Adding a submittable form to an Adobe InDesign layout can be tricky. While InDesign offers some interactive form elements for PDFs, it doesn’t provide a built-in way to embed a Google Form or include a live, submittable HTML form that works in a browser.


This becomes a real limitation when you want your final document to collect responses—such as surveys, feedback, or signups—especially if you’re exporting the project to HTML5 for use on a website or company intranet.


Fortunately, with the help of in5, you can work around this limitation. in5 allows you to export your InDesign layout as HTML5 while preserving embedded web content, including Google Forms. This makes it possible to embed a Google Form directly within your InDesign layout and deliver a fully interactive experience—accessible right in the browser.


Follow these steps to add a working, submittable Google Form to your InDesign layout.

  1. Create or Open a form in Google Forms.
  2. Copy the Embed code.
    • Click the Send button in the upper-right corner of the form editor
    • Select the embed icon (<>).
    • Click Copy to copy the generated HTML iframe code.
  3. Insert the Code into InDesign
    • In InDesign go to Object > Insert HTML.
    • Paste the embed code and click OK.
    • Position and size the embedded frame where you want it on the page.

      Note: InDesign's HTML preview can be unreliable. If the form doesn't appear immediately, try right-clicking the frame, choosing Edit HTML, and clicking OK without making changes. This usually refreshes the preview.
  4. Export with in5
    • Use the in5 Easy Export Wizard or Export HTML5 with in5.
    • The embedded Google Form will render in the exported HTML, and users will be able to submit responses directly from the page.


For a visual walkthrough, see the video below from the Ajar Productions YouTube channel:


If you don't need to collect form responses but want to simulate the appearance of a submission action, watch this other video from the Ajar Productions YouTube channel for a creative workaround.

 



When the data doesn't need to be submitted to you, you can save the data on their local browser for reference later.