Conditional Dropdowns

Build dependent (cascading) dropdowns in Google Forms from a Google Sheet — the next dropdown filters by an earlier answer, with a choice eliminator for used-up options.

Quick Answer

How do I make dependent (conditional) dropdowns in Google Forms?

Use Formfacade's Lookup Sheets and pick 'Conditional dropdowns from your Sheets data'. Connect your form and a sheet whose columns hold the related options, then describe the dependency — e.g. 'populate Category from the Category column, then filter Product by the selected Category'. When a respondent picks a value in the first dropdown, the next dropdown filters in real time to show only the matching choices. You can chain multiple levels, like Category to Sub-category to Product.

Conditional dropdowns make one dropdown depend on another: pick a value in the first, and the next dropdown shows only the choices that match — filtered live from your Google Sheet. You can chain several levels, and used-up choices can drop out automatically (a built-in choice eliminator).

First, the shared setup

Every Lookup task starts the same way — Try it free, connect your form, connect your sheet. If you haven't done that yet, see Set it up on the Lookup Sheets overview. This guide picks up at the Configure step.

Use case

An IT Equipment Request form has a Category dropdown (Laptops, Monitors, Accessories). When a respondent picks Laptops, the Product dropdown filters to show only laptop models — so no one can request a product that doesn't belong to the chosen category.

Both dropdowns are powered by one Product Catalog sheet, where each row ties a product to its category:

Category	Product
Laptops	MacBook Pro 14-inch
Laptops	Dell XPS 13
Laptops	ThinkPad X1 Carbon
Monitors	Dell UltraSharp 27-inch
Monitors	LG 4K 32-inch
Monitors	Samsung ViewFinity 34-inch
Accessories	Logitech MX Master 3S
Accessories	Keychron K2 Keyboard
Accessories	USB-C Hub
Accessories	Webcam 1080p

Set it up

Pick Conditional dropdowns from your Sheets data at the start — the Connect form screen reads "add conditional choices," and notes that later dropdowns can depend on earlier answers and used-up choices disappear.

The Conditional dropdowns and choice eliminator for Google Forms entry screen: Make a copy of Google Form and add conditional choices — The Conditional dropdowns option — later dropdowns depend on earlier answers; used-up choices disappear.

After connecting your form and the catalog sheet, describe the dependency at the Configure step — for example "Populate the Category dropdown with the distinct values from the Category column. Then filter the Product dropdown to show only the products whose Category matches the Category selected above." Review it and click Proceed.

The Configure step with an instruction to populate Category from the column and filter Product by the selected Category — Configure — describe the dependency between the two columns, then Proceed.

Formfacade confirms what it built: Category lists every distinct category, and Product is a dependent dropdown that auto-filters to the selected category.

A 'Your form is ready' confirmation explaining Category lists every category and Product auto-filters to the selected category — Your form is ready — Product is now a dependent dropdown filtered by Category.

The result

On the live form, the Product options change with the Category. Pick Laptops and only the three laptops appear:

The live IT Equipment Request form with Category set to Laptops and the Product dropdown showing only MacBook Pro 14-inch, Dell XPS 13, and ThinkPad X1 Carbon — Category = Laptops → Product shows only the laptops.

Switch to Accessories and the Product dropdown updates to just the accessories — the same dependency works for every category:

The live form with Category set to Accessories and the Product dropdown showing only Logitech MX Master 3S, Keychron K2 Keyboard, USB-C Hub, and Webcam 1080p — Category = Accessories → Product shows only the accessories.

Good to know

Behavior	Detail
Dependency	The later dropdown filters in real time by the earlier answer
Multiple levels	Chain dependencies, e.g. Category → Sub-category → Product
Multiple sheets	The dropdown and its filter can read from different sheets
Choice eliminator	Choices that are used up can be dropped from later submissions — useful for one-per-respondent items like asset tags or time slots
Sync	Every 30 minutes, or on every form submission; read-only

Next steps

Simpler single dropdown? See Populate a Dropdown.
Fill related fields on selection? See Autofill Fields.
Not sure how to express it? Let Connect with AI set it up for you.