If you're in search of a powerful and convenient tool to create surveys, quizzes, or polls for your studies or work, Microsoft Forms could be the answer. However, you may be unsure about its functionality and benefits compared to other alternatives. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore Microsoft Forms' capabilities and provide insights into its features and benefits, costs, ease of use, and alternative options.
What is Microsoft Forms?
Microsoft Forms is a web-based application that allows users to create surveys, quizzes, and polls for a variety of purposes, such as collecting customer feedback, conducting research, or assessing employee satisfaction. The platform is part of the Microsoft 365 suite and integrates with other Microsoft apps, such as Excel and Teams.
Features and Functions
Microsoft Forms comes with a range of features and functions that make it a popular choice for businesses and individuals alike. Some of its key features include:
Shareability with external users: Users can share their forms with external users, such as customers or clients, to collect responses from a wider audience.
Integration with Microsoft Excel in real-time: Users can sync their form responses with Excel in real-time, allowing them to view and analyze data as it is collected.
Create multilingual forms: Microsoft Forms supports multiple languages, allowing users to create forms in different languages to accommodate a diverse audience.
Response email notification: Users can receive email notifications when a respondent completes their form, ensuring that they are notified in real-time.
User anonymity: Microsoft Forms offers the option for users to remain anonymous when responding to a form, which can encourage more honest and candid feedback.
Customized thank you responses: Users can create customized thank you responses that appear when respondents complete their form, offering a more personalized experience.
Pros and Cons
Microsoft Forms has its advantages and disadvantages that users should consider before choosing it as their survey tool. Here are some of the pros and cons:
Pros:
Easy-to-use interface: Microsoft Forms has an intuitive and user-friendly interface that requires no technical knowledge or programming skills.
Customizability: Users can customize their forms to their specific needs by choosing from a range of templates, themes, and question types.
Integration with other Microsoft apps: Microsoft Forms integrates with other Microsoft apps, such as Excel and Teams, allowing users to easily sync and analyze their data.
Real-time response tracking: Users can track responses in real-time and get instant notifications, allowing for faster decision-making.
Shareability: Microsoft Forms allows users to share their forms with external users, making it easy to collect feedback from a wider audience.
Cons:
Limited functionality: Microsoft Forms may not be suitable for complex surveys or forms that require advanced question types or data analysis.
Limited customization options: While Microsoft Forms offers a range of customization options, it may not offer enough flexibility for users with specific branding needs or design preferences.
Security concerns: As a cloud-based tool, Microsoft Forms may pose security risks to sensitive data, and users should ensure that their data is encrypted and secure.
Internet-dependent: Microsoft Forms requires an internet connection to use, which may not be ideal for users with slow or unreliable internet connections.
No offline access: Users cannot access Microsoft Forms offline, which may limit its functionality for users who need to collect data in remote or offline areas.
New Features in 2023
Microsoft Forms has announced some exciting new features for 2023 that will enhance the user experience and make data collection more efficient. Here's a brief description of each feature:
Images in multiple choice questions: Users can now add images to multiple choice questions, allowing for more visual engagement and better understanding of the question.
Simplified “collect responses”: The process of collecting responses has been simplified, making it easier for users to share their forms and collect feedback from respondents.
Improved Themes: Microsoft Forms now offers improved themes and formatting options, allowing users to create more visually appealing forms.
Background Music: Users can now add background music to their forms, creating a more engaging and interactive experience for respondents.
Expanded template options: Microsoft Forms has added more template options, allowing users to choose from a wider range of pre-designed forms.
Form classification: Users can now classify their forms based on different categories or topics, making it easier to organize and analyze responses.
Instant polls: Users can create instant polls in Microsoft Forms, allowing for quick and easy feedback on specific topics or questions.
Multiple question polls: Microsoft Forms now allows for multiple question polls, enabling users to ask multiple questions in a single poll and collect more detailed feedback.
