Microsoft Varieties is an internet app that enables customers to create varied varieties of types that collect data from individuals on-line and retailer that information within the cloud for evaluate.
Why is this handy? Surveys, questionnaires, and different interactive types are an important a part of doing enterprise. They supply a good way to work together with workers, teammates, prospects, and potential enterprise companions. You should utilize on-line types to gather buyer suggestions or enterprise necessities, conduct market analysis, gauge worker satisfaction, register attendees for an upcoming occasion, take a look at learners’ data after a coaching course, and extra.
Varieties is included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions for people and companies, and a restricted model is offered without spending a dime to anybody with a Microsoft account. On this cheat sheet, we are going to cowl the best way to use this program to create questionnaires, add particular varieties of questions, and consider and analyze the responses.
Microsoft provides quite a lot of type templates you may adapt in your personal functions, and we are going to talk about the best way to use them — however first we’ll take you thru the steps of constructing a type from scratch so that you’ll understand how all of the components and items work. We’ll additionally cowl the best way to use Copilot, Microsoft’s generative AI assistant, to draft types for you.
On this article:
- Find out how to create a type from scratch
- Find out how to create a type from a template
- Find out how to create (and edit) a type with Copilot
- Find out how to create a quiz
- Find out how to change your type’s theme
- Find out how to share your type
- Find out how to view responses
Find out how to create a type from scratch
To begin utilizing the Microsoft Varieties app, navigate to your Microsoft 365 house web page, check in in case you haven’t already, and click on on the Apps icon within the left panel. (In case you don’t see a navigation panel on the left, click on the Broaden Navigation icon within the higher left nook.)
On the Microsoft 365 house web page, click on Apps.
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The Varieties app ought to seem on the principle a part of your display screen close to the underside. If it isn’t there, use the search choice on the high of the left panel to seek for types and launch the app.
In case you don’t see Varieties on the principle M365 Apps display screen, use the Search operate to seek out it.
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If that is your first time utilizing Microsoft Varieties, you may be offered with the welcome display screen proven under, which provides templates for varied varieties of types. From right here, choose Survey to begin your type.
The Varieties welcome web page exhibits templates for varied varieties of types that will help you get began.
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In case you’ve used Varieties earlier than, you’ll as a substitute see a house web page with a number of templates plus any types you’ve created or which have been shared with you. Click on the New Kind button on the high of the web page.
The Varieties house web page exhibits templates on high and your types under.
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Both method, you’ll begin a brand new, clean type. In case you see a panel itemizing recommended templates on the left facet of the display screen, click on on the X on the high of the panel to take away it; you’ll learn to use templates in a while.
Shut the templates panel on the left so your new type can take up the entire display screen.
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Altering the shape’s title
First, change the title of your type and add an outline. That is the very first thing anybody will see after they open your questionnaire, so be sure that the title is simple to know and explains what you’re attempting to do.
So as to add a title, click on on the title discipline (which could say one thing like “Let’s get began! What’s your type about?” or just “Untitled type”), and it is possible for you to to edit the title and add an outline.
Change the title and add an outline in your type.
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Including questions
Under the outline is a “Fast begin with” hyperlink. When you’ve got entry to Microsoft 365 Copilot, you’ll additionally see a “Draft with Copilot” choice. You possibly can ignore that for now; we’ll cowl utilizing Copilot to create types later within the article.
So as to add a brand new query, click on the Fast begin with textual content. A menu seems exhibiting a number of varieties of questions you may add to your type.
Select which sort of query you need to add.
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Selection: A number of-choice questions will let you designate a set of solutions from which the person can select. You may also add an Different choice, the place customers can kind in a singular response.
By default, a multiple-choice query permits the person to pick out only one reply. To alter this, click on the A number of solutions slider on the decrease proper to toggle it on. The radio buttons subsequent to the solutions change to checkboxes, and customers can select a couple of.
This multiple-choice query lets respondents select a couple of reply and consists of an “Different” choice.
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To rearrange the solutions in a multiple-choice query, hover your cursor over the reply you need to transfer till you see six dots seem to the left of the merchandise. Click on and maintain the six dots, then drag and drop the reply to its new location.
Textual content: That is an open-ended query the place you enable the person to kind in a solution — good once you need to gather particular person data resembling an e-mail handle or hear detailed ideas from respondents. Textual content responses may be as much as 4,000 characters. By default, textual content response bins are designed for brief solutions, however in case you activate the Lengthy reply toggle, the response field will develop because the person sorts.
To limit responses to a specific format, resembling a quantity, an e-mail handle, or an internet URL, click on the three-dot icon within the lower-right nook of the query field and choose Restrictions. The Quantity format is chosen by default. To specify that the quantity be inside a sure vary, resembling between 10 and 500, click on the Is quantity dropdown, choose Between, and kind the suitable numbers within the bins to the fitting.
Proscribing the responses for a textual content query to numbers between 10 and 500.
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To alter to a distinct format restriction, click on the Quantity dropdown on the left, select the format you need to prohibit, and specify extra parameters.
Score: Permits respondents to charge efficiency, usually on a scale of 1 to five (unhealthy to wonderful). This may give you an thought of how workers really feel about their supervisor, as an example, or how prospects view your services or products. You possibly can regulate the variety of ranges supplied (as much as 10) or change the score symbols from stars to numbers, hearts, smiley faces, checkmarks, or others.
Date: Shows a calendar and asks respondents to pick out a selected date, such because the date an merchandise is requested.
Rating: Lets respondents rank objects so as of desire or significance to them.
Likert: Shows an inventory of things, every with its personal score scale. A standard state of affairs for this sort of query could be to learn how happy workers are with varied firm advantages.
Internet Promoter Rating: Asks respondents how possible they’re to advocate your services or products, on a scale from 0 (in no way possible) to 10 (extraordinarily possible).
A typical Internet Promoter Rating query.
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Part: This isn’t a query kind however as a substitute permits you to create a brand new part inside your survey, as coated under underneath “Constructing out your type.”
When you’ve chosen the query kind, enter the query and responses you need respondents to see, then make any changes or restrictions, such because the “a number of solutions” choice for multiple-choice questions.
Listed below are a number of extra duties you’ll possible use when including inquiries to your type:
- To make a query required (respondents should reply it with a view to full the survey): flip the Required toggle on on the decrease proper of the query field.
- To discover extra choices for a query, resembling the flexibility to shuffle responses or add a subtitle: click on the three-dot icon to the fitting of the Required toggle.
- So as to add a picture or video to a query: click on the picture icon on the fitting. On the “Insert media” pane that opens, select Insert Picture or Insert Video. For a picture, you are able to do a Bing net search, browse your OneDrive folders, or add a picture out of your pc. For a video, you may paste in a YouTube URL. In a multiple-choice query, you too can add a picture to every of the choices.
You possibly can add a picture or video to a query.
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Constructing out your type
So as to add extra inquiries to your type, simply preserve clicking the Add new query button that seems under the earlier query and repeating the steps above. Listed below are a number of extra issues which are helpful to know the best way to do:
To edit a query: merely choose the query and make your adjustments.
To duplicate a query: choose the query and click on the Copy query button on the higher proper of the query field. A duplicate of the query seems instantly under it. That is helpful when you have a couple of query with comparable formatting: it can save you time by duplicating the query and modifying it quite than ranging from scratch every time.
Utilizing the Copy query button can prevent time.
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To delete a query: choose the query and click on the trash can icon on the higher proper of the query field.
To maneuver a query up or down: choose the query and use the up or down arrow icons on the higher proper of the query field.
To insert a query in between current questions: choose the query above the place the place you need to insert the brand new query. Click on the Insert new query button (which seems rather than “Add new query”) and proceed as traditional.
So as to add a brand new part to the survey: choose the query above the place the place you need the brand new part to look. Choose Add new query or Insert new query after which click on on Part. Enter a title for the brand new part. You possibly can optionally add a subtitle and picture or video as effectively.
It may be useful to interrupt a type into sections.
