How to Add Conditional Questions in Google Forms

Set up conditional logic (branching) in Google Forms

Google Forms has no "show this question if" setting. It uses sections instead.

You put the follow-up questions in their own section. One answer then sends people there. Google calls this Go to section based on answer. Other names are conditional logic, branching and skip logic.

1. Click Add section, the last icon in the toolbar. Add one section for each path.
2. In the first section, add a Multiple choice or Dropdown question.
3. Click the three dots on that question and choose Go to section based on answer.

4. Next to each answer, choose the section it leads to.
5. Under each section, set After section to the next section or to Submit form.
6. Click the Preview eye icon and test every path.

Google Forms conditional logic example

This is the form from the screenshots. Only customers with a problem are asked what went wrong.

• Answer No: you skip section 2.
• Answer Yes: you fill in section 2, then go on to section 3.

The same setup works for most "if yes, then" and dependent questions:

• A job form asks for a licence number only from drivers.
• A booking form asks about diet only when a meal is included.
• An RSVP form lets guests who decline skip the meal choices.

How sections work in Google Forms

A section is one page of the form. People see one section at a time and click Next.

So a conditional question must sit in a different section from the question that triggers it.

How to add sections in Google Forms

1. Click the question that should be last in the current section.
2. Click Add section in the toolbar. The new section starts below that question.
3. Type a title. It shows in every dropdown, like "Go to section 2 (About the problem)".
4. Set After section under it. It starts at "Continue to next section".

Sections run from top to bottom. If two paths each have a section, the first path runs into the second. Set After section to skip past it.

Three habits that prevent broken paths

1. Sketch the paths first. Write down each answer and its section.
2. Put shared questions last. Contact details go in a final section that every path ends on.
3. Build the sections before the logic. The dropdowns only list sections that exist.

Skip logic: skip a section or end the form early

Skip logic in Google Forms uses the same dropdowns.

• Skip a section: send the answer to a later section. The person never sees the sections in between.
• End the form: choose Submit form. The form ends when the person clicks Next.

Use Submit form to screen people out. Example: "Are you over 18?" with No set to Submit form.

Earlier answers are still saved. The person sees the normal confirmation message.

What Google Forms conditional logic can't do

The rule about question types comes from Google's help page on showing questions based on answers.

To branch on a checkbox question, ask it as Multiple choice. Or split it into yes or no questions. Our guide to multiple choice questions in Google Forms compares the types.

Fix common problems with branching

Where Google Forms logic stops

Section branching works well for one or two forks. With many small follow-ups it gets slow to build. Each one needs its own page.

In FormNX, conditional logic is a rule on the question itself. It shows or hides the question when another field:

• equals a value
• doesn't equal a value
• is empty
• is not empty

"What went wrong?" then appears right under the Yes answer, on the same page.

A question can have several conditions. A required question is only enforced while it is visible. For long forms, multi-step forms split the questions into pages.

Comparing the two in more depth? See the Google Forms alternative page.