Issue with the "Quick Import" Feature for Form Imports

Question

Issue with the "Quick Import" Feature for Form Imports

Anonymous

Hello,

I am reaching out for assistance regarding the use of the "Quick Import" feature.

Context:
I would like to import a series of questions accompanied by numerous answers using a Word document. However, despite several attempts, the quick import feature is unable to correctly read my document. This functionality is essential for me, as it would make it much easier to collect precise information about bus stops and to automate the processing of the responses received.

Problem Encountered:
Here is an excerpt from the list I am trying to import (this is just a small part of the complete file):

Numéro de la ligne + Sens de direction
a. Ligne 1 - Blécherette
b. Ligne 1 - Lausanne, Maladière (Écublens, EPFL Colladon)
c. Ligne 2 - Désert
d. Ligne 2 - Maladière-Lac
e. Ligne 3 - Maillefer
f. Ligne 3 - Lausanne, Gare
g. Ligne 4 - Coudereaie
h. Ligne 4 - Faverge
i. Ligne 6 - Praz-Séchaud
j. Ligne 6 - Lausanne, Maladière
k. Ligne 7 - Pully-Valvert
l. Ligne 7 - Galicien
m. Ligne 8 - Grand-Mont
n. Ligne 8 - Pully, Gare
o. Ligne 9 - Lutry-Corniche
p. Ligne 9 - Prilly-Église
q. Ligne 13 - Montbenon
r. Ligne 13 - Verdeil
s. Ligne 16 - Grand-Vennes
t. Ligne 16 - Provence
u. Ligne 17 - Vigie
v. Ligne 17 - Croix-Péage
w. Ligne 18 - Clochettte
x. Ligne 18 - Crissier, Timonet
y. Ligne 19 - Chauderon
z. Ligne 19 - Renens, 14 Avril
aa. Ligne 20 - Blécherette
bb. Ligne 20 - Lausanne, Gare
cc. Ligne 21 - Blécherette
dd. Ligne 21 - Paudex-Vérière
ee. Ligne 24 - Tour-Haldimand
ff. Ligne 24 - Bourdonnette
gg. Ligne 25 - Pully, Gare
hh. Ligne 25 - Chavannes, Glycines
ii. Ligne 31 - Renens, Gare
jj. Ligne 31 - Venoge-Sud
kk. Ligne 32 - Prilly, Galicien
ll. Ligne 32 - Villars-Ste-Croix, En Coulaye
mm. Ligne 33 - Saint-Sulpice, Venoge-Nord
nn. Ligne 33 - Prilly, Mont-Goulin
oo. Ligne 35 - Bussigny, Gare
pp. Ligne 35 - Bussigny, Riettax
qq. Ligne 36 - Rennes, Gare-Nord
rr. Ligne 36 - Crissier, Closalet
ss. Ligne 38 - Renens, Avenir

...

aaa. Ligne 45 - Épalinges, Bois-Murat

bbb. Ligne 45 - Lausanne, Chalet-à-Gobet

ccc. Ligne 46 - Épalinges, Bois-Murat

ddd. Ligne 46 - Épalinges, Ballègue

eee. Ligne 47 - Pully, Port

...

The problem occurs as soon as an answer starts with "aa. ...". The system no longer recognizes this entry as an answer, but as a new question, which disrupts the entire structure of the form and makes it unusable. I have already tried different solutions: Roman numerals, Arabic numbers, lettered numbering, etc. Lettered numbering seemed to be the most effective, but it only allows up to 26 responses, whereas I sometimes need up to 120.

Question:
Is there a way to force the quick import feature to correctly recognize each item as an answer, even when the number exceeds 26? Or is there a formatting method compatible with lists containing a large number of responses?

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Best regards,

Lop_113

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

3 answers

Answer 1

Hi Lop_113,

Thanks for posting in the community.

I understand what you're trying to create in Forms. It makes sense that there's a soft cap of 26 choices when using lettered options. That said, I’m curious—what exactly happened when you tried using numeric prefixes instead? In theory, that format should work more reliably with the Quick Import feature.

In any case, I found a similar thread where @Tina Chen shared a workaround that might help:

In Microsoft Forms, create a new form and add a Choice question.
Try copying and pasting all your choices into the first answer box—Forms should automatically split them into separate options, one per line.

How can i import a question with more than 26 choices in MC Forms from - Microsoft Community

Let me know if this work for you.

Best regards,

Thomas

Answer 2

Hello Thomas,

Thank you very much for your response. Indeed, the solution proposed by Tina Chen is particularly relevant, and I appreciate it!

However, I have noticed a limitation regarding the use of numeric prefixes.

For example, when I try to quickly import a structure like:

My question
1.1 answer
1.2 answer
1.3 answer

The system interprets the items 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc., as new questions rather than answers.

I have noticed that using letters works much better, even though it is limited to only 26 answers. However, after some testing, it turns out that by continuing the sequence with “aa.”, “bb.”, “cc.”, etc., it is enough to repeat the process (for example, by starting over with “a.”) to bypass this limit and add more answers.

Example:

My question
a. answer
b. answer
…
z. answer
a. answer
b. answer
…
z. answer
My question
a. answer
b. answer
…
z. answer
a. answer
b. answer
…
z. answer

This seems to work well for importing more than 26 answers from a Word file.

Thank you for the help!

Answer 3

Hi Lop_113,

Thanks again for the follow-up. I originally thought that using simple numeric prefixes like 1,2,3 as answers might work, but now I admit that does feel a bit unnatural. The letter format you’ve tried is definitely the most natural and effective approach for importing large sets of answers.

Really appreciate your patience and the detailed testing you shared!

If you found my earlier reply helpful, can you vote yes in the below feedback tool to accept it as answer? It also makes it easier for others in the community to find useful solutions when facing similar issues.

Wish you have a nice day!

Thomas

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Issue with the "Quick Import" Feature for Form Imports

3 answers