Table of Contents
Introduction
Google Forms is a free tool that allows you to easily create online surveys and questionnaires. By default, responses to Google Forms surveys are not anonymous – they are tied to the respondent’s Google account if they are logged in. However, there are a few methods you can use to create anonymous Google Forms surveys that do not require respondents to sign in.
Methods for Anonymous Google Forms
Here are some ways to create anonymous surveys with Google Forms:
Turn On “Accepting Responses Anonymously”
- Google Forms has a built-in setting to enable anonymous responses. Simply turn on the “Accepting responses anonymously” toggle when creating your form.
- This allows people to submit the survey without logging into a Google account. No identifying information is collected.
Use View Only or File Upload Links
- You can create view-only or file upload links for your form. These special links do not require respondents to be logged into Google.
- The downside is that you need to manually collect responses by downloading submitted files.
Embed the Form in a Website
- Embed your Google Form on a website using the embed code. Visitors to your site can fill it out anonymously without needing a Google account.
- Under the Send button in Google Forms there is an option to get a link. Anyone with this link can access the form directly without logging in.
Tips for Anonymous Surveys
- Don’t ask for any identifiable information like names or emails. Rely only on anonymized metadata if needed.
- Make sure you have enabled the setting to accept anonymous responses if using Google Forms directly, otherwise it will still collect Google account information.
- Test that your anonymous survey links work as expected before widely sharing the form.
