How to make a checkbox grid in Google Forms

In online form builders, checkbox grids are a type of answer format you can use to present multiple answer options in an easy-to-understand, table-like grid. Checkbox grids are common in surveys designed to gather data on respondents’ preferences. While they may sound straightforward, these grids can be complex to create using online form builders.

This is especially true in Google Forms, one of the most popular online form builders. So, if you’re looking to collect your respondents’ preferences in a survey and want to add a checkbox grid in Google Forms, read on to learn more.

How checkbox grids work

Checkbox grids are ideal for choosing options on a spectrum. Since response options are presented in a grid, users can compare them and make choices easily. Form administrators can also enable multiple selections for each row and/or column in case respondents need to choose multiple options. 

Best of all, the format makes it easy to collect responses as structured data that’s easy to analyze and cross-reference, and it allows you to go deeper than you can with standard multiple-choice questions.

Here are a few examples of questions that checkbox grids work best for:

• Multiple-choice questions with multiple answers (e.g., “Which of the following languages are you proficient in?”)
• Likert scale or rating questions (e.g., “Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements.”)
• Feature and attribute comparisons (e.g., “Which of the following features are important for this product?”)
• Preference and ranking questions (e.g., “Please indicate your preferred mode of transportation for commuting.”)
• Data filtering or segmentation questions (e.g., “Which of the following marketing channels have you used in the past year?”)

How to make a checkbox grid in Google Forms

Google Forms is one of the most versatile online form builders available, and it enables users to create checkbox grids. However, they can be complicated to set up correctly. Here’s how to create a checkbox grid in Google Forms.

1. Create a new Google Form. To do this from Google Drive, click the +New button on the top-left side of the screen and select Google Forms from the dropdown menu.

2. Next, reformat the question as a checkbox grid. To do this, click on the Untitled Question box to enter edit mode.
3. Add your question in the Untitled Question space.
4. Click the dropdown menu that is set to Multiple choice.
5. Select Checkbox grid from the dropdown menu.

6. This will create a checkbox grid for you to customize with your desired questions and answer options. Edit it according to your needs. This example shows how to use it for shift scheduling.

7. If necessary, toggle the Require a response for each row option on to prevent respondents from accidentally missing a question.
8. Next, preview the form to see what it will look like for respondents. Click on the eye icon in the top menu.

9. Check to make sure your form has everything it needs.

10. Once you’ve edited the form to your liking, you can send it to recipients to fill out.

While Google Forms is one of the most popular online form builders, it has its limitations — like a lack of integrations and design customization options. Luckily, there are form-building alternatives to consider if Google Forms isn’t right for you.

How to make a checkbox grid with a powerful Google Forms alternative 

Google Forms is far from the only online form builder available. Jotform, for example, allows users to create and customize a wide array of surveys, quizzes, applications, and other forms with a convenient drag-and-drop interface, offering advanced customization capabilities without any need for coding. 

Best of all, the platform features over 10,000 (and counting) customizable form templates for every need, making it a versatile solution for collecting data, processing payments, and automating workflows.

For users struggling to add a checkbox grid in Google Forms, Jotform’s intuitive and user-friendly interface makes it an ideal alternative to Google Workspace — and one that enables more customization. And with Jotform’s input table feature, it’s even easier to make a checkbox grid. Here’s how:

1. Select Create Form on your Jotform account homepage.
2. In the Form Builder, click the Add Form Element option on the left side of the screen.
3. Scroll down to the survey elements section and click the Input Table option. This will add an input table to your form.
4. To convert the input table to a checkbox grid, click gear icon to open the Table Properties menu. In the Fields tab, select the Checkbox option. This will convert the table to a checkbox grid.
5. Customize the input table by using the drag-and-drop builder to add extra rows and columns, edit dropdown options, and change row and column labels.
6. When complete, click the Preview Form button in the main form editor window to see what your final product will look like to recipients.

Using checkbox grids is one of the best ways to collect both in-depth and highly structured data from your surveys, and they’re a critical part of many marketing, customer satisfaction, and user experience campaigns. There are many online form builders available to help you build robust checkbox grids, but not all offer the same level of convenience and customization as Jotform. If making a checkbox grid in Google Forms doesn’t work for you, give Jotform a try instead.

Photo by Anna Shvets