Analyzing Form Responses using Summary of Responses and a Google Spreadsheet

After you’ve sent out your form, Google Forms will begin collecting the responses you receive. You'll be asked to choose how you’d like to store these responses. (Note: You can make this choice at any time while editing your form by clicking the Choose response destination button in the toolbar.)

You can choose either to send responses to a spreadsheet, or you can store them only in Forms. If you choose to store them in a spreadsheet, you’ll be able to see individual responses as they come in. If you choose to store them in Forms, you’ll be able to see a summary of all the responses you’ve received, and you’ll also be able to download the responses as a CSV file.

Store responses in a spreadsheet

In the “Choose response destination” dialog, you can choose to create a new spreadsheet in which to store your form’s responses. You can give the new spreadsheet whatever title you’d like. If you’d like all of your forms to collect responses in a new spreadsheet in the future, make sure the checkbox next to “Always create a new spreadsheet” is selected.

Alternatively, you can choose to collect responses in a new sheet of an existing spreadsheet. Choose “New sheet in an existing spreadsheet...” and click Choose. You’ll see a list of your spreadsheets. Pick a spreadsheet by checking the box next to it and click Select. A new sheet will be created in that spreadsheet, and your form responses will appear there.

Once you’ve chosen to store form responses in a spreadsheet, the Choose response destinationbutton in the toolbar will turn into a View responses button. Click this to see your spreadsheet. You can also find the spreadsheet in your Drive.

Keep responses only in Forms

If you don’t want responses to go to a spreadsheet, click the Keep responses only in Forms button. Then, to access the responses you’ve collected, click the File menu, select Download as, and clickComma Separated Values.

Keeping responses in Forms is a good way to go if you expect your form to receive heavy traffic or a significant number of responses, as spreadsheets will hold only the first 400,000 cells of response values. Your form's summary view, as well as the results you download as a CSV, will always reflect all of the form responses that are submitted, even beyond these limits.

Change your response destination

If you’ve chosen a spreadsheet in which to store your form responses, you can change this destination at any time by clicking on the Responses menu in Forms and selecting Change response destination. You’ll be taken back to the “Choose response destination” dialog, where you can create a new spreadsheet or send responses to another existing spreadsheet.

Unlink a response spreadsheet

You can also choose to unlink your form from a spreadsheet at any given time by clicking on theResponses menu in Forms and selecting Unlink form. The spreadsheet will no longer receive new responses, but responses will continue to be stored in Forms, available as a real-time summary or as a CSV file. You can choose to re-link your form to a spreadsheet at any time with no responses lost or deleted.

Reference: Google Drive Help - Choose a form response destination