File upload forms: collect files in Google Drive

File upload forms collect documents such as resumes, screenshots, statements, and contracts, then send them onward automatically. Google Forms writes uploads straight into the form owner's Drive, but every respondent must be signed in to a Google account, with preset size and count caps. Thunder Forms does it without a sign-in: upload fields on a public form link send files to the Drive folder you choose per field.

Before sharing an application or support form, check that your audience can use its upload field. Then check the file-size limits and where the attachments will be stored.

How to collect files without a Google account

The person sending the file does not need a Google account in Thunder Forms. The form owner connects Google Drive. Google Forms' native upload question requires every respondent to sign in, even when the rest of the form is public, as Google's question-type guidance explains.

1. Open the File Upload form template. It includes name, email, a context note, and an optional upload field.
2. Connect the owner's Google Drive account and select the upload field's destination folder before saving.
3. Set the accepted types and file count, then make the upload required if every response needs an attachment. The template starts at one file; the service maximum is ten files per field and 12 MiB per file.
4. Publish the form, open its public link while signed out, and submit a small permitted file. Check both the saved response and the reviewer's access to the file in Drive.

For a specific intake, the Job Application template includes resume upload and the Support Ticket template includes screenshot upload. Only the owner connects Drive. Sharing the form link does not give respondents access to the destination folder.

What is a file upload form?

A file upload form is any form with one or more fields that accept a file instead of typed text. Common setups: a hiring form that collects resumes and portfolio samples, a support form that takes screenshots, an education intake that accepts scanned assignments, or a client request form that gathers source documents. Forms keep the attachment with the response it belongs to. When files arrive by email, someone has to match them to the application or request.

In both Google Forms and Thunder Forms, uploaded files do not live inside the form product itself. They are stored in Google Drive, attached to the form owner's account storage. The form records a reference to each file so responses, exports, and reviewers can trace the document back to the submission.

How file uploads work in Google Forms

Google Forms treats the upload as a special question type. When a form owner adds a file upload question, Google asks to let respondents upload files to Drive and creates the destination. Each upload question can restrict file type (PDF, images, documents, and so on) and carries its configured Drive folder, as required in the Forms API model. Respondents see the question's file requirements under the picker, and per Google's respondent troubleshooting guide, uploads from a shared drive are not possible.

After a correct submission, files sit in Drive under the form owner's account, and other questions in the same response still record normally. Reviewing an upload means opening Drive, sharing access from there, and keeping folder permissions in mind.

How to enable file upload in Google Forms and check restrictions

In the form editor, add a question, choose File upload, and confirm the Drive prompt. Google creates a folder for that question's files. From there you can restrict file types, pick the 1, 5, or 10 file-count preset, and set the maximum size tier.

Respondents must sign in to Google before they can upload. There is no setting that removes this requirement while keeping the native upload question. If the owner cannot add the question, check the form's Drive location and account restrictions. Google also documents that respondents cannot upload files from shared drives. Microsoft Forms restricts native uploads to people within the organization. Thunder Forms accepts them on a public link and sends the files to the owner's selected Drive folder. For the Microsoft-side option itself, the greyed-out Microsoft upload guide lists its causes and fixes.

If the question type is unavailable, follow the steps for file upload disabled in Google Forms before changing your file size limits.

Google Forms and Thunder Forms upload limits

Google Forms' total upload allowance starts at 1 GB. A hiring form that accepts five large portfolio files per submission can reach that limit quickly and block further uploads. Check the total as well as the per-file size limit. Attachments use the owner's Drive storage, and respondents still need their own Google accounts to submit them.

The sign-in requirement, and the public-form alternative

Google Forms requires respondents to sign in to a Google account for file uploads. Google's community help threads explain this requirement. You cannot turn it off while keeping the native upload question. Applicants, clients, or parents without a Google account would need to create one to send their attachment.

Thunder Forms accepts attachments through a public form link, so respondents do not create an account or enter another product's credentials. You connect Drive once as the owner. If candidates cannot complete your intake because they cannot sign in to Google, this lets them send their files through the link.

Create a file upload portal for Google Drive

People asking for an upload portal on Google's help forums want a link that clients, vendors, or students can use to send files into Drive. Sharing a Drive folder also grants access to that folder and its files; it does not create a private upload-only page. If senders should not see those files, consider a portal tool such as DriveUploader or a file-request service.

You can use a Thunder Forms upload field as the portal. Connect it to a Drive folder and share the public form link. Respondents see the form and upload field without signing in or opening the destination folder. Each submission records the intake details with its files. The field shows allowed types, size, and count so senders can prepare their attachments. You still own the folder and control its Drive permissions.

Set up a Thunder Forms upload field

Choose the folder first. In Thunder Forms, each file-upload field connects to a Google Drive folder under your shared Google connection. Pick that folder in the upload setup before saving the form, and check that you have selected the account you intend to use throughout the application window.

For a form with resumes and portfolio samples, you can choose separate folders for the two fields or use one folder for both. Choose whichever arrangement makes the files easier for your reviewers to find, especially when several people review the same applications.

Look at the Google account displayed in the setup panel. It is the same connection used for imports and Sheets sync. A destination associated with another connected identity cannot simply be reused under this account.

Set each field's allowed types, size, and count. Use its description to explain these requirements to respondents before they choose a file, especially if they are likely to prepare an attachment in advance. The current service maximum is 12 MiB per file, or 12,582,912 bytes, and at most ten files per field. A lower limit can be appropriate. A resume field could, for example, accept one PDF up to 5 MB, with that requirement in the description so applicants can prepare their file before reaching the upload step. For a portfolio, consider whether a link would work better than requiring several large attachments.

Review the upload record and test access

After an upload, Thunder Forms keeps a receipt containing file and destination information that the submission endpoint validates before saving the response, associating accepted uploads with the form's configured destination. A receipt is a record of the upload, and Drive permissions still control later file access. CSV exports show filenames. There is no separate audit-log export. Sheets sync can include Drive links, so inspect the actual export format before planning a review or archive process around it.

Submit a permitted file through the public form and open it as a reviewer from the saved response, then repeat with a disallowed type or an oversized file to check the error respondents will receive. If uploads fail during an intake, check Drive access and available storage before changing the form's questions. For mobile respondents, try the flow on a phone with an ordinary file from that device. Decide how someone should send a corrected file and put those instructions in the success message, using a contact method you actually monitor.

For a side-by-side of all three routes, see the file upload forms overview.

Open the builder to add an upload field, or choose a template and configure its destination before your test submission. The File Upload template includes an upload field for document collection. The Support Ticket template includes a screenshot upload field. Connect its destination before saving.