Adding Branching Logic to Microsoft Forms
- Click the three dots in the bottom right of the questions, select More settings for question. Click Add branching.
- On the Branching options page, add in your branching logic.
- Add additional branches to the form on any question by repeating steps 1 and 2.
- Once you have completed adding the branching logic to the form, click Share.
Have you ever been halfway through a form or survey only to realize that many of the questions are not relevant to you? This can be a frustrating user experience because it feels like you’re wasting time or you’re not the right target audience for the form.
To avoid making your survey participants feel this way, you can use branching logic when setting up the form or survey. Branching logic is a way to create a custom question path based on a respondent’s previous answers. When applied to a form, users only see questions that are relevant to them based on answers they have already given, making it more likely they will complete the form and ensuring that you get more accurate data overall.
Victoria Blasich, project manager with Freemind Seattle, a Microsoft-approved vendor, uses the Microsoft Forms branching feature in many different situations. “We run content management for trade shows and often ask community members to submit topics for sessions they want to host,” says Blasich. “In this case, we’d use branching early on in the form to determine if the respondent wants to run a virtual or in-person session because depending on what they select, each type will have very different requirements and questions in the form.”
Pro Tip
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How to add Microsoft Forms branching logic
Before you begin adding branching logic in Microsoft Forms, you have to sign in, set up the form, and add all of your questions.
“Write down your list for branching on paper or in Microsoft Word or Excel before you get started,” says Blasich. “You will need to have all your questions in the form before you can branch. Unfortunately, there is no way to build questions to branch as you go.”
It may help to create a visual diagram to see how the questions should branch based on respondents’ answers. You can use the diagram to guide you as you set up branching logic in Microsoft Forms.
Once you have all your questions in the form, follow these steps to add branching logic.
- To add a branch to a question, click the three dots in the bottom right of the questions to see More settings for question. Click Add branching.
- Once on the Branching options page, add in your branching logic. This is where your branching diagram comes in handy to help you figure out which questions the user can skip or which questions the user can answer instead of others.
- Add additional branches to the form on any question by repeating steps 1 and 2.
- Once you have completed adding the branching logic to the form, click Share.
A few branching tips
Take note of these special considerations as you’re setting up your forms.
- Branching sections: You are not limited to only branching questions. You can branch entire sections in Microsoft Forms. To do so, you have to organize your questions in the form in sections first.
In the section you want to branch, click the three dots on the right to see More settings for section, and click Add branching. Blasich says to avoid jumping back and forth through the form, try branching within a section instead of going from one section to another.
- Branching rules: You cannot branch a question to a preceding question, only one that comes after it. For example, you cannot branch from question 3 to question 2. You can only go from question 3 to questions 4, 5, 6, and so on.
- Final question: When using branching logic, you can select a specific question to be the last question on the form. Click the drop-down menu on that question and click End of the form.
- Form reset: If you want to remove the branching logic on a question, go back to the Branching options page for that question, click More options in the upper right and then Reset. This will retain the question but remove the branching logic.
- Preview: Blasich recommends using the preview feature to ensure everything appears exactly how you want it. You can also see how the form will look on desktop or mobile by clicking the Preview button.
Using Microsoft Forms’ branching logic feature will help ensure a smooth user experience — and improve your chances of getting the data you need.
This article is originally published on Feb 24, 2022, and updated on Jan 06, 2023.
FAQs
How do I add a branching option in Microsoft Forms? ›
Select More settings for question
, and then choose Add branching. , and then choose Add branching. On the Branching options page, select the drop-down list next to the question you want to branch. Select the question that you want to branch to.
You will find the option at the bottom of the question choices in the “Rows” settings panel. When you check the option, the input field will be enabled. By default, the placeholder text in the input will be “Other”, however, you can change this to anything you want.
How do I automate data entry in Microsoft Forms? ›- Go to Microsoft Power Automate, select. ...
- Under Flow name, give your flow a name or one will be generated for you.
- In the search box under Choose your flow's trigger, type forms.
- In the search results, select When a new response is submitted, and then select Create.
- On the form template, select the control that you want to add conditional formatting to, and then click Conditional Formatting on the Format menu.
- In the Conditional Formatting dialog box, click Add.
- In the If this condition is true boxes, enter the condition.
You can allow the responders to submit multiple responses via unchecking the One Response per person.
How can multiple people see responses in Microsoft Forms? ›If your Microsoft Forms settings are all on in Office 365 admin center > then Navigate to Settings > Services & add-ins > click Microsoft Forms > Turn on External and Internal Sharing > Click Save. You can now share the Forms to another person, the person can see the results and export the data to Excel.
Can you combine two forms in Microsoft Forms? ›If you enable form merging for a form template, your users can consolidate data from many different forms that are based on that form template into one new form. This is useful when your users want to compare or summarize data from several forms.
Can Microsoft Forms randomize questions? ›Shuffle questions - When this is unchecked (default setting), questions are displayed to respondents in the same order you created them. When this option is checked, the order of questions displayed will be randomly shuffled. Each respondent sees the questions in a different sequence.
Can you add a comments box in Microsoft Forms? ›Re: Can you add a comments box to forms? @Matt PICKLES no unfortunately you can't add a comments box to a form.
Can you loop questions in Microsoft Forms? ›As a provider can have several facilities, we need to repeat the set of questions for each facility/center. Since looping back to the same questions is not possible with MS Forms, I have used branching to include repeated a section of questions for each facility / center.
Can Microsoft Forms be dynamic? ›
Microsoft Forms is the answer! With dynamic forms and quizzes, you can add interest and engagement for your colleagues and learners. Microsoft Forms provides an easy way to create custom forms and quizzes for your needs. You can use pre-built templates or create your own from scratch.
How do I fetch data from Microsoft Forms? ›To retrieve it, go to your Forms app. You can also click the Menu icon on the top left corner > All apps > Forms > Group forms. A new window opens. info Microsoft Forms don't automatically create an Excel file to retrieve your Form responses when used with OneDrive, you will have to do it manually.
Can you use Microsoft Forms as a booking system? ›The Microsoft Bookings app in Teams will be integrated with Microsoft 365 Forms to support your workflow for virtual visits from start to finish. Administrators and schedulers can enable the collection of pre-visit data for virtual visits by linking Microsoft 365 Forms to appointments in the Bookings app in Teams.
How do I create a custom conditional formatting rule? ›- Select the range of cells, the table, or the whole sheet that you want to apply conditional formatting to.
- On the Home tab, click Conditional Formatting.
- Click New Rule.
- Select a style, for example, 3-Color Scale, select the conditions that you want, and then click OK.
You can add many conditional formats to the same cell and range in order to get the desired effect.
How to do sub questions in Microsoft Forms? ›- In Microsoft Forms, open the survey, questionnaire, or other type of form for which you want to add sections.
- Select + Add new.
- Select More question types (chevron symbol).
- Select Section.
- Add a section title and description to provide more context for the questions in this section.
200,000 characters is the maximum allowed for total responses per form. For example, if a form contains five text questions, and the respondent has already reached the 200,000- character limit by the fourth question, they won't be able to provide a response for the fifth question.
How many submissions can you have on Jotform? ›Free Plan – the limit is to 1,000 form views per month. Bronze Plan – the limit is set to 10,000 form views per month. Silver Plan – the limit is set to 100,000 form views per month. Gold Plan – the limit is set to 1,000,000 form views per month.
Can you have more than 6 options in Microsoft Forms? ›Remember, you're limited to six answers. If you want to allow multiple answers per person, toggle Multiple answers to be enabled.
Can Microsoft Forms send email based on response? ›Search for "send email" and select the Office 365 Outlook action Send an email (V2). Enter the recipients, subject, and body of the email. Select dynamic content to include details from the form response in your email.
Can multiple people see results of Microsoft Forms? ›
Anyone who has access to the link will be able to see all your form results. Sharing Microsoft Forms is even easier thanks to its integration with the rest of the Office 365 suite.
Can Microsoft Forms send a copy of responses? ›After submitting responses, respondents will see a link to print or download a PDF of their responses, which includes a thank you message and a list of their responses.
Can Microsoft Forms limit number of responses to a question? ›In Microsoft Forms, we can set the Start and End time and the form will accept responses during this time only but there's no option/setting in the from itself to limit the number of responses. You can, however, consider creating the flow in Power Automate to set this limitation.
Can you customize Microsoft Forms? ›To give your survey, quiz, or other type of form some visual flair, apply a theme, add your own background image, or customize the background color. In Microsoft Forms, open the form for which you want to apply a theme. Select Theme to choose a color or background image.
Can you have multiple text answers in Microsoft Forms? ›I understand that you want to have multiple text boxes for one question. This feature is not available in Microsoft Forms. We can only use one question one text box information.
Can I merge two forms on Jotform? ›If you want to merge the submissions, you can use the combine submission app https://www.jotform.com/integrations/combine-submissions.
Can you group forms in Microsoft Forms? ›Note: If you've created a form or quiz in your own account, you can transfer it to a group so it can be accessed and managed by all team members of that group. If you want everyone in the group to receive email notifications when form responses come in, you'll need to change a setting in Outlook.
Can a Microsoft Form have two owners? ›If you've created a survey, quiz, or poll, you can easily move it to a group so everyone in your group becomes an owner of that form. Group co-authors can help add content, analyze responses, and share the form with others. Note: If you're an admin, you can transfer the form of someone who has left your organization.
What is the difference between a quiz and a form in Microsoft Forms? ›The difference between creating a new Form vs a new Quiz is that in Quizzes you can add answers and scores, as well as math equations, you can also provide feedback on the users selected answer - explaining why it is right or wrong.
Can the owner of Microsoft Forms detect cheating? ›No, Microsoft Forms does not detect cheating. Microsoft Forms is not designed to detect cheating, but it can be used to help prevent it.
