In certain situations, you may need to add an additional layer of security to your Google Form by password-protecting it. While Google Forms does not have a native password protection feature, you can still achieve this by leveraging Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) and Google Sheets. In this article, we will guide you through the steps to password-protect a Google Form.
Here’s how you can password-protect a Google Form using Google Workspace and Google Sheets:
- Create your Google Form: Start by visiting forms.google.com and create your form. Add the necessary questions, customize the settings, and ensure your form is ready for use.
- Set up a password field in your form: Add a “Short answer” question to your form and label it as “Password” or any other relevant name. This field will be used to enter the password.
- Create a Google Sheets spreadsheet: Open Google Sheets and create a new spreadsheet. This spreadsheet will store the form responses and handle the password validation.
- Link the form to the spreadsheet: In the Google Form editor, go to the “Responses” tab, click on the Google Sheets icon, and select “Create a new spreadsheet.” This will link your form responses to the newly created spreadsheet.
- Open the script editor: In the Google Sheets spreadsheet, go to “Extensions” and select “Apps Script.” This will open the Apps Script editor in a new tab.
- Write the script: Replace the default code in the Apps Script editor with the provided script. This script will validate the password entered in the form.
- Save the script: Click on the floppy disk icon or go to “File” > “Save” to save the script.
- Enable the script: Go to “Edit” > “Current project’s triggers” in the Apps Script editor. Set up a trigger to run the script’s function on form submission. Save the trigger settings.
By following these steps, you can effectively password-protect your Google Form. When someone submits the form, the script will check if the entered password matches the one you specified. If the password is correct, the form response will be recorded in the spreadsheet. If the password is incorrect, the response will be deleted, and an error message will be displayed.
By password-protecting your Google Form, you can ensure that only individuals with the correct password can submit responses, adding an extra layer of security to your form.
FAQs
How do I create a password field in my Google Form?
Answer:
To create a password field, add a “Short answer” question to your Google Form and label it as “Password” or any other relevant name.
Can I use any password for my Google Form?
Answer:
Yes, you can specify any password you prefer. Ensure it is secure and known only to authorized individuals.
What happens if someone enters the incorrect password in the Google Form?
Answer:
If the password entered is incorrect, the form response will be deleted, and an error message will be displayed.
Can I change the password for my password-protected Google Form?
Answer:
Yes, you can change the password by modifying the script code in the Google Sheets spreadsheet associated with the form.
Is it possible to remove the password protection from a Google Form?
Answer:
Yes, you can remove the password protection by modifying the script code or removing the script entirely from the Google Sheets spreadsheet.
Can I have multiple password-protected Google Forms using the same spreadsheet?
Answer:
Yes, you can have multiple password-protected Google Forms using the same spreadsheet. Each form will require its own password field and associated script code.
Can I customize the error message displayed for an incorrect password?
Answer:
Yes, you can customize the error message by modifying the script code in the Google Sheets spreadsheet.
What happens if I accidentally delete the Apps Script in the Google Sheets spreadsheet?
Answer:
If you accidentally delete the Apps Script, you can recreate it by following the steps outlined in the tutorial.
Can I view the deleted form responses in the Google Sheets spreadsheet?
Answer:
No, the deleted form responses will be permanently removed from the Google Sheets spreadsheet.
Can I use the password protection feature on existing Google Forms?
Answer:
Yes, you can add password protection to existing Google Forms by following the steps outlined in the article.
