Most Drive files types allow file sharing with view only access. Google Forms does not! That means that if you want to let someone make a copy of a Google Form, you have to give them access to edit only access to your form. This means people could (by accident or maliciously) edit your form.
I recently came across a set of Google Apps Script from Laura Taylor that pointed out Apps Script can be used to change the access and permissions for a Google Form file. You can see her resource here – HOW TO: Share Google Forms With “View Only” Access. While her instructions are helpful, I know some folks may not want to go through all of those steps. So, I took her script, modified it somewhat, and have attached it as a container-bound script to a Google Sheet template that is available for anyone to grab a copy of.
NOTE – This only works if you have edit rights to the Google Form you are trying to share. You cannot modify the access level of a form unless you own it or have edit access.
Get that template by clicking USE TEMPLATE after going to https://bit.ly/share-a-form.
After you have your own copy of the Google Sheet, follow these steps:
- Open a Google Form you have the access to edit. Go to the URL and copy the Form ID (after d/ and before /edit).
- Paste the Form ID into the designated cell of the Google Sheet.
- Set the desired access level. By default, the script will change the sharing for the form to “Anyone with the link can view”. If your Google account is managed, you may not be allowed to use that setting. If so, you can use the drop down in the green cell below to change the level to “Anyone in your domain with the link can view.”
- Look to the menu bar on the Google Sheet and click on SHARE FORM and then RUN THE SCRIPT!
- The script will ask you to authorize it the first time it runs.
- Once the script has run, the access level will be written to the designated cell AND a link to the template will be displayed. You can copy that link and share it with whomever you want to be able to make a copy of the form.