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Including branching to your type
This function is optionally available, but it surely’s highly effective: You will have a number of questions in your type that you just need to department — that’s, if the respondent solutions the query a method, you may ship them to a distinct follow-up query than in the event that they reply the query one other method. Thus, branching makes essentially the most sense for multiple-choice questions.
It’s finest to attend till you’ve added all of your inquiries to the survey earlier than you add branching. When you’ve accomplished so, choose the query you need to department, click on the three-dot icon at its decrease proper, and choose Add branching.
In a multiple-choice query, a “Go to” menu will seem to the fitting of every choice. You possibly can click on Subsequent in any of those bins and select a selected query to ship the survey taker to.
Including branching to a query permits you to set totally different follow-up actions for various responses.
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Find out how to create a type from a template
Somewhat than beginning a brand new type from scratch each time, you may get a head begin through the use of one of many templates Microsoft gives. Go on to Microsoft’s Varieties template gallery or navigate there from the Varieties house web page by clicking Template gallery on the proper facet of the “Discover templates” space close to the highest.
Right here you may select from quite a lot of templates together with a market analysis survey, supervisor suggestions survey, workplace facility request type, and extra. Click on on the Worker satisfaction survey to open it in your browser.
The Varieties template gallery has greater than a dozen templates to select from.
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You’ll see a type that’s prepopulated with questions and solutions. You possibly can edit any of the present questions, delete these you don’t need, and add your individual questions into the combination.
Utilizing templates provides you a head begin on many normal enterprise types.
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Ranging from a template not solely saves you from having to enter all of your questions manually, it could additionally present priceless questions you wouldn’t consider by yourself.
Find out how to create (and edit) a type with Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot is the AI assistant that’s built-in with Varieties and different Microsoft 365 apps. Entry to Copilot in Varieties is included with Microsoft 365 Particular person and Household subscriptions, whereas M365 Enterprise and Enterprise customers want a separate M365 Copilot subscription. (Copilot isn’t obtainable in Varieties with a free Microsoft account.)
In case you’ve labored with instruments like ChatGPT or Claude, you perceive that AI assistants will help you rapidly carry out actions that could possibly be time consuming to do manually. On this part, you’ll see the best way to rapidly create a survey utilizing M365 Copilot.
First, go to the Varieties house web page and click on on New Kind. After you’ve given the brand new type a title and outline, click on the Draft with Copilot hyperlink to the fitting of “Fast begin with.” Kind in a immediate outlining the survey you need Copilot to create, resembling the next:
Please create a survey that asks readers how they loved the “Microsoft Varieties cheat sheet 2025” article. It must be 5 questions lengthy and all questions must be required. Additionally, give it a contemporary inexperienced fashion format.
Then click on Generate, and Copilot will create a survey draft.
A suggestions survey generated by Copilot.
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In case you just like the survey draft, you may choose Hold it. In case you don’t, you may click on the round arrows icon to have Copilot attempt once more or the trash can icon to delete it. A last choice is so as to add extra particulars to the immediate to refine Copilot’s output.
In case you resolve to maintain the survey Copilot drafted, you need to evaluate it rigorously and edit it. All generative AI instruments make errors, Copilot included. Within the instance survey it created in response to the immediate above, for instance, it included the textual content “This survey makes use of a contemporary inexperienced fashion format for a recent expertise” within the description — not one thing you’d need within the last survey.
Additionally word that Copilot might not have the ability to do every little thing you request. As an example, it wasn’t in a position to fashion the shape with a theme/format in my testing (despite the fact that it stated it did) — a limitation that will change with time. But it surely’s nonetheless an incredible place to begin and a serious timesaver.
Along with drafting whole new types with Copilot, you may ask it to create particular person questions as you’re constructing out a type. Simply click on Add with Copilot or Insert with Copilot and enter your immediate.
You may also ask Copilot for concepts to reinforce any type. While you’re engaged on a type, you’ll see a banner throughout the highest that claims, “Copilot has ideas to enhance your type.” Clicking this may generate some ideas, resembling selecting a recent design.
Copilot can counsel methods to enhance an current type.
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Lastly, you should utilize Copilot to enhance particular person questions. If you choose a query in a type, you’ll see a Copilot button alongside the copy, delete, and transfer down / up buttons within the higher proper of the query field. Click on it to open up a immediate the place you may describe the adjustments you’d like Copilot to make to the query.
Asking Copilot to rewrite a query.
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Find out how to create a quiz
Quizzes are much like surveys and different questionnaires, however with right and incorrect responses. You possibly can assign factors to every query, report respondents’ scores, and clarify why sure responses are proper or fallacious. A quiz is an effective technique to assess how effectively attendees of a coaching course have discovered the subject material and coach them in areas they don’t totally perceive.
To create a brand new quiz, go to the Varieties house web page and click on the New Quiz button on the high of the web page.
Beginning a brand new quiz.
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When you’ve got entry to Copilot in Varieties, you may be offered with a Copilot immediate window. You may enter a immediate (together with supply materials to base the quiz on) to have Copilot generate a quiz immediately. However for the needs of this tutorial, click on the X on the higher proper to shut out the immediate window.
The brand new quiz web page seems similar to the brand new type web page. Certainly, making a quiz is rather like making a type — you add questions the identical method, besides that you just designate the proper reply and assign a degree rating to every query.
While you enter the solutions for a query, you’ll see a circled checkmark to the left of every reply. Click on one of many checkmarks to mark it as the proper reply. Then go to the Factors field on the backside of the query field and kind the variety of factors the query is value.
Quizzes allow you to take a look at respondents’ data.
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Find out how to change your type’s theme
Now that we’ve coated the useful facets of Microsoft Varieties, let’s have a look at how one can change the appear and feel of your questionnaire. Above your type to the fitting, click on the Type button to open a panel with varied layouts and themes. Go searching and choose a theme that you just wish to symbolize your organization.
Select a theme that fits your organization and the shape itself.
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To preview how your type will look to respondents as they’re filling it out, click on the Preview button on the high proper of the web page. You possibly can toggle between Pc view and Cell view by clicking the buttons on the high proper of the preview web page.
You possibly can see how your type will look to each desktop and cellular customers.
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Find out how to share your type
As soon as your type is finalized and also you’re prepared to begin sending it to purchasers, workers, or different respondents, choose the Gather responses button on the high proper. On the pane that seems, you may create and customise the hyperlink that you’ll use to share your questionnaire with others.
Enterprise customers can ship out a survey hyperlink publicly or privately.
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When you’ve got a enterprise account and this survey is supposed for individuals outdoors your organization, click on the primary choice, which permits anybody to reply. If it’s meant for workers in your organization, select the second choice. And in case you’re searching for suggestions solely from particular individuals in your group, select the third choice and enter the names or e-mail addresses of these individuals.
When you’ve got a private account, you’ll solely have the choice to permit anybody to reply.
Subsequent, choose the choice to shorten your URL in order that it’s much less spammy and simpler to share with different individuals in a textual content, e-mail, or on the spot message. You possibly can ship the hyperlink out by clicking the Copy hyperlink button and pasting it into an e-mail or different message. Alternatively, you may fill out the shape on the fitting to ship an e-mail or Groups message with an embedded hyperlink.
Find out how to view responses
Microsoft mechanically retains monitor of all responses to your type and gives you with a abstract of that data in a visible dashboard. Click on the View responses button on the high proper to see your abstract.
Varieties collects and summarizes your survey’s responses.
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To view responses individually, click on the extra particulars button on the right-hand facet of your preliminary abstract of responses. On this web page, you may scroll by all the responses that you just’ve acquired to your type.
Viewing the solutions from a person respondent.
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You may also export your outcomes to Excel for offline viewing. Click on Open leads to Excel to the fitting of the preliminary abstract.
Click on this button to export your outcomes to Excel.
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Lastly, you may share this outcomes web page with anybody you need by way of a hyperlink supplied by Microsoft. Click on on the three-dot icon to the fitting of the “Insights and actions” title on the fitting and select Share a abstract hyperlink from the pop-up menu. Varieties will generate a hyperlink that you could copy and share.
Sharing a abstract hyperlink.
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This text was initially revealed in November 2023 and up to date in October 2025.