Are Microsoft Forms responsive? ›
Anyone can respond - Anyone inside or outside of your organization can submit responses to your form or quiz. Only people in my organization can respond - Only people within your organization, signed in with a work or school account, can submit responses to your form or quiz.
How do I make a comment box in a form? ›The <textarea> Tag
This tag defines the comment box within the form. For an explanation of all the attributes, see the HTML textarea tag specifications.
Open the form or report in Design view by right-clicking the form or report in the Navigation Pane, and then clicking Design View. On the Design tab, in the Controls group, click Text Box. Position the pointer where you want the text box to be placed on the form or report, and then click to insert the text box.
Can Microsoft Forms do logic? ›Adding Branching Logic to Microsoft Forms
Click the three dots in the bottom right of the questions, select More settings for question. Click Add branching. On the Branching options page, add in your branching logic. Add additional branches to the form on any question by repeating steps 1 and 2.
Forms, which Microsoft set free for consumers in 2020, isn't going away. But on Teams, the Forms app is being replaced with a new app called "Polls" via Microsoft Forms, with a Teams-branded icon.
Can you connect Microsoft Forms to a database? ›A form can have one primary data connection, called the main data connection, and it can optionally have one or more secondary data connections. Depending on your goals for the form, a data connection might query or submit form data to an external data source, such as a Microsoft SQL Server database or a Web service.
Can Microsoft Forms automatically update Excel? ›You can update your Excel spreadsheet dynamically if you're on a Microsoft 365 Business account. To do this, you'll create a survey form that can write responses dynamically to Excel directly from OneDrive.
Can Microsoft Forms pull data from Excel? ›Microsoft makes it possible to create Forms right from an Excel spreadsheet. When you do this, it will link the spreadsheet to the form and continue to add the data.
Where does Microsoft Forms data get stored? ›Microsoft Forms data is stored on servers in the United States, with the exception of data for European-based tenants. The data for European-based tenants is stored on servers in Europe.
How do I create a Microsoft booking system? ›In Teams, select Bookings > Get started. Choose New booking calendar or Existing booking calendar. Type in a business or department name — this name will be displayed in emails and used for the email address to send booking invites. Add more details, and then select Save.
What Microsoft program is best for fillable forms? ›
Use the Microsoft Word Developer Tab controls like a pro. Create a fillable Word document. Customize a fillable Word document. Protect, save, and share a fillable form in Word.
Is Microsoft Forms the same as SharePoint? ›Forms and SharePoint surveys provide two similar solutions. Forms is easier to use, which makes it a better solution for people who are not SharePoint administrators. SharePoint Online provides a more mature and feature rich solution, but it is more complicated to use.
How do I create sections in a form? ›- In Forms, open a form or quiz.
- Click Add section. Untitled section and enter a name for the section and, optionally, a description.
- At the top of a question, click Move. and drag the question to a different section.
- (Optional) Do any of these options: To create a new question, click Add question. .
Microsoft Forms allows you to quickly create surveys with various question types, including choice fields. There may be times, where the number of choices is very large (for example, US states). Based on some initial assessment on the Choice field, there is a limitation of 60 options that can get stored for a response.
How do I add a branching logic to a Sharepoint list? ›On the Settings menu, select Survey Settings. Under Questions, select the question to which you want to add branching logic. Under Branching Logic, for each possible response to the question, select the question that you want to branch to.
How many responses can Microsoft Forms handle? ›200,000 characters is the maximum allowed for total responses per form. For example, if a form contains five text questions, and the respondent has already reached the 200,000- character limit by the fourth question, they won't be able to provide a response for the fifth question.
How do I create a multi page form in MS forms? ›Create new multistep form
Select Edit on the site you want to add a page to. Add a section on any page. Choose Multistep form from component library. Select on + New multistep form.
Shuffle questions - When this is unchecked (default setting), questions are displayed to respondents in the same order you created them. When this option is checked, the order of questions displayed will be randomly shuffled. Each respondent sees the questions in a different sequence.
Can two people edit Microsoft Forms? ›Your co-authors can view and make edits to your form on their mobile devices. As the form owner, you can fully collaborate from mobile, including adding and removing people and groups.
Which is an example of branch logic? ›Branching Logic, also known as skip logic, may be employed when fields in the database need to be hidden during certain circumstances. For example, it may be best to hide fields related to pregnancy if the subject in the database is male.
What is branching logic? ›
Branching logic, also known as skip logic or branching eLearning scenarios, creates a custom path based on a user's response. Branching logic is commonly used throughout eLearning courses or when surveying users. It may be helpful to think of branching logic as a choose your own adventure book.
How do I link a SharePoint list to a form? ›- Change the Form ID to point to your MS Form.
- Change the Site Address to point to your SharePoint site.
- Change the List Name to point to your SharePoint list.
- Add the Forms Response fields to each SharePoint Column in the Create Item action.
- Save and test the workflow.