GetApp Rating
It's great to hear that Microsoft Forms has a positive rating on GetApp, which is an online platform that offers user reviews and ratings for business software applications. With a rating of 4.4 out of 5, Microsoft Forms is considered a high-quality survey tool that offers a range of features and functions that are beneficial to its users. This rating is a testament to the effectiveness of the tool in meeting the needs of its users and the quality of the support and resources that are available to them.
How to Get Access to Microsoft Forms?
To get started with Microsoft Forms, you can use your Microsoft Office 365 account or your Microsoft Outlook account. Here's a step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Log in to your Microsoft account, which could be your Microsoft 365 business or education school account, or your Microsoft Outlook account.
Step 2: Look for "Forms" in the list of Microsoft Office 365 applications.
Step 3: Select "Forms". Alternatively, you can go directly to the Microsoft Forms page and sign in with your Microsoft account credentials.
Once you're on the Forms page, you'll see a row of templates at the top with options to create a new form or a new quiz. If you've previously created one or more forms, you can find them in the "Recent" section, where you can access a list of recent forms as well as any forms you've pinned to the page for easy access. You can also click on "All My Forms" to view all of your previous forms. With these simple steps, you'll be able to access Microsoft Forms and start creating forms and quizzes for your business, school, or personal use.
How to Create and Share a Microsoft Form?
How to Create a Form Using Microsoft Forms?
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to get access to Microsoft Forms:
1. Open a web browser and go to the Microsoft Forms website (forms.office.com).
2. Click on the "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the screen.
3. Enter your Microsoft account login credentials (email and password) and click on the "Sign In" button.
4. Once you're logged in, you will be directed to the Microsoft Forms homepage where you can start creating your form.
5. Click on the "New Form" button located in the upper left corner of the screen to create a new form.
6. Give your form a title and description, then start adding questions and formatting your form to your liking.
7. When you're finished creating your form, click on the "Preview" button to see what your form will look like to your respondents.
8. If you're satisfied with your form, click on the "Collect Responses" button to share it with your respondents.
And that's it! You now know how to get access to Microsoft Forms and create your own forms.
How to Adjust Your Form Settings?
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to adjust the form settings in Microsoft Forms:
Step 1: Open Microsoft Forms
Log in to your Microsoft account and click on “Forms” to access the homepage of Microsoft Forms.
Step 2: Select the Form
Choose the form that you want to adjust the settings for by clicking on it from the list of available forms.
Step 3: Click on the “More Form Settings” Icon
In the top-right corner of the form, click on the “More form settings” icon which looks like three dots.
Step 4: Choose “Settings”
From the drop-down menu, choose “Settings”.
Step 5: Modify the Settings
You can now modify the form settings according to your needs.
How to Share Your Form?
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to share your form in Microsoft Forms:
Step 1: Open the form you want to share in Microsoft Forms.
Step 2: Click on the "Collect Responses" button located at the top right corner of the screen.
Step 3: Choose your preferred method of sharing, such as email or link, by clicking on the respective button.
Step 4: If you choose to share via email, enter the email addresses of the recipients in the "To" field, and add a message if you wish. Then click on "Send".
Step 5: If you choose to share via link, click on the "Copy link" button to copy the link to your clipboard, and then share it with your intended recipients through your preferred method.
Step 6: Once you have shared your form, you can track responses by clicking on the "Responses" tab located at the top of the screen. Here, you can view and analyze responses to your form or quiz.
Share Your Form to Collaborate
Microsoft Forms offers great collaboration features that allow users to work together in real-time. Here's how you can share your form to collaborate:
Step 1: Open the form or quiz you want to share in Microsoft Forms.
Step 2: Click on the More Options button (three dots icon) and select the Microsoft Forms icon for collaborate on or duplicate a form.
Step 3: If you don't see the Collaborate or Duplicate button, select the Share button and proceed to the next step.
Step 4: Under Share to collaborate, select + Get a link to view and edit.
Step 5: Click on Copy to copy the link.
Step 7: Share the link with your co-authors through email, Teams, or any other platform where they can access it.
