How to Limit Responses in Google Forms

Google Forms is a go-to tool for collecting data fast—surveys, sign-ups, feedback, you name it. But what happens when you don’t want responses rolling in forever? Whether you’re capping entries for a giveaway, a limited event, or just want to keep things tidy, limiting responses in Google Forms is easy once you know how.

Here’s how to do it.

Option 1: Manually Turn Off Accepting Responses

If you’re only expecting a handful of responses and plan to keep an eye on the form yourself, the easiest method is to manually disable it.

Steps:

1. Open your form in Google Forms.
2. In the top right, click the Responses tab.
3. Toggle off “Accepting responses.”

Done. Anyone who visits the form will see a message saying the form is no longer accepting responses. You can customize that message too.

Option 2: Limit to One Response Per Person

If you want each person to respond only once, you can require them to sign in.

Steps:

1. Click the Settings gear icon (top right).
2. Under the Responses tab, check “Limit to 1 response.”
3. Save.

Note: This only works for users signed into a Google account. It won’t work for anonymous or public submissions.

Option 3: Automatically Close the Form at a Certain Number of Responses

Google Forms doesn’t have a built-in setting for this, but a free add-on called formLimiter can do it for you.

Here’s how:

1. Open your form.
2. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the upper right, then select Add-ons.
3. Search for formLimiter and install it.
4. Once installed, click the puzzle piece icon in your toolbar and select formLimiter.
5. Set your limit based on number of responses or date/time.

This is great for forms with a strict cutoff—like event RSVPs or sign-up caps.

Bonus Tip: Monitor Responses with Google Sheets

Want to keep tabs on responses in real time?

• Click the Responses tab.
• Click the green Sheets icon to link your form to a Google Sheet.
• From there, use formulas or conditional formatting to highlight your limits and stop the form manually or with formLimiter.

Final Thoughts

Google Forms is powerful, but simple. If you’re collecting data and don’t want it to spiral out of control, limiting responses is a must. Whether you do it manually, restrict to one per person, or automate with add-ons, you’ve got options.

Need help setting this up? Drop a comment or shoot us a message.