Creating a survey in Microsoft Forms

Overview
Creating a Microsoft Forms survey
Adding and editing survey questions
Customizing survey appearance
Previewing, finalizing, and sending a survey
Collaborating on a survey with colleagues
Additional resources

Overview

This guide provides instructions for creating a Microsoft Forms survey.

Quickstart samples

If you're in a hurry, you can jump to our walkthrough guide for setting up two common types of surveys:

Microsoft Forms sample survey: Event RSVP form
Microsoft Forms sample survey: Anonymous feedback survey

Microsoft Forms vs. other survey software

One of the biggest advantages of using Microsoft Forms is that Microsoft is approved by the OCISO for the storage of confidential data, including FERPA-protected data. This means that if you plan to collect sensitive information from respondents, you should use Microsoft Forms over other survey software such as Google Forms and Qualtrics.

If Microsoft Forms does not meet your needs, refer to our guide for more options: Understanding online survey tools at USC.

Creating a Microsoft Forms survey

Quick guide

Go to https://forms.microsoft.com, and click Sign in.
If you are prompted to sign in:
1. Type your @usc.edu email address, and click Next.
2. The Shibboleth page appears. Sign in using your USC NetID and passphrase.
3. The Duo page appears. Complete the verification.
The Microsoft Forms home page appears. To close any notifications, click Got it.
Click New Form.
Microsoft Forms creates a new blank form. Click Untitled form to rename the form. You can optionally add a description underneath the title.
You can now begin adding questions and answer choices to the survey.

Detailed guide (with screenshots)

Go to https://forms.microsoft.com, and click Sign in.
If you are prompted to sign in:
1. Type your @usc.edu email address, and click Next.
2. The Shibboleth page appears. Sign in using your USC NetID and passphrase.
3. The Duo page appears. Complete the verification.
The Microsoft Forms home page appears. To close any notifications, click Got it.
Click New Form.
Microsoft Forms creates a new blank form. Click Untitled form to rename the form. You can optionally add a description underneath the title.
You can now begin adding questions and answer choices to the survey.

Adding and editing survey questions

Add a question

Click + Add new question. On new blank forms, you may need to click + Quick start with.
Select a question type, and then fill out your question and any answer choices. Note that if you select the Upload File type, the survey can only be shared with respondents with an @usc.edu account.

Edit a question

Duplicate, delete, or reorder a question

You can duplicate, delete, or reorder questions using the icons on the upper right of each question.

Make a question required

To require a response to a question, select Required at the bottom of the question.

Add explanatory text to a question

To add explanatory text (such as an example or additional instructions) to a question, select the … icon and then select Subtitle.
You can now add text in the Subtitle field that appears below the question line.

Edit other options

Depending on the question type, different options will appear at the bottom of the question. For example:

If you selected Choice: The Multiple answers option, if selected, allows the respondent to select more than one choice (this will change the choices from radio buttons to checkboxes). You can also change the answer format to a dropdown selection by clicking the … icon and selecting Drop-down.
If you selected Text: The Long answer option, if selected, allows the respondent to type a longer response.

Remove question numbering

By default, survey questions are numbered. To remove question numbering:

Click Settings at the top of the form.
The Settings panel appears to the right. Select the checkbox Disable question number for respondents.

Customize the end of survey message

By default, once a respondent submits their survey, the message they receive is "Your response was submitted." You can customize this message:

Click Settings at the top of the form.
The Settings panel appears to the right. Select the checkbox Customize thank you message, and type a new message.

Customizing survey appearance

You can customize the survey background and header:

Quick guide

Click Style at the top of the form.
The Styles panel appears to the right:
- To change the header format, select a different layout.
- To change the background, select a different image.
- To add your own background image or color, click Customized, and then click +. You can now add an image or customize the color.
You can also add a logo to the header:
1. Click the form title to select it.
2. Select the media icon to the right of the form title.
3. Click Upload, and upload the logo. It will be added to the header above the form title.

Detailed guide (with screenshots)

Click Style at the top of the form.
The Styles panel appears to the right:
- To change the header format, select a different layout.
- To change the background, select a different image.
- To add your own background image or color, click Customized, and then click +. You can now add an image or customize the color.
You can also add a logo to the header:
1. Click the form title to select it.
2. Select the media icon to the right of the form title.
3. Click Upload, and upload the logo. It will be added to the header above the form title.

Previewing, finalizing, and sending a survey

Preview survey

To preview the survey, click Preview at the top of the form.

Review and finalize survey settings

Click Settings at the top of the form, and then review the Settings panel that appears to the right of the form.

Some options you can configure are:

Decide whether the survey will be public or limited to USC respondents
Optionally set the time range that the survey will be open
Receive an email notification whenever a respondent submits a response

Send survey

Click Collect responses at the top of the form.
To obtain the survey link:
1. Select the checkbox Shorten URL.
2. Click Copy link.
3. You can now paste this link elsewhere, such as in an email or on a website.
You can also optionally send the survey link in an email, generate a QR code, or obtain the embed code to paste onto a webpage.

Collaborating on a survey with colleagues

To share the survey in editable mode with a colleague:

Quick guide

In the upper right above the form, click the … icon and select Collaborate or Duplicate.
Under "Add collaborators," click + Share the link to collaborate and view result.
Change the option from Anyone with an Office 365 work or school account to Specific people in USC.
- You can leave "Anyone…" selected if you need to collaborate with non-USC colleagues, but they must have an Office 365 account.
Type your colleague's email address to add them as a collaborator.

Detailed guide (with screenshots)

In the upper right above the form, click the … icon and select Collaborate or Duplicate.
Under "Add collaborators," click + Share the link to collaborate and view result.
Change the option from Anyone to Specific people in USC.

You can leave "Anyone…" selected if you need to collaborate with non-USC colleagues, but they must have an Office 365 account.
Type your colleague's email address to add them as a collaborator.

Be aware that, while you can add colleagues as collaborators, it is not possible to transfer ownership of a form from one individual's account to another's.

Additional resources

Microsoft Forms help & learning (Microsoft resource website)
Understanding online survey tools at USC (DTS guide)