If you ask people to fill out a long form, or one with irrelevant questions, there's a good chance they won't actually do it. To increase the likelihood of survey takers completing your form, it needs to be presented in smaller, more manageable pieces.
That's where form sections and form logic in Google Forms come in handy. They break your questionnaire down into bite-sized pieces and ensure respondents are asked only relevant questions. Here, I'll show you how to add form sections and form logic to your surveys to create a better form-filling experience.
Tip: For a more comprehensive overview of Google Forms, check out our Google Forms guide.
How to add sections in Google Forms
To create a section in your form, click the Add section icon, which looks like an equal sign, from the question menu.
In the new section that appears, you can enter a name and description, and add as many questions as you'd like.
You can also add new questions and drag them between sections, if necessary. This is handy because it allows you to write your questions first and worry about sorting them into the appropriate sections later.
As you create the form, every section will appear together on one page for easier editing. But on the survey taker's end, every form section will appear on its own page, like this:
By default, people will proceed through every section of the form, in order, each time they click Next. But you can change that too.
How to add logic to Google Forms
If you want certain people to see only certain sections of your form, you can. The simplest way to do this is by creating a multiple-choice question, then setting rules based on the answer provided. Here's how.
Click the Add question icon, which looks like a plus (
+) sign, from the question menu. By default, the question style is set to Multiple choice.Create the multiple-choice question as you normally would.
Click More options (
⁝) in the question box, and then click Go to section based on answer.
Next-step options will automatically appear beside each answer which, by default, directs respondents to Continue to next section.
Let's say the next question is, "What's the funniest name for a pet cat or dog you've ever heard?" In this case, the default next-step action (Continue to next section) makes sense because the question is relevant to the survey taker regardless of their previous answer.
But if the next section will be relevant only to those who chose a specific answer, here's how to change what happens next.
Click the dropdown arrow beside any available response, and click which section of the form the answer should direct the survey taker to.
That's it!
But let's say your question isn't in the multiple-choice format. Instead, it requires the respondent to write a short answer or to choose an item from a list. This brings us to another way you can add logic to your form in Google Forms.
There's a dropdown menu beneath most form sections. (They don't appear for sections that use certain question formats like Checkboxes and Multiple choice grid.)
Click the dropdown arrow, and select what happens after the user completes that section.
You're all set!
Example of a form using Google Forms logic
Here's an example of what a Google Form with form sections and form logic looks like from the survey taker's end.
First, the survey taker is asked, "Are you a cat person or a dog person?"
Depending on which answer is chosen, they'll receive follow-up questions specific to the answer provided. In this example, if the survey taker chooses that they're a cat person, the next question will read, "So you're a cat person! Here's what we need to know. Like, why, though?"
Without form logic, the survey taker might be asked a series of questions about dogs—even though they said they're a cat person. And if the form didn't ask the right questions, how would I know who to invite (or not invite) to my dog's birthday party?
While this is a simple example, you can apply these features to design a complex form that doesn't overwhelm people. Your future survey takers will thank you. Not out loud, of course, but it's the thought that counts.
Bonus: Automate Google Forms
Now that you know how to create forms that people want to complete—or, at least, don't mind completing—let's talk about how to get your forms to pull double duty. With Zapier, you can connect Google Forms to your other go-to apps, so you can automatically do things like:
Use form submissions to create a to-do list inside of Google Sheets
Notify you and your team whenever a form is submitted via team chat apps, email, or text
Create Google Docs templates based on Google Forms responses
Create Google Calendar appointments using Google Forms responses
And that's just a small taste of what you can do with Google Forms and Zapier. Check out even more ways you can automate Google Forms.
Related reading:
This article was originally published in April 2019. The most recent update, with contributions from Jessica Lau, was in July 2023.
