You can close a Google Form in seconds by turning off the "Accepting responses" toggle

Open the form in Google Forms, click the toggle next to "Accepting responses" at the top of the page, and it switches to "Closed." The form stays in your account and people can still see it, but no one can submit new answers. You can reopen it later by clicking the same toggle again.

The form itself does not disappear — your questions, settings, and all the responses you collected remain exactly as they were. Closing just stops new submissions from coming in. If you want to delete the form entirely, that is a separate step.

Key Takeaways

  • Closing a form takes one click on the "Accepting responses" toggle at the top of the form editor.
  • A closed form keeps all your questions and collected responses but blocks new submissions.
  • You can reopen a closed form at any time by clicking the toggle again.
  • Closing is different from deleting — a closed form stays in your Google Drive unless you delete it separately.
  • People who have the link to a closed form can still view it, but they cannot fill it out or submit answers.

Where to find the toggle and what it looks like

Open your form in Google Forms. At the top of the page, to the right of your form title, you will see a toggle switch. When the form is accepting responses, the toggle is blue and says "Accepting responses." Click it once, and it turns gray and changes to say "Closed."

If you do not see the toggle, make sure you are in edit mode (not preview mode). Click the pencil icon if you see one, or look for a button that says "Edit form" or similar. The toggle only appears when you are editing, not when you are viewing the form as a respondent would.

What happens to your form and responses when you close it

Closing a form does not erase anything. All the responses you collected stay in the "Responses" tab. Your questions, answer choices, and all your settings remain unchanged. The form is simply no longer active — it will not accept new submissions.

People who already submitted answers before you closed the form will still have their responses recorded. If someone tries to open the form after it is closed, they will see a message saying the form is no longer accepting responses. They cannot fill it out or submit new answers.

How to reopen a closed form

Click the same toggle that you used to close it. It will turn blue again and switch back to "Accepting responses." The form is now open and people can submit answers again. All your previous responses and settings are still there — reopening does not reset anything.

You can close and reopen a form as many times as you need. There is no limit to how many times you can toggle it on and off.

Deleting a form versus closing it

Closing stops new responses but keeps the form in your Google Drive. Deleting removes it entirely. To delete a form, go to your Google Drive, find the form, right-click it, and select "Delete." You can also click the three-dot menu inside the form editor and choose "Delete."

Once you delete a form, you cannot recover it unless you restore it from your Drive's trash within 30 days. Closing is reversible instantly, so if you are unsure whether you want to keep the form around, close it first.

Sharing a closed form with others

A closed form can still be shared and viewed. People with the link can open it and see your questions, but they cannot submit answers. This is useful if you want to share the form as a reference or template without letting people add new responses.

If you want to prevent people from seeing the form at all, you need to change the sharing settings. Click "Share" in the top right, then adjust who can view it. You can make it private so only people you explicitly invite can see it, or you can delete it entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I close a form and still see the responses I already collected?

Yes. Closing a form does not affect any responses that were already submitted. Click the "Responses" tab to view all the answers people gave before you closed it. You can download or print the responses, or view them in a linked Google Sheet.

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 is still visible to them, but all the answer fields are grayed out and they cannot type or select anything. If they do not have permission to view the form, they will see a different message instead.

If I close a form by mistake, can I reopen it right away?

Yes. Click the toggle again and it reopens instantly. All your questions, settings, and responses stay exactly as they were. There is no waiting period or confirmation step — one click closes it, one click opens it.

Does closing a form delete the responses?

No. Closing only stops new submissions. Every response that was submitted before you closed the form remains in your account. You can view, download, or delete responses separately from closing the form.