How to Use Microsoft Forms (2026)
Microsoft Forms is the free form and survey tool included with a Microsoft 365 or personal Microsoft account. You build forms in the browser, share them by link, and watch responses arrive in a live dashboard. This guide walks the whole workflow, start to finish.
1. Open Microsoft Forms
- Go to forms.office.com (or forms.microsoft.com), or open Forms from the Microsoft 365 app launcher.
- Sign in with a work, school, or personal Microsoft account.
- The home page lists your recent forms and quizzes, plus templates to start from.
2. Create a Form
- Select New Form for a survey or feedback form, or New Quiz for a graded one.
- Click Untitled form to name it, and add a description below.
- You’re now in the editor, ready to add questions.
3. Add Questions
- Click + Add new and choose a type:
- Choice — single or multiple options
- Text — short or long open answers
- Rating — stars or numbers
- Date, Ranking, Likert, Net Promoter Score, File upload
- Enter the question and options.
- Toggle Required to make an answer mandatory.
- Reorder questions with the up/down arrows, and split long forms into Sections.
4. Style the Form
- Click Style (paintbrush, top right).
- Pick a theme, color, or upload your own background.
- Use Preview to check the form on Computer and Mobile.
5. Share It
- Click Collect responses.
- Choose who can respond — Anyone or people in my organization.
- Copy the link, download a QR code, grab embed code, or send by email.
6. View Responses
- Open the Responses tab to see live summary charts.
- Click View results to page through individual submissions.
- Click Open in Excel to export the data for sorting and analysis.
7. Troubleshooting
I can’t sign in to Forms
You need a Microsoft account — work, school, or a free personal one. Confirm your account is active and that your admin allows Forms.
My form asks respondents to sign in
It’s set to people in my organization. Switch to Anyone can respond in Collect responses for public, sign-in-free access.
Responses aren’t appearing
Make sure you’re in the same account that owns the form, and that respondents clicked Submit.
I want to reuse a form
Open More form settings (…) > Collaborate or Duplicate > Duplicate to copy a form as a starting point.
Related Microsoft Forms guides: How to create a survey · How to create a quiz · How to share Microsoft Forms · How to add branching · How to see responses · Microsoft Forms vs Google Forms
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