Making a Google Form Public (No Google Login Required)

Google Forms is a quick, free way to collect RSVPs, volunteer sign-ups, surveys, and feedback. By default, though, some forms will ask people to sign in with a Google account before they can respond. Many of our members and guests don’t have one (or don’t want to use it), and a login screen is often enough to make someone give up.

This guide walks you through making your form open to anyone with the link. It also explains when you might want to require a login instead.

Tip: Build and manage chapter forms from your chapter’s shared Google account, not a personal one, so the form and its responses stay with the chapter when leadership changes. See Transferring Access to a Shared Chapter Google Account.

Step 1: Turn Off Settings That Force a Login

Several settings make Google require sign-in, even when the form is shared publicly. Check these first.

1. Open your form and click the Settings tab at the top.
2. Expand Responses and set the following:
   • Collect email addresses: Choose Do not collect or Responder input. Do not choose Verified, because it requires a Google login.
   • Limit to 1 response: Turn this off. It requires a Google login.
3. If you see a General section with Restrict to users in [organization], turn that off.
4. Review your questions. File upload questions always require a Google login. If you need files from people, remove the upload question and ask them to email files to your chapter role email instead.

Want email addresses without a login? Choose Responder input. This adds a required email field that people type in themselves. Google won’t verify the address, but it’s usually good enough for event sign-ups and follow-ups.

Step 2: Publish the Form to “Anyone with the Link”

New forms start unpublished, and nobody but the form’s editors can open them until you publish.

1. Click Publish in the top-right corner of the form editor.
2. In the dialog, click Manage next to Responders.
3. Under General access, choose Anyone with the link.
4. Click Done, then click Publish. The button will change to Published.

If your form was already published, click Published to reopen the same options and confirm the access setting.

Step 3: Copy the Correct Link

This is the most common mistake. Make sure you share the responder link, not the editing link.

1. Click Published (or the Share icon) and choose Copy responder link.
2. Check Shorten URL if you want a short forms.gle link. This is handy for emails, social posts, and QR codes.

Never set editor access to “Anyone with the link.” That would let anyone change your questions or delete responses.

Need a QR code for a flyer or slide? Paste your responder link into the QR Code Generator.

Step 4: Test It Like a Guest

Because you’re signed in to Google, the form will always open normally for you. To see what everyone else sees:

1. Open a private or incognito window. See Using a Private or Incognito Window.
2. Paste in the responder link.
3. If the form loads without a sign-in screen, you’re all set.

If you still get a sign-in prompt, go back to Step 1. Usually a file upload question, Limit to 1 response, or Verified email collection is still turned on.

When You Might Want to Require a Login

An open form is the right choice for most chapter uses, like event RSVPs, general surveys, and interest forms. But requiring a Google login unlocks a few features that are worth it in some situations.

Limiting people to one response. Limit to 1 response is the only built-in way to stop duplicate submissions. Consider it for elections, award nominations, voting, or anything where one person submitting multiple times would skew results.

Verified email addresses. With Verified email collection, Google records the responder’s actual account email instead of whatever they type. This is useful when you need to know for certain who submitted something.

Easier response editing. You can turn on Allow response editing with or without a login. Without a login, responders get an “Edit your response” link on the confirmation screen, and if they don’t save it, they can’t get back in. With a login, people can simply reopen the form from the same account and update their answer. This is helpful for things like volunteer availability or long applications.

Collecting files. File upload questions only work when responders sign in, because uploaded files are stored in Google Drive.

Less spam. An open form can be filled out by anyone, including bots. A login requirement cuts that down a lot. If you keep your form open, check new responses regularly, and consider adding a required question that a bot is unlikely to answer, such as “Which ASSP chapter are you with?”

Quick Comparison

Rule of thumb: If you’re inviting the public, guests, or non-members, keep the form open. If accuracy matters more than convenience, such as voting, nominations, or collecting files, require a login and tell people up front that they’ll need a Google account.

Still Need Help?

If your form still asks people to sign in, or you’re not sure which settings are right for your use, submit a support ticket and we’ll take a look.