Is it possible to hide fields in Google Forms?

"There is one question that I don't want them to see."- Google Docs Editors Community

This is a common question: 162 people on Google's forum have asked how to hide a question in a pre-filled Google Form. You send each person a link with their details already filled in, such as an ID or a company name, and you want that answer in the response without them seeing or changing it. Google Forms can pre-fill answers, but every pre-filled answer shows in an ordinary box that anyone can edit. With Formfacade, you set a question's Appearance to Hidden or Read only. A hidden answer still comes with the response, and a read-only one can be checked but not changed.

Below are three ways to handle answers you don't want people to see or change, and where each one falls short.

3 ways to handle answers people shouldn't see or change

Let's say you want to send a customer satisfaction survey to your customers. You can use the pre-fill option to fill the name, company, email & other details that you already have and then send out the survey so that your customers don't have to waste their time filling in these details again. But, pre-filled fields can be edited, which is not always desirable. You can make these fields as read-only so that users can review them, but not make any updates. Or, hide these fields so that you have the data in the survey responses, but don't have to display this to your users unnecessarily!

1. Pre-fill the answers in Google Forms

Make a pre-filled link with the details you already have, and add a line asking people not to change them.
Here's a screenshot of a Google Form with pre-filled email & company fields to get feedback from customers.
A Google Form named CSAT Survey with Email and Company already filled in
Where it falls short: pre-filled answers are ordinary boxes. People see them and can change them, by mistake or on purpose.

2. Leave the question out and match responses in Google Sheets

Don't ask for the detail at all. In the linked Google Sheet, look up each response by email or name and add the detail yourself.
Where it falls short: you match every response by hand, and one typo in a name breaks the match.

3. Hide the field or make it read-only with Formfacade

  • Click on Create your form, name your form, click Build form and click Proceed.
  • Click on the "Edit" tab
The tabs Edit, Preview, Share and Responses, with Edit marked
  • Click on the field, then click on the ⚙️ icon to open field settings screen. If your form does not have the field, click on the + icon in the toolbar on the right to add it.
The Email question selected in the Formfacade editor, with the question and the gear icon marked
  • Select the "Answer" tab
  • Select "Hidden" for Appearance option. Select "Read only" if users should see the answer but not change it.
  • To send an answer with the hidden field, enter it in Prefill
  • Click on the "Save" button
  • Similarly, you can hide the company [or any] field in the form
The field settings with the Answer tab, Appearance set to Hidden and Save marked
Customized form with pre-filled email and company fields that are hidden from the user. The answers still come with the response.
The CSAT Survey on the form with Email and Company hidden, showing only the question about satisfaction with the product

Summary

Google Forms can pre-fill answers, but it can't hide them or stop people from changing them. With Formfacade, you set a field's Appearance to Hidden or Read only, and the answer still comes with the response. Create your form and complete the steps above.

Last updated: