How to Create a Form in SharePoint Online: Complete Beginner’s Guide

Still manually managing requests, approvals, or feedback? SharePoint Online offers a smarter, automated way to handle data collection through customizable forms. Creating forms in SharePoint 365 helps to manage and gather information across the organization, including customer feedback, managing employee requests, or general company surveys.

This detailed beginner guide outlines everything from A to Z, i.e., what is SharePoint Online form, why create forms in SharePoint 365, how to create a form in SharePoint Online, and more.

Quick Steps to Create Form in Office 365 SharePoint

• Open the SharePoint Online site.
• Click New > List and create a new list.
• Add columns to define the fields of a form.
• Within the list, click New to open the default form.
• Customize the form using Power Apps (optional).
• Share the form link with users.

What is SharePoint Online Form?

A form in SharePoint 365 allows individuals to submit, view, or edit data in a structured format. Collected data stores in a SharePoint list or library. 

It is mainly used in organizations for storing employees’ details like DOB, Bank account, address, blood group, etc, in a centralized location. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to fill up the details. You can create a form in SharePoint Online and customize this according to your needs. 

There are different types of forms in SharePoint, which are:

1. Default SharePoint Forms: When you create a list/library, default SharePoint forms are automatically generated. It is basic in design, but can be used in urgent or internal surveys.  
2. Power Apps Customized Forms: These are advanced and flexible in comparison to the default. It allows for custom layouts, conditional logic, and rich formatting. 
3. Microsoft Forms Embedded in SharePoint: This is especially designed to create a SharePoint Survey and professional quizzes. However, the content is stored in Microsoft Forms, not in SharePoint lists, which adds another layer of security. 

How Forms Work in SharePoint?

When you fill out a form, you:

1. Enter data via a web-based interface and submit.
2. Afterward, the data is saved in a SharePoint list/library.
3. Now, admin and team members view and manage data from that location. If you can’t access it, then you need to change Site Owner in SharePoint Online, as only assigned users can view the content. 

Now, we have a clear insight into what the SharePoint Online form is. Let’s explore the reasons why create forms!

Why Create a Form in SharePoint Online?

Creating forms in SharePoint 365 is a necessary task due to these reasons:

• Forms offers a centralized location to store large data in SharePoint lists, where we can store and manage the content effectively. 
• Using Power Apps, you can create a professional form with conditional logic, validation, and automation. This helps in attracting clients or external users. 
• You can set permissions for who can submit, view, or edit form data. This helps in securing sensitive data from unauthorized users. 
• SharePoint forms will work on any device, which helps users to complete forms even through mobile devices.
• Once data is collected, it can be sorted, filtered, exported, or visualized.
• Creating forms in SharePoint 365 allows users to submit and view data across the organization, without unmanaged email threads. This helps in improving the collaboration experience. 

As we understand, the top advantages of creating forms. Most of the users are excited to know how to do so. Without any delay, we will move to our main discussion.

How to Create a Form in SharePoint Online?

Creating a customized form in SharePoint 365 can become time-consuming, as many things we have to keep in mind. That’s why we explain everything step-by-step, so that you can easily understand every point. So, let’s start:

Step 1. Set Up a SharePoint List

The very first thing is, SharePoint forms store data in lists. So, we need a proper list to store data. If you already have that with enough storage, and your site isn’t running into a SharePoint Online Storage Quota Exceeded issue, then skip this point. Otherwise, follow these instructions to create:

1. Open the SharePoint site.
2. On the site’s home page, select New > List from the options.
3. Choose a blank list or a pre-designed template to start.
4. Name your list.
5. Click Create.

Now, our list is ready to store data. Let’s move to the next step, i.e.

Step 2. Add Columns to List

After creating the list, you need to add columns to define the fields in your form. For the same, follow the below points:

1. Open the created list.
2. Within the Settings section, select Create Column.
3. Choose the type of data, e.g., text, date/time, number, etc.
4. Add a name and description for the column.
5. Click OK to save the column.

Repeat these steps to include the desired fields, i.e., Name or account.

Step 3. Create a Form in SharePoint Online Using Power Apps

As we previously discussed that SharePoint’s default forms are basic, so for customization, we have to use Power Apps. It allows you to design an interactive form with additional features like conditional formatting, validation rules, and custom layouts.

The steps are given below:

1. In the SharePoint list, click Power Apps > Customize forms.
2. Power Apps will open, where you can design your form according to your preferences. For example, you can drag and drop fields, add labels, change the layout, etc.
3. You can customize the form with different visual elements, such as drop-down lists, buttons, and more.
4. Once all set, click Save and then Publish to SharePoint to make the form available to users. You can add user to SharePoint Site, if needed.

Step 4. Set Permissions for the Form

Once you create a form in SharePoint Online, managing permissions is necessary, i.e., who can access or submit the form. 

To adjust permissions:

1. Open the List Settings of the form list.
2. Under Permissions and Management > Permissions for this list.
3. Set permissions for users or groups according to your needs.

Step 5. Share the Form with Users

When done with permissions configurations, it’s time to share that customized form with others. We can do this through emails, links, or embedded code.

Here are the instructions to do so:

1. From the list, click on Share.
2. Copy the link and send it to the desired users. Alternatively, embed the form on a SharePoint page to make it more accessible.

Step 6. Automate Workflow with Power Automate (Optional)

Once your form is live, you need to automate some repetitive steps to create a form in SharePoint Online like this:

1. Access the SharePoint list, click on Power Automate.
2. Select Create a flow and choose a template or build a custom flow.
3. Define the trigger, e.g., when a new or old item is submitted to the list, you can set the trigger accordingly, even with the form name or anything.
4. Add actions, such as sending an email or updating another list.

That’s all! With these step-by-step instructions, you now have everything you need to create forms in SharePoint 365 confidently. Next, we will explore best practices for creating forms in SharePoint 365 effectively and hassle-free. 

Best Practices to Create a Form in SharePoint Online

To create forms in SharePoint Online easily, following these best practices is necessary: 

• Make the form simple and intuitive, so that any skill level of user can easily understand and fill it out; a complex layout creates unnecessary confusion.
• Use Power Apps to apply conditional logic to show/hide fields, which can be engaging.
• Customize forms so that no one can submit the form without filling necessary data.
• Try to limit the number of fields to make the form quick to complete.

Overall

Creating forms in SharePoint 365 is a straightforward process. By using built-in features like Power Apps and Power Automate, one can easily create a form in SharePoint Online without external help. Now that you know how to create forms in SharePoint 365, you can start building your customized forms today!