Environment
U-M Google, Google Forms, Google Drive
Issue
How can I share Google Form responses and uploaded attachments with other people?
Resolution
Google Form responses and attachments (e.g., file uploads) are available only to the owner and collaborators by default.
- Both the owner and collaborators will have the ability to view and delete these form responses
- The form responses can be viewed from the "Responses" tab for the Google Form or from the associated Google Sheet used to capture the responses
- Similarly, the form attachments can be viewed from the "Responses" tab or from the associated Google Drive folder for storing the files uploaded by the respondents
- The form attachments are also linked in the Google Sheet used for responses; however, they can only be accessed if the Google Drive folder is shared as well
If someone should only be able to view the responses, then it will be best to share the associated Google Sheet and/or Google Drive folder for the Google Form per the instructions provided below. Please note that only the owner or collaborators with sharing permissions of the Form can perform these steps.
How to Share Google Form Responses:
- Select the "Responses" tab for the Google Form
- Click the Google Sheets icon near the top of the page to open the responses Google Sheet
- Click the "Share" button in the top-right corner of the Google Sheet
- Add the people you'd like to share the responses with and click "Send"
How to Share Google Form Attachments:
- Select the "Responses" tab for the Google Form
- Navigate to the attachment section of the Google Form responses
- Click "View Folder" in the top-right corner of the file upload section to open the Google Drive folder
- Click the folder name near the top of the page, then select "Share" from the menu
- Add the people you'd like to share the responses with and click "Send"
Additional Information
Note: The "Upload" option in Google Forms will not be available if the Form is stored in a Google shared drive. This means that there will be no ability to collect and share Google Form attachments.
More information on how to share files in Google can be found at //support.google.com/docs/answer/2494822?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en#zippy=
Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.
Google
has changed the way Forms can be shared as “View Only.” Please see this post for current information. At a recent training, I was asked how to share a Google Form as “View Only” so collaborators could make a copy of the form and adapt it for their own needs without the original form being changed in any way.
Forms are a different kind of Google app. Where other apps have a big blue Share button in the corner, Forms have a Send Form button.
Of course, you could send them the link to the live form, but that doesn’t give them the ability to copy the form so they can edit the questions on it. The key is in the warning note Google has added.
For Google, Forms are merely a way to get data into a spreadsheet. If you want to give people view only access to a form so they can make and edit their own copies of it, all you need to do is give them access to the spreadsheet that contains the responses, even if there are no responses yet.
At the top of your form, click the View responses button.
When the spreadsheet opens, click the blue Share button and add your collaborators, giving them view only access. Instruct them to make their own copy of the spreadsheet.
Once they have opened their copy of your spreadsheet, all they have to do is go to the Form menu and select Edit form. This will give them access to their copy of your original form, which they can edit and change to meet their own needs.
Important: If your form responses contain sensitive data, you should not share the response spreadsheet. In this case, I would recommend that you make your own copy of your form. The questions will be the same, but the spreadsheet with the responses will be empty, so you can share it without worrying about revealing information that should be kept private.