How to Send Files to Participants After Submitting a Google Form - Empowering Learning and Inspiring Growth

In certain situations, it may be necessary to provide participants with files or resources after they submit a Google Form. Whether it’s sharing additional information, documents, or downloadable content, you can easily send files to participants by following these steps.

Table of Contents

Upload the file:

To upload files to cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox for participant sharing and ensure the file is accessible via a shareable link, you can follow these general steps:

For Google Drive:

Go to the Google Drive website or open the Google Drive app.
Click on the “New” button and select “File upload” or “Folder upload“.
Choose the file or folder you want to upload and click “Open”.
Once the file is uploaded, right-click on it and select “Share”.
In the sharing settings, choose the appropriate sharing options and generate a shareable link.
Copy the shareable link and share it with the participants via email, chat, or any other method.

For Dropbox:

Go to the Dropbox website or open the Dropbox app.
Locate the file or folder you want to upload and hover over it.
Click on the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
Enter the email, name, or group of the person(s) you want to share with and select them from the results.
Choose the appropriate access level (Can edit or Can view).
Add a note if desired and click “Share file” or “Share folder”.
The person or group will receive an email with a link to the file or folder.

By following these steps, you can upload files to cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox and generate shareable links for easy participant sharing. This allows participants to access the files and collaborate effectively.

Access Google Forms:

To access Google Forms, you can follow these steps:

Go to forms.google.com in your web browser.
Sign in to your Google account if necessary.
Once you are signed in, you can create a new form or edit an existing form.

Google Forms is a free tool that allows you to create online surveys and quizzes and send them to other people. You can use Google Forms to collect data and responses from users, and the responses will be automatically saved in a Google Sheets spreadsheet.

Open the form:

To open a specific form for which you want to send the file to participants in Google Forms, follow these steps:

Go to forms.google.com in your web browser.
Sign in to your Google account if necessary.
Once you are signed in, locate the specific form for which you want to send the file to participants.
Click on the form to open it.
Once the form is open, you can add a file upload question to the form.
You can also use a third-party tool like Document Studio to automatically save the uploaded files to a specific Google Drive folder.
Once the file is uploaded, you can share the file with the participants via a shareable link.

By opening the specific form in Google Forms, you can add a file upload question and share the file with the participants via a shareable link. This allows participants to access the file and collaborate effectively.

Go to form settings:

To access the form settings in Google Forms, follow these steps:

Open the Google Form that you want to access the settings for.
Click on the gear icon located in the top-right corner of the form editor.
This will bring up the Settings menu with various options.
You can toggle the settings on and off according to your preferences.
Some of the available settings include customizing the form theme, enabling notifications, setting response destination, and restricting form access.

By accessing form settings in Google Forms, you can customize various aspects of the form to suit your needs and preferences. This can help you collect data and responses more efficiently and effectively.

Create an optional confirmation email:

To create an optional confirmation email in Google Forms, you can enable the “Send email after form submission” feature in the “Responses” tab of the form settings. Here are the steps:

Open the Google Form that you want to enable confirmation emails for.
Click on the gear icon located in the top-right corner of the form editor to access the form settings.
In the settings menu, click on the “Responses” tab.
Toggle on the “Send email after form submission” option.
Customize the email to include the file link by clicking on the “Edit” button next to the “Confirmation message” option.
In the confirmation message editor, add the file link by clicking on the “Insert file” button and selecting the file from Google Drive.
Save your changes.

By enabling the “Send email after form submission” feature and customizing the confirmation email to include the file link, you can send an automated confirmation email to participants with the file link upon form submission. This can help participants access the file easily and collaborate effectively.

Create a “Thank you” page:

To create a “Thank you” page in Google Forms and include the file download link, you can customize the “Confirmation message” in the form settings. Here’s how you can do it:

Open the Google Form for which you want to create the “Thank you” page.
Click on the gear icon located in the top-right corner of the form editor to access the form settings.
In the settings menu, navigate to the “Presentation” tab.
Locate the “Confirmation message” section and click on the “Edit” button.
In the confirmation message editor, format the message using lists and paragraphs as desired.
To insert the file download link, use the hyperlink feature. Select the text you want to turn into a hyperlink, click on the “Insert link” button, and enter the URL of the file.
Save your changes.

By customizing the “Confirmation message” in the form settings, you can create a “Thank you” page that includes the file download link. This allows participants to access the file easily after submitting the form.

Insert the file download link:

To insert the file download link in the “Thank you” page of Google Forms, you can use the hyperlink feature. Here are the steps:

Open the Google Form for which you want to create the “Thank you” page.
Click on the gear icon located in the top-right corner of the form editor to access the form settings.
In the settings menu, navigate to the “Presentation” tab.
Locate the “Confirmation message” section and click on the “Edit” button.
In the confirmation message editor, format the message using lists and paragraphs as desired.
To insert the file download link, use the hyperlink feature. Select the text you want to turn into a hyperlink, click on the “Insert link” button, and enter the URL of the file.
Save your changes.

By inserting the file download link in the “Thank you” page of Google Forms, you can allow participants to download the file easily after submitting the form. This can help participants access the file and collaborate effectively.

Save and share the form:

To save and share the form with participants in Google Forms, you can follow these steps:

Open the Google Form that you want to save and share with participants.
Click on the “Send” button located in the top-right corner of the form editor.
Choose the method of sharing the form, such as via direct link, embedding, or email.
Customize the message as desired and include the “Thank you” page with the file download link.
Save your changes and share the form with the participants.

By saving and sharing the form with participants in Google Forms, you can allow them to access the “Thank you” page with the file download link after submitting the form. This can help participants access the file and collaborate effectively.

FAQs

Question: Can I send multiple files to participants using this method?

Answer: Yes, you can send multiple files to participants by creating multiple download links on the “Thank you” page, each linking to a different file.

Question:Can I send different files based on the participants’ responses?

Answer: Unfortunately, Google Forms does not have built-in conditional logic for file attachments. You can consider using add-ons or third-party integrations to achieve this functionality.

Question:Are there any file size limitations when using this method?

Answer: The file size limit depends on the cloud storage service you use to upload the file. Google Drive, for example, has a default limit of 15 GB for free accounts.

Question:Can participants edit or delete the file I shared with them?

Answer: No, participants can only download the file. They cannot edit or delete the file unless you explicitly grant them permission to do so.

Question:Can I track who downloaded the file?

Answer: Google Forms does not provide built-in tracking for file downloads. You may need to use additional tools or services to track participant interactions with the file.

Question:How can I ensure participants have access to the file even after a long period?

Answer: Ensure the file is stored in a cloud storage service that maintains accessibility over time, such as Google Drive. Avoid deleting or moving the file to prevent broken download links.

Question:Can I password-protect the file I share with participants?

Answer: Yes, if your cloud storage service supports it, you can set a password or access restrictions for the file to add an extra layer of security.

Question:Will participants receive a notification when the file is updated?

Answer: No, participants will not receive automatic notifications when the file is updated. If you make changes to the file, you may need to inform participants separately.

Question:Can I use this method to send files to a specific group of participants?

Answer: Yes, you can use this method to send files to a specific group of participants by sharing the form only with the intended individuals.

Question:Can I change the file that participants can download after they submit the form?

Answer: Yes, you can change the file by updating the link on the “Thank you” page. Simply replace the old file link with the new one, ensuring it is accessible to participants.

Sending files to participants after they submit your Google Form is a valuable feature that can provide additional resources, documents, or downloadable content. Follow the steps outlined in this guide to enhance the user experience and share relevant files with ease.