How to customize Google Forms in 2026 (Complete step-by-step guide)

Customizing Google Forms helps you create professional forms and make a strong impression with your forms. Here we will talk all about Google Form customization. Whether you're a business owner, marketer, educator, or HR professional, this guide will help you create forms that look professional and get results.

Creating online forms has become an essential skill in the business world. Online forms are helpful tools, whether you are getting customer feedback, building employee surveys, or managing event registrations. Google Forms, a part of the Google Workspace platform, provides entrepreneurs and business owners with a user-friendly tool to create forms and collect information for their businesses.

Powerful customization is the key to creating forms that not only gather information but also look impressive and professional. In this article, you will learn how to create a custom Google Form faster and easier. Also, we will explore various styling options, from adjusting font styles and sizes to adding images and background colors. Plus, we'll answer frequently asked questions about customizing Google Forms.

What can you customize in Google Forms?

Before diving into the how-to steps, let's understand what's possible with Google Forms customization.

So, Google Forms does provide some basic customization options. These features improve personalization, making your forms look better. It is an excellent possibility for businesses to manage collected data and enhance the customer experience. But, remember that a Google Form will always look like a Google Form.

How to customize Google Forms (Step-by-step)

Customizing Google Forms allows you to tailor both the overall theme of your form page and individual questions, helping you to craft many cool Google Forms. Below, we explore each type of customization with details and step by step:

1. Open a Google Form

To begin customizing your Google Form, open a Google Form in edit mode. Or you can create a Google Form at docs.google.com/forms.

Google Forms Dashboard

2. Click on palette icon to open the Theme menu

Then, look for the palette icon (🎨) in the top-right corner of your screen and click on it. It will open Google Forms’ Theme menu. This is where you will find settings for making pretty Google Forms.

Palette icon in the top-right corner of a Google Form

3. Select your theme colors

Theme colors affect multiple elements throughout your form, and it creates a cohesive look. To change your theme color:

Once you select an accent color; you can choose from background color options. Google Forms generates four background colors automatically for you to choose from; based on your accent color.

Color settings in a Google Form

4. Change fonts and font sizes

When you type something, anything, your typeface faces the reader first. Choosing the right fonts helps you create an appropriate setting.

Thankfully, Google Forms lets you choose from many font families within Google Fonts. You can also change fonts and font sizes for different form elements, namely, header, question, and text.

Font settings in a Google Form

5. Add a header image

Header images make the biggest visual impact on your form. They appear at the top and set the tone for the entire experience. To add a header image:

Header image setting in a Google Form

6. Customize questions

Apart from Google Form design customization, you can change the form content itself.

You can change question text, its type, answers, or order. You can also add images to questions or add them as a separate form element using the toolbar on the right.

Customizing questions in a Google Form

7. Add sections to group related questions

Sections break long forms into manageable chunks and create logical groupings. To create a new section, simply click the Add section button (icon with two horizontal lines) on the right toolbar.

Then, add section title and description. Once you’re done adding a section; drag and drop questions to your section to group them together.

The Add section button in a Google Form

8. Go to the settings tab

On Google Forms you have several options to change how you present your forms. Simply switch to the “Settings” tab and open the “Presentation” dropdown. There you will find the settings to:

The Add section button in a Google Form

forms.app is a better alternative for customized forms

Google Forms allows users to customize various elements to improve their forms' visual appeal and functionality. Despite these valuable customization features, Google Forms does have its limitations, especially when you or your employees seek more advanced options for your forms. If you want to create and customize your form on an advanced level, consider using some alternative tools.

forms.app is an online form builder that lets you easily create, customize, and manage web forms. Unlike Google Forms, forms.app is designed to offer more advanced and extensive customization options for users looking to tailor their forms to specific needs. The platform provides a range of great options, giving you more control over the design of your online forms. Here are some key steps on how to customize your form with forms.app:

1. Select a form’s theme

forms.app allows you to choose from over 50 expertly designed themes, instantly changing the look of your form. You can add these pre-set visual styles to your form with a single click. Open your form and go to the "Design" tab. You will automatically see the "Themes" section.

Choosing a theme for your form on forms.app

2. Change colors

forms.app lets you customize colors easily. This level of color customization goes beyond what Google Forms offers. In the "Customize" section, edit or choose colors from a rich color palette. Also, you can adjust transparency and see instant changes.

Changing form colors on forms.app

3. Add a background image

On the "Design" page’s "Customize" section, click on the plus button next to the “ Background image” option. You can choose your image, adjust brightness, and instantly see how your form looks with a custom background.

Uploading a custom form background image on forms.app

4. Select a view type

On the design page, switch to the “Layout” tab to change your form layout. Here you can choose between step view (to show your questions one by one, creating a conversational form) or list view (to list your questions in one or multiple pages).

Choosing a view type for your form on forms.app

5. Add your logo to your form

Adding image content to forms is simple with forms.app. You can include image content fields, upload/select photos, and even display your company logo with adjustable size.

Adding a logo to a form on forms.app

6. Customize your questions

forms.app offers over 30+ question types to meet the unique needs of youır forms and surveys. You can find specific question types like rating, checklist, grid, and even image selection questions.

Adding custom questions to a form on forms.app

Frequently asked questions about customizing Google Forms

To show you the full potential of this tool, we answered frequently asked questions about customizing Google Forms. You may be curious about changing layouts, adjusting colors, or other valuable options. We will give insights into the available custom features and answer common questions:

In short

Google Forms offers a solid foundation for basic customization. It is enough for simple surveys, internal questionnaires, and casual data collection. However:

If your forms represent your business to clients, drive revenue, or require professional polish, Google Forms' constraints will hold you back. This is where forms.app excels. It's designed for businesses and organizations that need Google Forms' simplicity but with professional-grade features.

Whether you stick with Google Forms for basic needs or make the switch to forms.app for professional results, this guide will help you create better forms that people actually complete.

Further reading