How to Create a Survey in Microsoft Forms (2026)
Microsoft Forms is the survey builder included with a Microsoft 365 or free Microsoft account. You build the survey in the browser, add questions of different types, then share a link to gather responses that land in a live results dashboard.
1. Start a New Form
- Go to forms.office.com (or open Forms from the Microsoft 365 app launcher) and sign in.
- Select New Form (choose New Form, not New Quiz — a quiz scores answers, a survey doesn’t).
- Click the Untitled form title to name your survey, then add an optional description below it.
2. Add and Configure Questions
- Click + Add new and pick a question type:
- Choice for single- or multiple-select options
- Text for short or long open answers (toggle Long answer for paragraphs)
- Rating for stars or numbers
- Date, Ranking, Likert, Net Promoter Score, or File upload
- Type your question and fill in the options.
- Toggle Required so respondents must answer before submitting.
- Use the More settings (…) menu on a question for subtitles, restrictions, or Shuffle options.
3. Reorder and Add Sections
- Hover over a question and use the up/down arrows in its top-right corner to reorder it.
- Click + Add new > (…) More > Section to split a long survey into pages with their own headings.
- Use Duplicate question (the copy icon) to clone a question you’ve already formatted.
4. Style the Survey
- Select Style (paintbrush, top right).
- Pick a built-in theme or click the + to upload your own background image or color.
- Use Preview (top right) to see the survey on Computer and Mobile before sharing.
5. Share and Collect Responses
- Click Collect responses (or Send).
- Set who can respond — Anyone can respond for public surveys, or restrict to people in your organization.
- Copy the link, generate a QR code, grab embed code, or send by email.
- Responses appear under the Responses tab in real time.
6. Troubleshooting
Respondents are asked to sign in
The form is set to your organization only. Open Collect responses and switch to Anyone can respond to allow external, anonymous submissions.
I can’t find the survey option, only Quiz
Both live on the same Forms home page. Select New Form for a survey; New Quiz adds point values and answer keys.
Required questions still let people submit blank
Make sure the Required toggle is on for each question — it’s set per question, not for the whole form.
The form looks broken on mobile
Use Preview > Mobile to check. Avoid very long option labels and large background images, which can crowd small screens.
Related Microsoft Forms guides: How to use Microsoft Forms · How to create a quiz · How to share Microsoft Forms · How to add branching · How to see responses
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