How to create a form in Microsoft Excel in 2026

Trying to input data into a sprawling Microsoft Excel spreadsheet gets old quickly. You scroll, fill in one box, lose your place, and scroll again. That’s why so many users look to create a form, where you can automatically populate your spreadsheet instead. 

Of course, Excel forms aren’t exactly a cure-all. They can be messy, for one. It’s also not easy to adapt them to users’ responses. But they can still be useful in some cases. 

Let’s walk through how to create one. 

How to create a form in Microsoft Excel

Imagine you’re collecting customer feedback on a recently launched product. Here’s how to create a feedback form in Excel in just a few simple steps.

1. First, make an Excel table.

• Open an Excel spreadsheet.
• Create column headers for your feedback form (like Name, Email, City, and Feedback/Comments).
• To convert your column names into a table, select the column headers, then select Insert from the top menu, then Table.
• Within the dialog box, tick the My table has headers checkbox.
• Click OK to create your Excel table.

2.  Next, add the data entry form option to the Excel sheet ribbon (that’s the top of your Excel window full of icons and menus).

• Click on File > Options > Customize Ribbon.
• Under Choose commands from, select Commands Not in the Ribbon.
• Select Form, then Add, and then hit the OK button. You’ll now notice the Form button near the green area at the top of the Excel workbook.

3. Finally, it’s time to enter some data into your newly created form.

• To input data, click on any cell in your table and then on the Form button.
• A dialog box should appear with your original column headers (Name, Email, City, and Feedback/Comments) and a few button options: New, Delete, Criteria, and Close.
• Enter your collected data in the form fields.
• Select New, prompting the data to appear in your Excel table.
• Select Close to leave the dialog box and view your data or repeat the process until you have entered all your data.

Build in Jotform, integrate to Excel

After skimming those instructions, you might be thinking that Excel forms seem a bit clunky. Like something out of the 1990s, even. 

You’d be right on both counts. While it’s possible to create functional Excel forms, they’re limited and tedious to build. They’re also better suited for basic, internal data entry than more complex tasks. If you want to survey customers, for instance, Excel forms aren’t very user-friendly. 

Jotform is a much smarter alternative. It lets you build fully online forms that people can easily fill out without any confusion. And getting started couldn’t be easier — you can choose from over 20,000 professional form templates for everything from appointment scheduling to loan applications and restaurant reservation forms, or use the powerful drag-and-drop form builder. 

Once you’ve created your first form, use the Jotform Microsoft Excel integration to connect it to Excel. Every time someone completes the form, their responses will automatically populate in the spreadsheet. It’s much easier than trying to force Excel to handle complex tasks, such as document sharing, form creation, signatures, payment processing, or file uploads. 

Jotform’s Microsoft Excel integration gives you flexible ways to structure and manage your data:

• Add Row to New Worksheet: Automatically create a new worksheet and send each form submission as a new row
• Add Row to Existing Table: Keep your existing Excel tables updated by adding new submissions in real time
• Create Table and Add Submissions: Turn your existing form responses into a structured table and continue syncing new data automatically

This means you can skip the repetitive process of copying and pasting data into Excel and instead build an automated workflow that works in the background. Whether you’re collecting customer feedback, managing applications, or tracking internal requests, your spreadsheet stays accurate and ready for reporting at all times.

In other words, these tools work best when you play to their strengths. Use Jotform for form creation and let Excel stick to the analysis. 

Or skip Excel entirely with Jotform Tables, Workflows, and Report Builder. They let you manage submissions, workflows, and reporting inside Jotform, so you don’t need to jump between platforms.

How to use Jotform Tables as an Excel alternative 

If you’re ready to ditch Excel for good, Jotform Tables is a practical alternative. Here’s what you can do with it:

• Collect accurate data quickly and easily through customizable online forms, ensuring better organization, quality assurance, and decision-making.
• Auto-populate tables with your collected form data to reduce the chance of human error.
• Search and filter your data to provide a quicker, easier user experience.
• Add formulas and calculations to save time.
• Import CSV or Excel files directly into Jotform Tables, allowing you to access shared documents to complete various tasks.
• Share your tables with colleagues for open communication and collaboration.
• Organize your data in columns that correspond to form fields, making it easy to search and manage for everyone on your team.

And with access to 300-plus free table templates for your next project (including templates for equipment inventories, marketing plans, and budgets), the possibilities are truly endless.

There are various spreadsheet software options on the market that are ready and willing to help you collect, filter, and sort data as well as design charts like bar and line graphs. The key is choosing the tool that’s best for your workflow and goals. Once you find the right one, you’ll have everything you need to create clear, polished spreadsheets that bring your data to life.