Microsoft Forms link not working

Question

Hi, I have created a Microsoft Form in order to conduct a research survey. I have shared a link to the form with various people on Whatsapp. However, most people are unable to open the form. It shows an error message when clicked on (screenshot attached below). Still, I have received a few responses indicating that the link is indeed working for a few people.

Please help, I am unsure how to fix this situation.

Answer 1

Hi @Aditi Kashyap,

Thank you for your response, and I completely understand your concern - especially since you’re sharing the survey broadly and cannot directly guide every respondent through technical DNS troubleshooting.

Here are the steps you can try to take on your end as the form owner to maximize accessibility and eliminate the most common causes of access errors:

1/ Ensure the form is open to everyone (no sign‑in required)

In your Form: Collect responses > Who can fill out this form > Select “Anyone can respond.”

This ensures the link is truly public and removes organizational access blockers.

Note: If you're using a school/work (Microsoft 365) account and you don’t see the “Anyone can respond” option, your IT admin must enable external sharing:

• Microsoft 365 admin center > Settings > Org settings > Microsoft Forms
• Enable “Send a link to the form and collect responses”

Reference:

• Choose who can fill out a form or quiz - Microsoft Support
• Admininstrator settings for Microsoft Forms - Microsoft Forms Admin ...

2/ Make sure you are sharing the correct link

Only share the link from: Collect responses > Copy link

Do not share:

• The “Collaborate or duplicate” link (meant for co‑authors, not respondents)
• The long URL from your browser address bar

Sharing the wrong link is a known cause of access errors: Share a form or quiz to collaborate - Microsoft Support.

A correct public link should look like: https://forms.office.com/r/XXXXX

This short link avoids parameters that sometimes break in apps like WhatsApp: Share a form.

 

3/ Remove File upload questions if your audience is public

If your form includes a File upload question, Microsoft Forms automatically restricts access to internal users only. External respondents will either be blocked or encounter an error when trying to open the form.

If you’re sharing the survey publicly, remove the File upload question and replace it with simple instructions (for example, asking respondents to email any attachments instead): Add questions that allow for file uploads in Microsoft Forms.

If file collection is essential, you’ll need to keep the form internal or use an alternative way to gather files.

 

4/ Confirm the form is actually accepting responses

In Settings:

• Accept responses must be ON
• If you set Start/End dates, confirm they are valid

 

 

You can consider sharing the form link in more reliable ways:

While this won’t resolve DNS issues globally, it can significantly increase the number of respondents who can open your form across different devices and apps:

• Reshare a fresh short link from the Collect responses page, and also provide an alternate access method.
• Include a QR code: In Collect responses, click the QR icon > download the PNG > share it alongside the link. Scanning a QR code often opens the form in a full browser instead of an in‑app browser, which avoids many loading issues.
• Embed the form on a simple webpage you control (if available): From Collect responses, choose Embed, place it on a webpage, and share that page link as an additional option. This is an official sharing method supported by Microsoft Forms.
• Add a quick troubleshooting note wherever the form link is posted (forum post, description, pinned comment), such as: “If the link doesn’t open, please try switching between Wi‑Fi and mobile data, or opening it in another browser/incognito tab.”

Reference: Share a form.

 

Should you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out.

If you found the answer helpful, I would truly appreciate it if you marked it as the accepted answer - it helps others in the community find the right guidance more easily. Thank you for your support.

Warm regards.

Answer 2

Hi @Aditi Kashyap,

Good day, and I appreciate you sharing the details as well as the screenshot.

I understand how difficult it can be when some respondents cannot open your Microsoft Form - especially when others can access it without any issues, and the error they see is DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN.

This specific error indicates a DNS (Domain Name System) resolution problem, meaning the device is temporarily unable to locate the web address of your form. It does not mean your form is broken; rather, the respondent’s browser or network is failing to resolve the link correctly. This aligns with known scenarios where users encounter access issues depending on their device, browser, or network configuration.

Here are some troubleshooting steps they can try:

1/ Clear the browser cache

In Microsoft Edge, you can press Ctrl + Shift + Del to open the Clear browsing data menu. Clearing cached files often resolves temporary loading issues.

(Please ensure they back up items like Favorites before clearing data.)

 

2/ Change DNS servers

You can try switching to reliable public DNS services such as:

• Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
• Cloudflare DNS: 1.1.1.1

Updating DNS settings can help resolve address lookup failures.

 

3/ Flush the DNS cache

Open Command Prompt and run:

ipconfig /flushdns

This forces the system to refresh outdated DNS entries.

 

4/ Reset TCP/IP

Run these commands in Command Prompt (as Administrator):

netsh int ip reset 
netsh winsock reset

Then restart your computer.

 

5/ Check the hosts file

Confirm that the website hasn’t been accidentally blocked in:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

 

6/ Contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP)

If the issue persists, the problem may be with your network provider or DNS routing. Your ISP can check for routing or DNS issues on your side.

 

If the problem continues after these steps, it’s possible that the problem lies with your network’s DNS configuration or with the website itself. In that case, you may need to contact your network administrator or the website’s support team for further assistance.

 

I hope this information helps. Please try the steps above and let me know how it goes. If the issue continues, we can work through it together and find a resolution.

As other users will also search for information in this community, your vote can significantly help those with similar inquiries quickly locate the most relevant resources. 

Thank you for your kindness and for contributing to the forum.   

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Answer 3

The form link itself is valid if some respondents can open and submit responses. The error shown in the screenshot (DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN) indicates a DNS or network issue on the affected devices or networks, not a problem with the Microsoft Form.

To move forward, use these approaches:

1. Confirm the correct share link
   • In Microsoft Forms, open the survey.
   • Select Collect responses in the upper-right corner.
   • Ensure the correct audience is selected (for example, anyone with the link, or people in the organization, depending on the requirement).
   • Use Copy/paste form link and resend this link to respondents.
2. Offer alternative access methods
   • From Collect responses, also generate a QR code and share the image; respondents can scan it to open the form.
   • Use Send through Outlook or Teams to email the link directly to participants who have those accounts.
   • If there is a website or learning platform, use the Embed into a website option and direct respondents there.
3. Advise affected respondents
   • Ask them to try a different network (for example, switch between mobile data and Wi‑Fi) and then open the same link again.
   • If the link works for some but not others on the same network, ask them to try a different browser or clear browser data, then reopen the link.

If the problem persists only for specific users or networks after confirming the link from Collect responses, it is likely due to local DNS or connectivity configuration on those networks rather than an issue with the form configuration.

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References:

• Send a form to get responses