Once you have shared the link, your co-authors will be able to access and edit the form in real-time, making collaboration more efficient and effective.
How to View the Results?
Here is a step-by-step guidance on how to view the survey results in Microsoft Forms:
Step 1: Sign in to Microsoft Forms using your Microsoft account credentials.
Step 2: Open the form for which you want to view the results.
Step 3: Click on the “Responses” tab in the top menu bar.
Step 4: You will now see a summary of the responses received so far. You can scroll down to view each response in detail or click on the “Open in Excel” button to export the responses to an Excel spreadsheet.
Step 5: If you want to analyze the responses, select “Open in Excel”. This will export the responses to an Excel spreadsheet that you can use to create charts and analyze the data.
Step 6: You can also download the individual response as PDF by clicking on the “Print response” button located next to the “View results” button.
Best Alternatives to Microsoft Forms
1. WPS Forms
WPS Forms is a free online form builder offered by WPS Office. It allows users to easily create and share forms without the need to sign up or log in. WPS Forms offers a simple and user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create professional-looking forms.
Features and Functions
No sign up or log in required
Drag-and-drop interface for easy form creation
Customizable form themes and backgrounds
Supports various question types such as text, multiple choice, drop-down, and file upload
Real-time data analysis and reporting
Option to password protect forms
Ability to integrate with third-party apps such as Google Sheets and Zapier
Pricing
WPS Forms is completely free to use, with no hidden costs or limitations on the number of forms or responses.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
No sign up or log in required, making it quick and easy to create forms
User-friendly drag-and-drop interface
Real-time data analysis and reporting
Completely free to use
Cons:
Limited customization options compared to some other form builders
Some advanced features such as conditional logic are not available
No option to embed forms directly on a website
2. Google Forms
Google Forms is a popular form creation tool that allows users to create surveys, quizzes, and questionnaires quickly and easily. Here is some information about Google Forms:
Features and Functions:
Google Forms offers various question types, including multiple choice, checkboxes, short and long answers, dropdown menus, and linear scales.
It allows users to add images and videos to their forms.
Users can customize the themes and colors of their forms to fit their brand or personal preferences.
Google Forms provides real-time responses and analytics, allowing users to see their data as it is collected.
It has the option to send email notifications to the form creator whenever someone responds to the form.
Google Forms offers the ability to collaborate on forms with others in real-time.
Pricing:
Google Forms is free to use.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
Google Forms is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
It offers a variety of question types and customization options.
It integrates seamlessly with Google Sheets, allowing for easy data analysis.
It is completely free to use.
Cons:
Google Forms may not be as feature-rich as some other form builders.
It lacks advanced features such as conditional logic.
Users must have a Google account to access and use Google Forms.
3. Typeform
Typeform is a powerful online survey and form builder that offers a wide range of customization options. It has a modern, sleek interface that is easy to use and highly customizable. Typeform also allows users to create conversational forms that feel more natural to respondents. It has a variety of question types, including multiple-choice, rating scales, and image selection.
Features and Functions:
Conversational form builder
Customizable templates and themes
Various question types including multiple-choice, rating scales, and image selection
Real-time data analysis and reporting
Integrations with other services like Zapier
Pricing:
Typeform offers a free plan with limited features, as well as paid plans starting at $25/month.
Pros:
Modern and customizable interface
Conversational form builder
Advanced customization options
Integrations with other services
Cons:
Expensive pricing for advanced features
Limited form and response limits on free plan
FAQs
Q1: Who can use Microsoft Forms?
Anyone with a Microsoft account can use Microsoft Forms, including users with personal Microsoft accounts and those with Microsoft 365 work or school accounts.
Q2: Can someone without a Microsoft account take my survey or quiz?
Yes, Microsoft Forms allows you to create and share surveys and quizzes with people who do not have a Microsoft account. You can choose to share the form with anyone with a link or through email, and they will be able to respond to the form without signing in.
Q3: Which web browsers work with Forms?
Microsoft Forms is compatible with the latest versions of Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. Internet Explorer is not supported.
