Google Forms file upload not working? Here's why
Most upload problems in Google Forms come from one of five causes: the sign-in requirement, organization restrictions, shared drives, size limits, or two settings that quietly need a Google account. Find yours below.
Find your problem
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Respondents get a Google sign-in screen before the form | The form has a File upload question | Expected behaviour. See below |
| "You need permission" for people outside your school or company | The form is restricted to your organization | Turn off "Restrict to users in…" in Settings, Responses |
| Signed-in school or work users can't upload | Their organization or yours blocks sharing outside the domain | An admin has to allow it, or they use a personal account |
| No File upload option in the question menu | The form is in a shared drive, or your admin turned on Data Loss Prevention | Move the form to My Drive, or ask your admin |
| Uploads stop working after a while | The form reached its total upload limit, or your Drive is full | Raise the limit or free up space |
| A file is refused | It's bigger than the question allows, or not an allowed type | Edit the question's file type and size settings |
Respondents are asked to sign in
This isn't a bug. Google's help page for question types says: "To answer this question, responders need to sign in to a Google Account." When you add a File upload question, Google shows a warning in the editor saying the same, and from then on everyone who opens the form gets a sign-in screen first. People without a Google account can't go further.
Your choices are to accept that, to remove the upload question, or to collect files another way. The guide to file uploads without sign-in compares the options.
People from other organizations can't open the form or can't upload
Forms made with a school or work Google account can be limited to people in that organization. If someone outside sees "You need permission", open your form, go to Settings, then Responses, and turn off the setting that restricts responses to your organization.
Uploads from one organization to another have a second condition. When Google added cross-domain uploads, it said they work "provided both of your organizations allow cross-domain sharing in Google Drive." If a student's school blocks sharing outside the school, that student can't upload to a form owned by someone else, even when signed in. Only an administrator can change that. A personal Google account usually works.
The File upload option is missing or greyed out
Google lists two cases where you can't use the question at all: the form is stored in a shared drive, or your administrator has turned on Data Loss Prevention. For the first, move the form to My Drive. The files then go to a folder in that person's My Drive, so share the folder with your team if they need it.
Uploads stop, or files are rejected
Each File upload question has its own limits for file types, number of files and size per file, and the whole form has a total. New forms accept 1 GB of files in total until you raise it. The owner's Drive storage also has to have room. All of these are explained, with how to change them, in Google Forms file upload limits.
Still asked to sign in with no upload question?
Two settings need a Google sign-in on their own:
- Collect email addresses set to Verified. Switch it to "Responder input" to keep asking for an email without a sign-in.
- Limit to 1 response. Google can only enforce it by account.
If your respondents can't or won't sign in
Formfile keeps your Google Form and puts an upload button that needs no account in place of Google's question. You swap the File upload question for a Short answer question, connect the form, and share the Formfile link. Files go to a folder in your Google Drive and each response in Google Forms gets a link to its files. Because the form no longer has a File upload question, the shared drive and cross-domain rules above don't apply to it.
It's free for 25 files a month, with files up to 10 MB. Pro is $8 a month.
Common questions
Can I turn off the sign-in for file uploads in Google Forms?
No. Google Forms has no setting for it. Any form with a File upload question asks respondents to sign in to a Google account. The only ways around it are to remove the question or collect files another way.
Why does my form still ask people to sign in after I removed the upload question?
Two other settings need a sign-in: collecting verified email addresses and Limit to 1 response. On a school or work account, restricting the form to your organization does too. Check Settings, then Responses.
Why can't I add a File upload question at all?
Google doesn't offer the question when the form is stored in a shared drive, or when your organization's administrator has turned on Data Loss Prevention for Drive. Moving the form to My Drive fixes the first case; the second needs your admin.
Do files uploaded to my form use my Google Drive storage?
Yes. Uploads are saved in a folder in the form owner's Drive and count toward the owner's storage, which Google shares across Drive, Gmail and Google Photos.