How to create a conditional dropdown in Google Forms?

Google Forms does not support conditional dropdowns natively. All dropdown options are static and do not change based on a respondent's previous selection. You can use Google Forms' built-in Go to section feature as a workaround, or use the Formfacade - Lookup Sheets add-on to create true conditional dropdowns without any code. When a respondent selects an option in the first dropdown, the options in the second dropdown are automatically filtered based on that selection.

What is a Conditional Dropdown?

A conditional dropdown is a dropdown question whose options change based on what the respondent selected in a previous question. The second dropdown is dependent on the first, showing only the options relevant to that selection. This is also referred to as a dependent dropdown or cascading dropdown. 


For example, if a respondent selects a product category in the first dropdown, the second dropdown shows only the products in that category. If they select a different category, the second dropdown updates to show only the relevant products. 

Apps Script can update dropdown options, but it cannot filter the options in real time based on a respondent's selection. To implement a true conditional dropdown in a native google form, you need either the Go to section workaround or the Formfacade - Lookup Sheets add-on.

Method 1: Use Go to Section Based on Answer

Google Forms has a built-in "Go to section based on answer" feature that lets you show different sections of a form based on a respondent's answer to a dropdown or multiple choice question. While this is not a true conditional dropdown, it can be used as a workaround to simulate the behavior.


Instead of filtering the options in a second dropdown, you will need to create a separate section for each answer choice in the first dropdown. Each section contains its own dropdown with the relevant choices for that selection. When a respondent selects an option in the first dropdown, they are sent to the corresponding section.

Let's take the following example. A product issue report form asks the respondent to select a product category. If they select Hardware, they are sent to a section with a dropdown of hardware issue types. If they select Software, they are sent to a section with a dropdown of software issue types.

How to set it up?
  • Open your form in Google Forms > add a dropdown question. For example, "Select a product category" with Hardware and Software as the two answer choices. 
  • Click the Add section icon to create a separate section for each option. For example, a Hardware section and a Software section. In each section, add a dropdown question with the relevant options. For example, the Hardware section has a dropdown of hardware issue types, and the Software section has a dropdown of software issue types. 
  • Click on the "Select a product category" dropdown question to select it > click the ⋮ three dot more option > select Go to section based on answer. For each option, select the corresponding section. For example, set Hardware to go to the Hardware section and Software to go to the Software section.

Limitations
  • This is a workaround, not a true conditional dropdown. Respondents navigate to a different section instead of the options filtering in real time. 
  • Not suitable for dropdowns with a large number of answer choices. Each option in the first dropdown requires its own section, making the form difficult to manage. 
  • The form becomes bloated quickly. Google Forms has a hard limit of 75 sections. 
  • If you have multiple forms with the same dropdown, you have to replicate and maintain the setup for each one.

Method 2: Add-on for Google Forms

You can use the Formfacade - Lookup Sheets add-on to create true conditional dropdowns in Google Forms without any code. When a respondent selects an option in the first dropdown, the options in the second dropdown are automatically filtered from your Google Sheet in real time.


For example. A procurement form asks the respondent to select a product category from a dropdown. Based on the selection, the second dropdown shows only the products in that category from the Products sheet. When a new product is added to the sheet, it appears in the form automatically.

How to set it up?
You can either import your google form to Formfacade or customize the existing google form using the Formfacade - Lookup Sheets add-on.

Import via URL
If you have already created your form in Google Forms, you can use the form URL to import it to Formfacade. This creates a copy of your form in Formfacade where you can configure the conditional dropdown. When respondents submit the form using the Formfacade link, responses are recorded in Google Forms. You can use the Link to Sheets feature in Google Forms to automatically sync responses to Google Sheets in real time. 

  • Go to formfacade.com > click Try it free > select Import via URL > paste your Google Forms URL, and click Proceed. 
  • Use simple instructions to connect your sheet and configure the conditional dropdown. For example: "Show product categories from the Products sheet in the Category dropdown. Based on the selected category, show only the matching products in the Products dropdown." 
  • Share the Formfacade link with your respondents.

Formfacade - Lookup Sheets add-on
  • Install the Formfacade – Lookup Sheets add-on from the Google Workspace Marketplace. 
  • Open your form in Google Forms > click the add-on icon > click Formfacade – Lookup Sheets > The add-on menu options will be displayed > click Lookup Sheets and follow the prompts to connect your sheet, click Next. Describe what you want in plain English and click Proceed. For example: "Show product categories from the Products sheet in the first dropdown. Based on the selected category, show only the matching products in the second dropdown. 
  • Click the Publish icon in the top right corner. Use the Formfacade share link to collect responses.

Why this approach?
  • True conditional dropdowns. Options in the second dropdown filter in real time based on the respondent's selection, not by navigating to a different section.
  • No limit on answer choices. Supports dropdowns with hundreds or thousands of options with no performance limits. 
  • Your sheet is the single source of truth. Add a new product to the sheet and it appears in the form automatically.
  • Scales across multiple forms. Connect the same sheet to as many forms as you need. 
  • Your sheet is never modified. Formfacade mirrors your data to serve forms fast and never uses write access to your sheet.

Limitations
  • Requires a subscription to Formfacade – Lookup Sheets.
  • Responses are recorded in Google Forms as normal, but you must use the Formfacade link instead of the native Google Forms URL to collect responses.

Comparison



Go to section based on answer

Formfacade - Lookup Sheets

True conditional dropdown

No

Yes

Required coding

No

No

Scales with large lists

No

Yes

Works with Google Sheets

No

Yes

One sheet, multiple forms

No, separate set up per form

Yes

Maintenance required

Yes

No

Cost

Free

Requires a subscription


Use Go to section feature if your first dropdown has a small number of answer choices and you do not need to pull data from a Google Sheet. Use Formfacade – Lookup Sheets if you need true conditional dropdowns, especially if your options come from a Google Sheet or your list is large.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many levels of conditional dropdowns can I create?
With Formfacade – Lookup Sheets, you can create multiple levels of dependent dropdowns as needed. For example, Category → Sub-category → Product.

Can the dropdown options come from a Google Sheet?
Yes. Formfacade - Lookup Sheets connects directly to your Google Sheet. When you add or remove options from the sheet, the form updates automatically.

Is there a limit on the number of options in each dropdown?
Formfacade - Lookup Sheets supports lists of any size with no performance limits. With Go to Section, managing large numbers of options becomes impractical due to Google Forms' maximum section limit of 75.


Made with formfacade

Last updated: