How to close a Google Form

To close a Google Form, open the form in Google Forms, click the Responses tab at the top, then toggle the switch next to "Accepting responses" to the off position. The form will immediately stop collecting new answers. People who try to access it will see a message saying the form is no longer accepting responses.

You can reopen the form later by toggling the same switch back on. Closing a form does not delete the responses you have already collected — they remain in the Responses tab and in any linked Google Sheet.

If you want to close the form and also prevent people from seeing it at all, you can delete it entirely. This step is permanent and cannot be undone, so make sure you have downloaded or saved any data you need first.

Key Takeaways

  • Closing a form stops new responses but keeps all existing answers intact in the Responses tab.
  • The toggle switch to close a form is in the Responses tab, not in the form editor itself.
  • A closed form shows a message to visitors instead of letting them fill it out.
  • You can reopen a closed form at any time by toggling the switch back on.
  • Deleting a form is permanent and removes it completely, so download your data first if you need it.

Where to find the close button

The control to close your form is not in the main editing screen. Open your form in Google Forms, then click the Responses tab at the very top of the page. You will see a toggle switch labeled "Accepting responses" with a blue dot next to it when the form is open.

Click that toggle to turn it off. The dot will turn gray, and the form will stop accepting new responses immediately. The switch stays in the same place, so you can toggle it on and off as many times as you need.

What happens when you close a form

When a form is closed, anyone who tries to open the link will see a message saying "This form is no longer accepting responses." They cannot fill out any fields or submit anything. The form link itself does not break — it just will not let people answer questions.

All the responses you collected before closing the form stay where they are. You can still view them in the Responses tab, download them as a CSV file, or see them in a linked Google Sheet. Closing the form does not erase or hide any data.

Reopening a closed form

To let people answer your form again, go back to the Responses tab and toggle the "Accepting responses" switch back on. The form will be live again within seconds, and the link will work for new respondents.

When you reopen a form, all your old responses are still there. New answers will be added to the same response list. There is no separate section for "before closing" and "after reopening" — all responses appear together in the order they were submitted.

Downloading your responses before closing

If you want to keep a copy of your data outside of Google Forms, download your responses before you delete the form. In the Responses tab, click the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner and select "Download responses (.csv)." This creates a spreadsheet file you can open in Excel or Google Sheets.

You can also view responses in a linked Google Sheet. If you created a Sheet when you first made the form, responses appear there automatically. If you did not, you can create one by clicking the green Sheets icon in the Responses tab.

Deleting a form permanently

Closing a form is temporary — deleting it is permanent. To delete a form, go to Google Forms and find it in your list of forms. Click the three-dot menu next to the form name and select "Delete." You will see a confirmation message asking if you are sure. Click "Delete" again to confirm.

Once you delete a form, you cannot get it back. The form link will no longer work, and you cannot recover the form or its responses. Download your data first if there is anything you need to keep.

Closing a form versus making it read-only

Closing a form stops new responses but still shows the form to visitors. If you want people to see the form but not answer it, you have a different option: you can make the form read-only by editing the form settings.

Open the form in edit mode, click the settings icon (gear symbol) in the top right, and look for an option to limit responses or set an end date. Some forms let you set a specific date and time when responses will stop being accepted. This approach is useful if you want to show people what questions you asked without letting them submit new answers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does closing a form delete my responses?

No. Closing a form stops new responses from coming in, but all the answers you already collected stay in the Responses tab. You can view, download, or analyze them whenever you want. Only deleting the form removes the responses permanently.

Can I close a form and reopen it later?

Yes. Use the same toggle switch in the Responses tab to turn responses off and on as many times as you need. There is no limit to how many times you can close and reopen a form.

What message do people see when they try to fill out a closed form?

They see a message that says "This form is no longer accepting responses." The form link still works, but they cannot enter any information or submit anything.

How do I save my responses before deleting a form?

Go to the Responses tab, click the three-dot menu in the top right, and select "Download responses (.csv)." This saves your data as a spreadsheet file. You can also create a linked Google Sheet by clicking the green Sheets icon.

Is there a way to close a form on a specific date automatically?

Google Forms does not have a built-in automatic closing feature. You have to manually toggle the switch to close the form. Some third-party tools can automate this, but the standard Google Forms interface requires you to close it yourself.