How to Make Microsoft Forms Anonymous: Step-By-Step Privacy Settings

I’ve seen too many surveys collect names when they didn’t need to. Anonymous responses in Microsoft Forms take 30 seconds to enable and protect respondent privacy completely.

The setting hides names and emails, but you’ll still see all submitted answers. It’s buried under “Settings” then “Who can fill out this form”—most users miss it on first pass.

You’ll get cleaner data when people aren’t worried about being identified. Works for employee feedback, classroom surveys, or any scenario where honesty matters more than attribution.

This approach maintains full functionality while removing the privacy barrier that stops some people from responding at all.

What Youll Need

Instructions

Here’s the process I use to ensure complete anonymity in every response collected.

Log in to Microsoft Forms with your account and create a new form or open an existing one. I always start by giving the form a clear title so respondents understand its purpose at a glance. You’ll see the design interface with fields for questions and settings.

Verify the form is saved in your Forms dashboard before proceeding. Look for the autosave confirmation in the top-left corner—this ensures no data is lost if you close the browser unexpectedly.

Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the form editor and select Settings. This opens a sidebar with multiple tabs, including Responses, General, and Sharing. The Responses tab is where you control anonymity.

Here’s the thing—Microsoft Forms collects email addresses by default if respondents are signed in with a Microsoft account. This is the first setting you need to change to guarantee anonymity.

In the Responses tab, toggle off Record name to prevent the form from capturing the respondent’s name. This is critical for anonymity. Next, toggle off One response per person to allow multiple submissions from the same user if needed.

Real talk: Even if you disable these options, respondents using a work or school account tied to your organization may still have their identity logged in the backend. For true anonymity, share the form externally using a direct link rather than email.

Click the Share button in the top-right corner. Select Link instead of Email or QR code. Under Who can fill out this form, choose Anyone with the link. This bypasses the organization’s authentication and ensures responses remain untraceable.

Copy the link and distribute it through your preferred channel. I like to test the link in an incognito browser window to confirm no sign-in prompt appears. If it asks for a login, double-check your sharing settings.

Go to the Responses tab in your form and review the collected data. You should see entries listed with Anonymous instead of names or email addresses. If any identifiers appear, revisit the settings and ensure all tracking options are disabled.

For extra assurance, open the form’s Excel Online report. Check the Response ID and Timestamp columns—these should be the only metadata present. No personal data means your form is truly anonymous.

Tips and Common Mistakes

These key insights will help you avoid the most common pitfalls when setting up anonymous forms.

Settings Deep Dive: In Step 3, toggling off Record name is non-negotiable, but many overlook the One response per person setting. Disabling both ensures your form doesn’t accidentally limit submissions or attach identifiers. I’ve seen entire surveys compromised because this second toggle was missed.

Sharing Strategy: Step 4’s Anyone with the link option is your best friend for true anonymity. Email or QR code sharing can still tie responses to accounts within an organization. Always test the link in incognito mode—if you see a sign-in prompt, your sharing settings aren’t truly anonymous yet.

Verification Habit: In Step 5, don’t just glance at the Responses tab. Open the Excel Online report and confirm only Response ID and Timestamp appear. If you see any other metadata, revisit Steps 3 and 4. This extra check has saved me from subtle tracking issues more than once.

Proactive Testing: Before distributing your form, submit a test response yourself using a personal account outside your organization. If it shows as anonymous in your results, you’ve successfully bypassed the default tracking. This is the only way to be 100% certain your settings work as intended.

Frequently Asked Questions

Making your Microsoft Forms anonymous is a simple yet powerful way to encourage honest feedback. By toggling the right settings, you ensure participant privacy while collecting valuable insights. Ready to get started? Try creating an anonymous form today and see the difference it makes! 🎯