Google Forms are one of the most used tools of Google because of its oh-so-many use cases. However, are Google Forms anonymous? What if I say yes! It can be anonymous if you want it to be. In this blog post, I am going to discuss with you all how you can make Google Forms anonymous.
Though you can make Google Forms anonymous from a response point of view. However, not for admins, Google Forms can be anonymous. But you don’t have to delve much into it because in this article we will discuss how you can create anonymous forms overall with the help of ExtendedForms add-on (Google Form app) so that both respondents and admins can be hidden and you have to not enter or show your personal details.
Without any further ado, let’s get into the steps.
What is ExtendedForms Add-on?
Before diving deep into the explanation of how you can create anonymous Google Forms, let me talk about the add-on. The reason behind how you can make anonymous forms is the ExtendedForms add-on. So, let’s first talk about what is ExtendedForms and then move further into the 3 steps guide.
ExtendedForms add-on is the timer extension that you can use to create a Google timed test. The app can be installed just like any other Google app through Google Workspace Marketplace. It is a great timer app with no extra fuss to configure, you just install, configure, and set up the basic settings. Besides, the app has extra cool features like – Classroom Integration, Email Customization, and Image Cropping (a feature where you can crop user, team profile images, and brand logo).
Another is the ‘Manager team role’ (part of the Teams feature), in which you get the option of adding a manager as a team role. ExtendedForms is a must-try because of its easy google forms timer function. Apart from this, it has the feature of exporting CSV files, and customizing welcome and invitation messages.
Steps to Make Google Forms Anonymous
Now, that we have a clear idea about the extended forms add-on, let’s get right into how you can make google forms anonymous. I am going to explain to you in 3 quick steps.
1. Setup & Create Google Forms
The first and most important step before creating anonymous forms is to the first setup and create a Google Form. Whether you want to create a test form, quiz, survey, or even poll for that matter, you can create anything in Google Form. Just head over to Google Form directly but do sign in to your Google account or create a new one. Besides, another option is to go through G-drive. Select a ‘Blank Form’ or quiz, or you can also choose from pre-built templates, based on what you are using the form for.
Further, you can configure the ‘Settings’ in Google Forms, make it a quiz if you haven’t selected the quiz, configure the ‘Responses’ settings and disable email addresses to keep it anonymous. To make Google Forms anonymous you have to make Google Forms responses anonymous. So, don’t collect email addresses or make it default required settings. Besides, you can restrict sign-ins and limit responses.
Now to the crucial part of creating a google form test i.e, adding content – Q&A. Beforehand, give a title and description to your form. With the Q&A format at the heart of Google Forms, the Workspace tool offers various question and response options, it totally depends upon what you’re using forms for.
Do you want to create a quiz, polls, surveys, or questionnaires for job interviews? It includes different question format types – multiple-choice, dropdown, short, long paragraphs, and the linear scale. Besides, you can also add videos, and images, and can import questions & answers. Further, you can add different sections to your forms, shuffle row or options orders (if you are creating a test), etc.
2. Make Google Form Anonymous (using ExtendedForms)
Moving towards the main step of this blog – to create anonymous Google Forms (both for admins & responses) along with that get the benefit of timer. To start with, we have to first install the add-on and then configure it.
- Go to ‘Add-ons’ through the ‘፧’ More option,
- Then search for ExtendedForms and install the extension.
- Once installed, you’ll see a puzzle shape icon on the top bar of the page (if you can’t see it, then refresh the page once).
- Click on ExtendedForms > Configure and a dialogue box will open on the right of the page. (If you can’t see the configure option, I suggest you refresh the page and then try).
[Warning: Make sure there are no warnings if you see any then click on “Fix Settings”]
In the settings box, you’ll see different options to configure:
Share Form – From here, you can make google forms anonymous. From the drop-down box, select ‘Link Anonymous’ you’ll see that ‘Restrict Attempts’ will be disabled (so ‘n’ number of respondents can take the forms) it is perfect for market survey types.
So, you then will get only the ‘time limit’ option which you can set as per requirement. Don’t forget to hit the “Save” button to save the settings.
As I mentioned earlier, with the help of the ExtendedForms add-on you can also hide the email-id of the admin making it anonymous from your end as well. To do so, just go over to the app’s dashboard,
Through the ‘Responses” option go to the ExtendedForms main settings page and see all the responses and pending invitations.
- Now, navigate to this icon ‘፧’
- Go to ‘Form Settings’, and unable ‘Hide Email-Id’ option.
When you preview it you won’t be able to see your email id on the top right side.
3. Share it
Once you have created google forms anonymously, it’s time to preview and share it. You can do it directly from Google Forms, in the ExtendedForms box settings, you will see the ‘share form link’ icon, click on it and the link will get copied you can now copy-paste it anywhere to share. Beforehand, preview the form by clicking on the ‘Preview’ button.
There is another way to share & preview it (it is an extra process), if you are in the dashboard, then under the ‘Forms’ category, click on the ‘share form link’ icon and copy the link. You can also shorten the URL (however it comes under paid plans). To preview, just click on the ‘eye’ icon.
Besides, the app has the feature of customizing the invitation or welcome screen. So, you can send an invitation to give a test by clicking on the ‘Send Invitation’ icon.
Conclusion
We are at the end of our topic – how to make Google Forms Anonymous? I hope this easy-read guide will help you to create anonymous forms. There is no secret ingredient other than the ExtendedForms add-on, which is for sure one of the best and easy-to-use timer add-ons.
You can definitely make your Google Forms anonymous and it is perfect for market surveys or polls type of use cases. However, for tests or recruitment processes, Google Forms anonymous is not feasible.
