

• Allow only specific people to respond.

You can also:

• Limit responses to one per person.

• Record respondent names.

• Set start and end dates for when people can answer.

• Shuffle questions or lock their order.

• Show a progress bar for longer forms.

Tip: If your form has private or sensitive questions, limit access to your organization or specific people. This keeps your data safe.

If you work with a team, you can make your form a group form. This lets everyone in the group edit questions and see responses. For solo forms, only you can make changes and view answers.

Share and Embed

Once your form is ready, it’s time to share it. Microsoft Forms makes this easy:

• Share via Link: Copy the form’s link and send it by email, chat, or post it online.

• Share via QR Code: Download a QR code image. People can scan it with their phones to open your form.

• Embed in a Website: Copy the embed code and paste it into your website or blog. Visitors can fill out the form without leaving your page.

• Send Directly: Share your form in Teams or Outlook by entering names or emails.

Note: If you share your form with a link, anyone with the link can forward it. For private forms, use the settings to limit who can respond.

Working with others? Microsoft Forms lets you collaborate in real time. You and your teammates can edit questions together, chat about changes, and get notifications when people respond. This makes it easy to build forms as a team and keep everyone updated.

Analyze Responses

Once people start filling out your form, you’ll want to see what they said and learn from their answers. Microsoft Forms gives you several ways to track, export, and analyze your results. Here’s how you can make the most of your data.

View Results

You can watch responses come in live. Microsoft Forms has a presentation mode that lets you show questions and answers in real time. You can switch between a treemap view and a bar chart view to see which answers are most popular. If you ask open-ended questions, you can see word clouds and detailed text analysis right away. Want to focus on just one question? Use full-screen mode to hide everything else. You can even turn the QR code and link display on or off during a presentation.

Tip: Try the 'Ideas' pane for quick insights. It sorts feedback into positive, neutral, or negative and finds patterns between answers. This helps you spot trends fast.

Export Data

Sometimes you need to dig deeper. Exporting your responses to Excel is easy:

1. Open your form and go to the Responses tab.

2. Select 'Open in Excel.'

3. Your answers will appear in a new Excel workbook.

4. Save or export the file as a PDF if you want.

Exporting to Excel lets you use powerful tools to sort, filter, and chart your data. You can also keep a backup or share the file with others. If you use SharePoint, try the 'Forms for Excel' option. This saves all responses in a SharePoint library, making it easy to manage and share with your team.

Use Analytics

You can do more than just look at numbers. Microsoft Forms connects with Power BI, SharePoint, and Teams. This means you can build live dashboards that update as new answers come in. Want to automate tasks? Use Power Automate to send alerts, update lists, or post messages in Teams when someone submits a response. You can set up flows that sort answers, send emails, or even trigger other apps. Regularly check your analytics to spot trends and make better decisions.

Note: Always test your workflows and check permissions to keep your data safe.

Design Tips

Clear Questions

You want your questions to be easy to read and answer. When you write questions in Microsoft Forms, keep them short and simple. Use words that everyone understands. Avoid asking two things in one question. For example, don’t ask, “Do you like the food and the service?” Split it into two questions. Try to use more close-ended questions, like yes/no or multiple choice, so people can answer quickly. Always test your form with a few people before you send it out. This helps you spot confusing parts.

Tip: Use branching to show only the questions that matter to each person. This keeps your form short and clear.

Visual Appeal

A good-looking form makes people want to finish it. Add your logo to the top and pick colors that match your brand. Use background images with a blur effect to keep the focus on your questions. Break your form into sections if it’s long. Add a progress bar so people know how much is left. Try different question types, like ratings with stars or smiley faces, to keep things interesting.

Prevent Duplicates

You want your data to be accurate. If you let anyone with the link answer, people can submit more than once. To stop this, set your form so only people in your organization can respond. This way, each person signs in and can only answer once. If you need anonymous answers, know that Microsoft Forms can’t block duplicates for outside users.

• Limit responses to one per user by requiring sign-in.

• Anonymous forms can’t prevent multiple submissions.

Security

Protecting privacy is important. Microsoft Forms lets you turn off name and email collection for anonymous surveys. Only collect personal info if you really need it. If you add file upload questions, people must sign in, so these forms aren’t anonymous. Always check your settings before sharing your form. For sensitive data, make sure you follow your organization’s privacy rules.

Note: You can set up email notifications for new responses in the form’s settings. If you don’t see this option, ask your Microsoft 365 admin for help.

Keep your forms up to date. Review feedback and make changes to improve them. Use the feedback tools in Microsoft Forms to share your ideas with Microsoft and learn from others.

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You now know how to master Microsoft Forms for surveys and quizzes. Here’s a quick recap to help you get the best results:

1. Start by signing in and creating a new form or quiz.

2. Add clear, simple questions using different types.

3. Customize your form’s look and settings.

4. Share your form and check responses in real time.

5. Use built-in analytics and export data for deeper insights.

Try advanced features like file uploads, branching, and video embedding to make your forms even better. Keep exploring and testing new ideas to improve your skills!

FAQ

How do you limit who can respond to your form?

You can set your form to accept responses only from people in your organization. Go to the "Settings" menu, then choose "Only people in my organization can respond." This helps you control who fills out your form.

Can you edit a form after sharing it?

Yes! You can edit questions, change settings, or update the design anytime. Your changes save automatically. People who open the link later will see the updated version.

What happens if you delete a response by mistake?

If you delete a response, you cannot get it back. Microsoft Forms does not have an undo option for deleted responses. Always double-check before you remove any answers.

How do you get notified when someone submits a response?

Tip: Turn on email notifications in your form settings. You will get an email each time someone fills out your form. This helps you stay updated without checking the site all the time.

Can you reuse a form for a new event or class?

You sure can! Click "Copy" on your form’s main page. This makes a new form with the same questions. Change the title and details for your new event or class.