Microsoft Forms Update: New Features Announced (Early 2023)

Microsoft Forms Update: New Features Announced (Early 2024)

Last Updated on January 5, 2024

What’s new in Microsoft Forms?

In this article, I’ll show you the new features of Microsoft Forms including an update on form themes, distribution, and a few nice updates.

Let’s get started

Form themes and cover pages

A struggle I had with forms was creating a sort of introduction or cover especially when I was creating a survey.

Well, Microsoft seemed to hear my thoughts on this one as they have rolled out cover page templates.

Think of them as more than Microsoft Forms background templates:

Insert title for the survey form

The system will also give you cover page suggestions based on the topic of your form so you can save time searching for a nice template.

Speaking of suggestions, Microsoft Forms will also recommend themes, including animated themes, based on your form.

Animated mathematical form theme

You wouldn’t see it from the image above. But the numbers and figures in the theme actually move (and it looks awesome!).

Note: For a guide on creating forms, check here: How to Create Microsoft Forms: The Definitive Guide.

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    Form distribution update

    Collecting responses to your forms also got nice updates.

    For one, your cover page (see above) will be shown in the email if you send the form via Microsoft Outlook.

    It would look like this:

    Cover page shown when sharing form through Outlook

    Cool, right?

    That way, the recipients will have an idea of what the MS Forms survey or quiz will be about. You can also use it to ignite their interest.

    When sharing the form, you can now share it easily even with external users using their email addresses.

    Just don’t forget to choose the anyone can respond option first:

    Anonymous response, doesn't require sign-in

    Another update here is the QR code generation.

    This will allow you to easily share the form offline by downloading the QR code in advance and having it scanned by your recipient.

    Recipients can scan the code to access the form

    Note: For more on the best features of Microsoft Forms, read this article: The Best Features Microsoft Forms Has to Offer.

    Images in choice questions

    I have read in some forums how certain users got frustrated as they couldn’t use images as answers to choice questions.

    Lo and behold, Microsoft answered and you can now do something like this:

    Using images as answers to choice questions

    Microsoft indicated though that not everyone may see it right away.

    If you’re one of the lucky ones, you will notice it as soon as you add a choice question as there will be an image icon in the answers.

    Microsoft Forms in Excel

    There are also updates on how Forms and Microsoft Excel work together.

    Check out this image:

    Update on how Forms work with Excel

    Here are the updates:

    • Data is automatically synced to Excel as soon as updates come in.
    • Excel will show you a summary of the responses to your form.
    • These summaries will come in as charts that you can insert right away.

    Microsoft Forms in Microsoft Teams

    If you’re having frequent Teams meetings, you may have already noticed the updates with the Polls app.

    The first one is the ability to create an instant binary poll:

    Instant poll in Teams

    Currently, there are three predefined instant polls:

    • Yes or no
    • Thumbs up or down
    • Like or dislike

    The next update enables you to add an image to your polls on Teams meetings.

    This helps you clarify and deliver your poll more effectively and make the poll feel more appealing and engaging.

    Poll containing an image

    You can use an image on all types of questions:

    • Quiz
    • Word cloud
    • Rating
    • Ranking
    • Multiple choice

    The last update is multi-question polls.

    From the name alone, this lets you create multiple polls in advance and launch them at your audience or viewers.

    Polls with two questions

    Naturally, you can also launch them at different instances.

    Note: If you’re interested in the new updates in Microsoft Teams, go here: Microsoft Teams New Features 2022: Exciting Updates.

    So which update do you like the most? If you have any questions regarding Forms, kindly comment with your questions.

    If you need help setting up surveys, kindly send a message using the form here. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

    About Ryan Clark

    As the Modern Workplace Architect at Mr. SharePoint, I help companies of all sizes better leverage Modern Workplace and Digital Process Automation investments. I am also a Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP) for M365 Apps & Services.

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    Jared murdoch
    Jared murdoch
    1 year ago

    Hi, great to get a tight summary of features like this! With the new “Styles” there seems to be a “Start Now” button that users have to click rather than jumping straight into a form… Any idea how to get rid of that? On mobile devices, the button is “below the fold” so inhibits engagement. And for big screens, it is not an obvious button and can get hidden on the image.

    Dhurai
    Dhurai
    Reply to  Jared murdoch
    1 year ago

    Hi, great post. Thanks for sharing with us.

    after download, the report of survey from Microsoft Forms in ExcelEmail field is showing Anonymous, but it was showing email address before this new update.

    Bryce Haynes
    Bryce Haynes
    Reply to  Jared murdoch
    6 months ago

    Has there been any update on how to get rid of this?

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