Oct 28, 2024 
Microsoft Forms (MS Forms) are a popular tool for creating online surveys, quizzes, and polls. But one frequent question many users ask is whether these forms can collect anonymous responses. The option to collect anonymous responses in Microsoft Forms can be quite important in situations where honest feedback or unbiased feedback is needed.
For example, organizations often want to ensure that respondents feel comfortable sharing their true opinions without fear of identification or repercussions. Imagine giving feedback about your boss, peers, or teachers but being bound by the fear of being identified. An option for anonymous responses would be great here.
By using the anonymous survey feature, businesses and educational institutions can easily collect candid feedback that reflects more authentic perspectives. It could be internal surveys, sensitive topics, or evaluations where openness is required to move forward.
Another way of looking at it is, anonymous forms also ensure that personal information like names and email addresses are not collected, allowing for more privacy-conscious data gathering. Like in public surveys or social research, participants might be much more willing to share personal experiences if they know their contact information is not being captured, thereby reducing the risk of misuse of their data.
So Are Microsoft Forms Anonymous?
The answer is yes, Microsoft Forms do allow for anonymous responses, but it depends on how the form settings are configured. In this guide, we share simple steps on how to create an anonymous form using MS Forms and discuss the necessary settings to ensure your respondents remain anonymous.
Understanding Microsoft Forms Surveys
When creating surveys, quizzes, or polls with Microsoft Forms, it’s important to understand how the platform handles anonymity. By default, Microsoft Forms surveys are not fully anonymous. If you’re looking to gather anonymous responses from your users, you’ll need to make sure your settings reflect that goal.
How to Create an Anonymous Microsoft Form
To design and share an anonymous survey in Microsoft Forms, follow these simple steps:
- Start by creating a new form in MS Forms
- Go to the form settings by clicking on the Settings button in the upper-right corner of your screen.
- Under the section labeled Who can fill out this form, uncheck the box that says Record name. This ensures that your form does not collect respondent names or emails.
- Optionally, you can choose to limit responses by selecting One response per person. This feature still allows for anonymous participation, though Microsoft 365 accounts may be logged to prevent duplicate submissions.
Are Microsoft Forms Surveys Truly Anonymous?
While Microsoft Forms offers anonymous surveys, the anonymity is dependent on the settings you choose. If you distribute the form using an anonymous link, respondents can submit their answers without revealing any personal information. This option is particularly useful when collecting honest feedback or sensitive data. In this case, Microsoft does not store any identifying data, and your respondents can feel secure knowing their identities are protected.
However, there is one exception, if you choose to limit the form to one response per person, Microsoft will record their Microsoft 365 account details to prevent multiple submissions. Though this is definitely helpful because it ensures that each user only submits once but it does record the account – while keeping their identities hidden, as these account details are not visible to the form creator.
Using Microsoft Forms in Teams
If you’re managing a group project or team survey, you can also create anonymous forms within Microsoft Teams. This is a great way to gather anonymous responses from team members while keeping all data in one location. Additionally, using Teams also allows you to share survey results with the group easily, streamlining your workflow and making sure everyone has access to the collected information.
The Pros and Cons of Anonymous Responses in Forms
The main advantage of an anonymous form is that it encourages participants to provide honest feedback without fear of identification. On the other hand, anonymity has its downsides. For example, if you are using the form for a prize draw or a contest, the inability to record respondents’ names or emails can make it difficult to follow up with winners.
So anonymous forms are not always the right choice, especially in situations where follow-up or participant identification is essential. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider the purpose of your survey and the type of data you need to collect.
Reporting Abuse and Managing Feedback
Something else to consider is that even though MS Forms include a report abuse feature, allowing you to flag inappropriate responses or behavior, when it comes to anonymous feedback it can sometimes result in submissions that are difficult to trace back to individuals.
When using Microsoft Forms, it’s important to monitor responses for inappropriate content, especially in public surveys or public research. Forms can sometimes receive submissions that include behavior that is insulting, like remarks based on orientation, religion, national origin, or age and disability status. It’s paramount to flag any content that is inappropriate to a community or promotes offensive insulting, rude, vulgar, or desecrating language.
Microsoft Forms also allows users to report issues such as submissions containing adult themes, or links to malware or phishing sites. Additionally, any links to pirated software, mail or bulk advertising, and advocacy of illegal content can be flagged to ensure a safe and respectful survey environment. This built-in protection helps maintain the integrity of the data collection process by filtering out inappropriate or harmful content.
If you need to manage a large group survey, use the report abuse function to mitigate inappropriate behavior. Especially, if you choose to use anonymous forms for public surveys, make sure to monitor the feedback closely and handle any issues that arise through proper channels.
Alternatives to Microsoft Forms
Although Microsoft Forms is a reliable tool, it may not be the best choice for everyone, especially for those who don’t already have a Microsoft 365 subscription. Fortunately, other tools, like MakeForms, allow you to create anonymous surveys without requiring a paid subscription. These platforms also offer advanced features, such as the ability to collect information anonymously and manage responses more effectively.
Anonymous Responses equals Honest Responses
In conclusion, Microsoft Forms does offer the ability to collect anonymous responses as long as the correct settings are in place. By ensuring that the Record name box is unchecked and sharing the form via an anonymous link, you can gather valuable anonymous responses while protecting the identity of your respondents.
Keep in mind that certain limitations, such as limiting responses to one response per person, can still maintain anonymity while preventing duplicate submissions.
For both small surveys and larger projects in Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Forms offers the flexibility to easily adjust settings based on specific needs. However, for more advanced features, alternatives like MakeForms might be a better fit.
FAQs: Are Microsoft Forms Anonymous?
Microsoft Forms can be made anonymous, but it depends on how the form settings are configured. By default, Microsoft Forms are not fully anonymous, but you can adjust the settings to ensure that no personal information, such as names or email addresses, is collected.
To make a survey anonymous, go to the form’s settings and uncheck the “Record name” option under the “Who can fill out this form” section. This ensures that Microsoft Forms won’t collect the names or email addresses of respondents.
The biggest advantage of anonymous forms is that they encourage participants to provide honest and candid feedback without fear of identification. However, the downside is that if you need to follow up with respondents, anonymous forms won’t allow you to collect contact details for follow-up
While Microsoft Forms includes a “report abuse” feature, which allows inappropriate submissions to be flagged, anonymous responses can sometimes lead to misuse, such as offensive or inappropriate comments. It’s very important to monitor submissions for any behavior that is insulting or violates guidelines.
