Is Google Forms Free? Yes, Plus the New 2026 Response Limits

For small businesses, Google Forms is often the quickest free way to run a client survey, an event sign-up, a feedback form or a simple order form. It saves straight to Google Drive, and the responses can go into Google Sheets.

What you get with free Google Forms

• Online surveys, quizzes and forms you can send to anyone
• Responses you can analyse in real time, by summary, by question or one response at a time
• Collaborators who can edit the form and see responses with you
• Quizzes with points and feedback when you collect email addresses
• File upload questions, with limits on file type, number and size that you set

Google Forms limits at a glance

Limit	What Google says	Why it matters
Storage per form	1 GB total, from September 2026	Includes the form and response data, not uploaded files
Responses per form	500k, from September 2026	Only matters for very large surveys
File upload questions	Responders must sign in to a Google Account	Puts off people without one
Uploaded files	Stored in a new folder in the owner's Google Drive	They use your storage
Shared drives	File upload isn't supported if the form is in a shared drive	Move the form to My Drive first

The catch: file uploads force people to sign in

This is the limit that trips up most small business forms. Google says that to answer a file upload question, responders need to sign in to a Google Account. If your customers or applicants don't have one, or don't want to sign in, they'll abandon the form. For a public enquiry form, leave file uploads out and ask people to email attachments instead.

The uploaded files go into a new folder in your Google Drive, which means they count towards the storage your free account shares with Gmail and Google Photos, up to 15 GB. Google's storage help also lists files created or edited in Forms after 1 June 2021 as counting against your quota.

The second catch: new limits from September 2026

Google's response help now carries a notice that starting in September 2026, Forms will have new limits of 1 GB total storage and 500k responses per form. For a normal survey that's plenty, but if you run one long-lived form for years, such as a single booking or feedback form that never closes, it's worth starting a fresh form each year and archiving the old responses in Sheets.

How to create a free Google Form

1. Go to drive.google.com, click New, then Google Forms, or open Google Forms directly.
2. Add your questions and choose the right type for each, such as multiple choice, scale or short answer.
3. Turn on email collection if you need to know who replied or want to grade a quiz.
4. Send the form by link, email or embed, and check it on a phone first.
5. Open the Responses tab to see the summary, or link the form to a Google Sheet.

I've got step-by-step guides on how to limit responses in Google Forms if you're running a sign-up with a cap, and a comparison of Google Forms alternatives if you need payments, logic or branding it doesn't do.

What small businesses use free Google Forms for

• Client feedback and testimonial requests after a project
• Event and webinar sign-ups, with a cap on places
• Simple order or booking requests that you then confirm by email
• Quizzes as lead magnets, with points and feedback for each answer
• Internal forms such as holiday requests or content briefs

Google says you can see automatic summaries of responses and switch between viewing responses by question or one at a time, which is usually enough analysis for a small survey. For anything more detailed, send the responses to Google Sheets and work with them there.

Before you rely on free Google Forms: a quick checklist

• Leave file upload questions off public forms so nobody is forced to sign in.
• Keep forms in My Drive rather than a shared drive if you need file uploads.
• Start a new form each year for anything that stays open, ahead of the per-form limits.
• Link responses to Google Sheets so you have a copy you can sort and filter.
• Watch your 15 GB if people upload files, since those land in your Drive.

If you're collecting personal details, keep the form short and only ask for what you need. Every extra question lowers the number of people who finish, and every piece of personal data you collect is something you then have to look after carefully in your Google Drive and Sheets.

My advice

Google Forms is free, reliable and good enough for most small business surveys and sign-ups. Keep public forms free of file upload questions so nobody has to sign in, start a new form each year for anything that runs continuously, and keep an eye on your 15 GB if you collect files. If you need a branded form that takes payments, that's when to look elsewhere.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make a quiz in Google Forms for free?

Yes. Google Forms lets you create quizzes, assign points and leave feedback on individual responses when you collect email addresses.

Can I see Google Forms responses in a spreadsheet?

Yes. You can view responses in the form itself, by summary, question or individual response, or create the form from Google Sheets so responses sit in a spreadsheet.

Is Google Forms completely free?

Yes. Google Forms is free with a personal Google Account. Forms and uploaded files count towards your account's free storage of up to 15 GB.

Do people need a Google Account to fill in a Google Form?

Not usually, but Google says responders must sign in to a Google Account to answer a file upload question.

Is there a limit on Google Forms responses?

Google says that from September 2026, Forms will have limits of 1 GB total storage and 500k responses per form.

Where do Google Forms file uploads go?

Google says uploaded files are stored in a new folder in the form owner's Google Drive.

Can I use file upload in a shared drive form?

No. Google says the file upload question isn't available when the form is stored in a shared drive.