---
title: "Excel Workbook With Multiple Sheets to Google Forms | Formswrite Blog"
description: "One Excel workbook with a quiz on every tab? Only the first sheet converts, so here are three ways to get each tab into its own Google Form."
canonical: https://formswrite.com/blog/excel-workbook-multiple-sheets-to-google-forms
last-updated: 2026-10-08
---

# Excel Workbook With Multiple Sheets to Google Forms

In short

When you upload an Excel workbook to Formswrite, only the first sheet is converted. If your workbook has one quiz per tab, the simplest fix is to split it into one file per tab and convert each file on its own.

## Why only the first sheet

A Google Form is a single document, and a workbook is a bundle of separate tables. The converter has to pick one table to read, and it picks the first. The [Excel to Google Form converter](/convert/excel-to-google-form) page notes that other sheets are available on request, and the Google Sheets converter says the same about its file. For a dependable result today, plan for one sheet per form.

There is also a good teaching reason to keep it that way. One form per topic or unit gives you a separate score, a separate link and a separate responses sheet for each quiz.

## Option 1: Split the workbook by hand in Excel

This is the fastest route for up to about five tabs.

1.  Right-click the tab you want to separate.
2.  Choose Move or Copy.
3.  In the dialog, set To book to (new book) and tick Create a copy.
4.  Save the new file with a clear name, such as Unit 3 Cell Biology.xlsx.
5.  Repeat for each tab, then upload the files one at a time.

Because you copied rather than moved, your original workbook stays intact as the master question bank.

## Option 2: Download each tab from Google Sheets

If the workbook lives in Google Sheets, open the tab you want and use File, then Download. A CSV download contains only the tab you are on, which makes this a quick way to split a bank. Choose .xlsx instead if the tab has dropdown lists or merged section titles, and be aware that an .xlsx download holds the whole workbook, so move the quiz tab to the front first. The comparison of [XLSX and CSV for quiz import](/blog/xlsx-or-csv-for-google-forms-import) explains what each format keeps.

## Option 3: Combine into one long sheet

Sometimes you do not want many forms. A school might want one long exam with a section for each topic. In that case, go the other way: copy every question from all tabs onto the first tab, one question per row, and put the section name in a merged row above each group of questions. A merged cell that spans a row is read as a section title, and the questions below it are read as belonging to that section. Check the preview, because complex merged areas are flagged for review.

## Which option should you choose

| Situation | Best option |
| --- | --- |
| One quiz per topic, each given on its own day | Option 1 or 2, one form per tab |
| Fifteen or more tabs | Option 1 repeated, or consider the bulk feature below |
| One exam with several parts | Option 3, one sheet with section titles |
| Same quiz in several languages, one per tab | Option 1, so each language gets its own link |

## Name files so the forms are easy to find

Each exported form takes its identity from the file you converted, so a folder of files named Sheet1.xlsx, Sheet2.xlsx becomes a Drive full of forms nobody can tell apart. Use a pattern such as Subject - Unit - Year, with plain hyphens, and keep the same pattern for the form titles. A month from now you will be glad you did.

## If you have dozens of files

Converting many files by hand is repetitive. Formswrite has a bulk conversion feature on the paid plan, and its page describes selecting multiple Google Docs and converting them in one batch. Check that page for the file types it supports today before you plan a large Excel migration around it. For converting question banks into LMS formats in batches, see our post on [bulk converting to Moodle, Canvas and Blackboard](/blog/bulk-convert-google-docs-to-lms-quizzes-moodle-canvas-blackboard).

## What stays the same for every tab

Each file follows the same rules as a single sheet. Put headers in row 1, one question per row, options in their own columns, and the correct answer in an answer column. Our [question bank template](/blog/excel-question-bank-template-google-forms) gives a layout to copy. If a tab converts to an empty or wrong form, the checklist in [Excel to Google Form not working](/blog/excel-to-google-form-not-working) covers the usual causes.

You can upload and preview each file on the free plan, which keeps five Formswrite Forms a month. Exporting each one to Google Forms is a paid feature.

[Convert a sheet to a Google Form](/convert/excel-to-google-form)

## FAQ

Does Formswrite convert all sheets in a workbook at once?

No. It converts the first sheet. The converter page says other sheets are available on request, so split the workbook into one file per tab if you need every tab as a form.

Will splitting the workbook change my formulas?

Formulas that point to another tab can break when you copy a tab into a new workbook. The converter reads values anyway, so paste the tab as values before you split if any cell depends on another sheet.

Can I put several quizzes on one sheet?

You can, using merged section titles as dividers, and they will come through as sections of one form. If the quizzes need separate scores or links, use separate files instead.

How do I keep the same style across all the forms?

Use one header layout and one naming pattern in every file. Settings such as quiz mode and score release are chosen in Google Forms, so apply them once to a finished form and duplicate that form where it makes sense.