How to Add a File Upload to Google Forms
Add a question, open its type menu and choose . Then click Continue on Google's notice.
- Turn on Allow only specific file types to accept, say, only PDFs or images.
- Set the maximum number of files and the maximum size per file.
Respondents must sign in to Google to upload, and the files land in a folder in your Google Drive.
Add a file upload question
- Open the form and click Add question (the plus icon in the toolbar on the right), or click an existing question you want to change.
- Open the question type menu and choose .
- Google shows a notice that files will be uploaded to your Google Drive and that respondents will have to sign in. Click Continue.
- Type the question, for example "Upload your CV (PDF)".
Choose file types, number of files and size
Four settings appear under a file upload question:
- Allow only specific file types. Turn it on and tick what you'll accept: Document, Presentation, Spreadsheet, Drawing, PDF, Image, Video or Audio. Without it, respondents can upload any file.
- Maximum number of files: 1, 5 or 10 per question.
- Maximum file size: 1 MB, 10 MB, 100 MB, 1 GB or 10 GB per file.
- The form's total: the line "This form can accept up to 1 GB of files" covers every upload to the form. Click Change to raise it. When the total is reached, respondents see an upload-limit message and can't submit, and every file still counts against your own Google Drive storage.
Match the limits to the job. A job application needs one PDF under 10 MB. A photo contest might take five images at 10 MB each. Tight limits catch the wrong file before it arrives.
Where Google Form file uploads go
Every uploaded file goes into your Google Drive. Google creates a folder named after the form, with a subfolder for each file upload question; the View folder link under the question opens it. On the Responses tab, each Individual response links to its files, and a linked Google Sheet shows a Drive link in that question's column.
So the files use your Drive storage, so a busy form can fill a free 15 GB account. And files are named with the respondent's name added, which some people don't expect when they upload.
Why respondents have to sign in
Google requires everyone who answers a file upload question to be signed in to a Google account. There's no setting to switch it off. It costs you responses. People without a Google account can't submit the form at all, and people on a phone or a work laptop often hit a login screen and leave.
If most of your respondents are students or staff in your own Google Workspace, that's rarely a problem. For customers, applicants and the public, it usually is. See where Google Forms file uploads stop for the alternative.
File upload greyed out or disabled
If File upload is missing or greyed out in the question type menu, Google has turned it off for that form. The causes:
| Cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| The form is stored in a shared drive | Move the form to My Drive. Google doesn't allow file uploads on forms in shared drives. |
| Your organisation has Data Loss Prevention turned on | Ask your Google Workspace administrator. Uploads stay off while DLP is on. |
| Your school or work account blocks uploads | Some administrators disable file upload questions. Ask them, or create the form from a personal Google account. |
When respondents can't upload
| What they see | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| A sign-in screen before the form | Expected: file upload questions require a Google account. There's no way around it in Google Forms. |
| The file won't attach | It's a type you didn't allow, or it's bigger than the per-file limit. Tell people the accepted types and size in the question text. |
| "File upload limit reached" | The form hit its total upload limit, or your Drive is full. Raise the limit in the question settings or free up Drive space. |
| "Server rejected" | Usually a flaky connection, a very large file or the file being renamed while uploading. Ask them to try again on a stable connection or with a smaller file. |
Where Google Forms file uploads stop
A file upload question in Google Forms works well inside a school or company where everyone already has a Google account. It gets in the way when you're collecting CVs, ID documents, photos or receipts from the public.
| What you want | Google Forms | FormNX |
|---|---|---|
| Accept file uploads | Yes | Yes, free plan |
| Uploads without a Google account | No, sign-in required | Yes |
| Uploads on forms in a shared drive | No | Not tied to Google Drive |
| Files stored with the response | In your Google Drive | Yes, with each response |
| Limit file types and size | Yes | Yes |
FormNX file uploads let anyone attach a file, with no Google account and no login screen, on the free plan. Files are stored with the response, so you open a submission and the CV or photo is right there. They don't eat into your Drive, and moving the form around your Drive can't switch uploads off.
Add a signature field alongside the upload for consent and intake forms, or turn each response into a PDF with the uploaded files listed using the PDF builder.
Collect files from anyone, no Google login
Build an upload form in FormNX and share the link. Respondents attach their files and submit, without signing in to anything.
Try file uploads freeFree plan. No credit card required.
Comparing the two in more depth? See the Google Forms alternative page.
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