How to make a QR code for a Google Form
Open your form, click Send, choose the link tab and copy the link. Paste it into a free QR code generator, download the code, then scan it with a phone that is not signed in to your Google account to check the form opens for everyone.
7 September 2026
How to make a QR code for a Google Form, step by step
- Open your form in Google Forms.
- Click Send in the top right.
- Choose the link tab, marked with a chain icon. Tick Shorten URL if you want a shorter forms.gle link, which makes a simpler code.
- Click Copy.
- Open a QR code generator, choose the Link type and paste the link.
- Add a frame with a label such as "Scan for the survey", and your logo if you like.
- Download PNG for slides and screens, or SVG or PDF for print.
- Scan the code with a phone that is not signed in to your Google account and check that the form opens.
Use the share link, not the edit link
The most common mistake is copying the address from your browser bar while you are editing the form. That address ends in /edit and opens the editor, so anyone else who scans it sees a request for access instead of your questions.
The link from Send is the one to use. It ends in /viewform, or starts with forms.gle if you shortened it. If you already printed a code with the edit link, the only fix is a new code with the right link.
Form settings that stop people answering
Sometimes the code is right and the form is locked. Open the Settings tab in your form and check these before you print.
- Accepting responses is switched on in the Responses tab. A closed form shows a message saying it is no longer accepting responses.
- Restrict to users in your organisation is off, unless only colleagues or pupils with school accounts should answer.
- Collecting verified email addresses and limiting to one response both ask people to sign in to Google. Leave them off for public surveys.
- If the form uses file upload questions, respondents have to sign in. Remove them for a public form.
Where to put a Google Form QR code
A QR code works best where people have a moment and a reason to answer. Put it on the classroom screen for an exit ticket or quiz, on the back of an event programme for feedback, on a noticeboard for club sign-ups, on a till receipt for customer comments, or at a reception desk for visitor sign-in.
Tell people what they are scanning for and how long it takes, for example "Two-minute feedback survey". On paper, print the code at least 2 × 2 cm, and bigger on posters: about 10 cm wide for a poster read from a metre away. On a projected slide, make it large enough for the back row.
Test the code the way a stranger would
When you scan your own code on your own phone, Google already knows who you are, so a form that is locked to your organisation still opens. That hides the most common problems. Test on a phone that is signed out of Google, or open the link in a private browser window.
Check three things: the form opens without a sign-in screen, the first question is the one you expect, and a test response arrives in the Responses tab. Delete the test response afterwards so it does not skew your results. If you are printing in volume, print one copy first and scan it from where people will actually stand.
One form, several QR codes
If the same form runs in several places, you may want to know where each answer came from. Google Forms can make a pre-filled link: fill in a question such as "Where did you see this?" with a value like Poster A, copy that link, and make a code from it. Repeat for each location. Every response then arrives already tagged with its source.
For dozens of locations, put the links in a spreadsheet and use the bulk generator to turn the list into a ZIP of named QR codes.
Keeping your Google Form QR code working
You can edit questions, change the theme and clear old responses without changing the form's link, so a printed code keeps working. What breaks it is deleting the form, or making a copy and sharing the copy, which has a new address. For a new term or a new event, reuse the same form rather than starting fresh, and your existing posters still work.
The code itself should not expire either. Some QR code generators hand out dynamic codes that route through their own server and stop working when a free trial ends. A static code holds the form link directly, so it lasts as long as the form does.
