How do I split multiple question responses into separate columns?

When collecting responses with multiple answer selections, it helps to understand how the data appears in integrations, CSV exports, and the Submissions dashboard so you can easily analyze your results.

How do multiple selection answers appear in the Submissions Dashboard?

When a question allows multiple answers—such as Rank, Multiple Choice, or Dropdown—the Submissions page displays the results in a single cell, separated by commas.

How do multiple selection answers appear when I export my submissions?

When exporting the data to a CSV file, the responses are structured in two ways:

• All answers in one cell — Reflects how they appear in the Submissions page. This format helps quickly review selections at a glance without needing to analyze separate columns.
• Each option as a separate column — This format is useful for sorting, filtering, and performing calculations, such as counting how many times a specific option was chosen.

This dual structure makes it easy to process data for different types of reporting and analysis!

Example of a Ranking Question Exported to CSV

In this example, the "Rank" question column contains all selected options in the order they were ranked. In addition, each option (e.g., Banana, Pineapple, etc.) also has its own column. The number in each row under these columns represents the assigned rank for that option.

Example of a Multiple Choice Question Exported to CSV

In this example, the "Multiple Choice" column displays all selected answers in a single cell, mirroring the Submissions page format. In addition, each individual choice (e.g., Carrot, Broccoli, etc.) has its own column; a value of 1 indicates the option was selected, while a 0 means it was not.

How do multiple selection answers appear when you send the data through an integration like Google Sheets?

When you set up an integration such as Google Sheets, multi-select answers will come through as a single cell.

You can split the results by highlighting the cells you would like to separate, by clicking Data → then clicking on the Split text to columns option. This will automatically try to detect the items to be separated and move them to new columns.

You also have the option to select the separator type by commas, semi-colons, periods, and spaces. See this Google help article for more information.