How Do I Create a QR Code for a Google Form?

To create a QR code for a Google Form, publish the form, click Share and Copy responder link, then turn that link into a QR code. Chrome can do it for free with Create QR code, or you can paste the link into any QR generator. Before you print it, scan the code on a phone that isn’t signed in to your account.

What you need before you make the code

A Google Form QR code only works if the form behind it is open to the people scanning it. Three things decide that: the form is published, the right audience can respond, and you have the responder link rather than the edit link.

Google changed this part. Google’s help page on sharing forms now says: “Before responders can access your form, you need to publish it.” It also says that “If the form is unpublished, responders with the link can’t access it.” Older guides skip this, because the step didn’t exist when they were written.

Check these before you generate anything:

• The top right of the form shows Published.
• Under Manage, the right people can respond (anyone with the link, or a set audience).
• You’re copying the link meant for responders, not the address in your browser bar while editing.

How to create a Google Form QR code, step by step

The method has two halves: get the right link from Google Forms, then turn it into an image.

1. Open your form and click Publish. Click Manage to choose who can respond, then Done and Publish.
2. At the top right, click Share, then Copy responder link.
3. Tick Shorten URL and click Copy. Google’s help says you can copy a short link once the form is published.
4. Paste the link into Chrome’s address bar and open it, so you’re on the live form.
5. Make the code (see the two options below) and download it as a PNG or SVG.
6. Scan it with a phone that isn’t signed in to your Google account.

Third-party guides such as SlashGear’s walkthrough follow the same steps but leave out the publish step and the signed-out test.

Option 1: Chrome’s built-in QR code

Chrome makes a static QR code for any page you have open, with no extra tool. Chrome’s help page on sharing tabs lists the steps:

• Computer: select More, then Cast, save, and share, then Create QR code. Select Download to save it.
• Android: tap More next to the toolbar, then Share…, then QR Code.
• iPhone or iPad: tap Share at the top, then Create a QR Code.

The xFanatical guide points to the same option. It’s the fastest route for a classroom handout or a one-off poster.

Option 2: a QR generator, static or dynamic

A generator gives you more control over colors, size and file type, and it’s the only way to get a dynamic code. The choice between static and dynamic matters more than the styling.

	Static code	Dynamic code
What’s inside the pattern	The form link itself	A short redirect link
Change the form after printing	No, reprint	Yes, edit the destination
Scan counts	None	Yes, from the redirect
Depends on a third party	No	Yes, the redirect service

A static code is fine for a form you’ll use once. If you print the same code on a flyer every term, or on a sign that stays up for months, a dynamic one saves the reprint. Our dynamic vs static QR code guide covers the trade-off.

Use the short forms.gle link

The short link makes a simpler code. The long docs.google.com address packs more characters into the pattern. DENSO WAVE, which invented the QR code, explains that “as the amount of data increases, more modules are required to comprise QR Code, resulting in larger QR Code symbols.” Versions run from 21 x 21 modules up to 177 x 177.

Fewer modules means bigger squares at the same print size, which helps on a small sticker or a name badge. If your code scans badly when printed small, the link length is one cause. Our guides on QR code size for printing and QR codes that won’t scan cover the others.

Test it signed out

Test the code on a phone that isn’t signed in to your Google account. On your own phone, you’re logged in as the owner, so a form can open for you and still fail for everyone else.

Two settings cause most of the “you need permission” screens:

• Restricted access. Google’s help says owners “can restrict the access to a domain, trusted audience, or group of users.” A school form limited to the school domain won’t open for parents scanning a flyer.
• Limit to 1 response. Google says that with this on, “users must sign in to their Google Account” to fill out the form. That’s fine for staff surveys, and a real barrier at a public event.

Picture a teacher who prints a sign-up sheet for a parents’ evening and scans it on their own phone. It works. On the night, half the parents hit a sign-in page. A thirty-second test in a private browser window or on a friend’s phone catches that.

What scanners see after the form closes

A printed code keeps working long after the form stops being useful, so plan the ending. In Google’s help on managing responses, you click Published, then turn off Accepting responses, or set a close date or response limit.

People who scan after that see a message that the form is no longer accepting responses, or a custom one. Set the custom message under “Responders will see this message when the form is closed for responses.” Something like “Sign-ups closed on Friday. Email the office if you missed it” beats a dead end.

My take: if the code will stay on a wall or in a printed brochure, use a dynamic code. When the form closes, you point the code at a results page or next term’s form, instead of leaving a closed form behind.

Where QRAnalytica fits, and its limit

QRAnalytica makes dynamic codes: the pattern holds a short link that redirects to your form, so you can change the destination after printing and see scans by city, country and device. That’s useful for an event sign-up, where you want to know which poster brought people in. You can make one with the QR code generator.

Dynamic codes run through QRAnalytica’s redirect servers, so the code depends on that service staying up. For a single classroom form, Chrome’s free static code is the simpler choice. Also, scan counts aren’t form responses: someone can scan, read the questions and leave. Compare scans with the response count in Google Forms to see the drop-off.

If you also want to know which flyer or channel sent each respondent, a pre-filled link helps. Google’s help describes it: More, Pre-fill form, fill in a question like “Where did you hear about us?”, then Get link. One code per flyer, each with its own pre-filled answer. For printed campaigns, see our QR code flyer guide.

FAQ

Does Google Forms have a built-in QR code generator?

No. Google’s help page on publishing and sharing a form doesn’t mention QR codes. Copy the responder link and use Chrome’s Create QR code option or any QR generator.

Why does my Google Form QR code say I need permission?

Usually the form isn’t published, or access is limited to a domain or group. Google says responders with the link can’t access an unpublished form. Check that the top right shows Published and who can respond.

Do people need a Google account to fill in my form?

Only if your settings require it. If you turn on Limit to 1 response, Google says users must sign in to their Google Account to access and fill out the form.

Can I change which form a printed QR code opens?

Not with a static code, because the form link is stored in the pattern. A dynamic QR code stores a short redirect link instead, so you can point it at a different form later.

What do people see if they scan the code after the form closes?

Google shows that the form is no longer accepting responses, or a custom message you write. Set that message before an event ends.

Sources

• Publish & share your form with responders, Google Docs Editors Help
• View & manage form responses, Google Docs Editors Help
• Share tabs in Chrome, Google Chrome Help
• Information capacity and versions of QR Code, DENSO WAVE
• How To Create A QR Code For A Google Form, SlashGear
• How to generate a QR code for Google Form, xFanatical