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title: "Installing Remove Duplicates in Forms" description: "Step-by-step guide to install and authorize the Remove Duplicates add-on in Google Forms" order: 1 lastUpdated: "2025-01-20" readingTime: 5 keywords: ["installation", "google forms", "remove duplicates", "add-on", "setup"]

Installing Remove Duplicates in Forms

Get started with Remove Duplicates in Forms to clean your form data automatically and eliminate duplicate responses in under 30 seconds.

Before You Begin

Prerequisites

  • Google Account: You need an active Google Workspace or personal Google account
  • Google Forms Access: Ability to create and edit Google Forms
  • Browser Requirements: Modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
  • Permissions: Ability to install add-ons (check with your IT admin if using a work account)

What You'll Get

  • 7-day free trial with full premium features
  • Instant duplicate detection across all your form responses
  • Automatic backup creation before any data cleaning
  • After trial: $2.99/month (billed annually at $35.88/year)

Step 1: Access the Google Workspace Marketplace

Option A: From Google Forms

  1. Open any Google Form or create a new one at forms.google.com
  2. Click on the puzzle piece icon (Add-ons) in the top right corner
  3. Search for "Remove Duplicates in Forms"
  4. Click on the app when it appears in search results

Option B: Direct Marketplace Link

  1. Visit the Google Workspace Marketplace
  2. Search for "Remove Duplicates in Forms" in the search bar
  3. Click on the Remove Duplicates in Forms listing

Pro Tip: Bookmark the marketplace page for quick access to updates and reviews.

Step 2: Install the Add-on

  1. Click the blue Install button on the marketplace listing

  2. Choose your installation preference:

    • Individual install - Just for your account (recommended for personal use)
    • Domain install - For all users in your organization (requires admin rights)

  3. Review the permissions that will be requested:

| Permission | Why It's Needed | |------------|----------------| | View and manage forms | To read form structure and detect duplicate responses | | View and manage spreadsheets | To clean linked response sheets and create backups | | Display dialogs | To show the duplicate management interface | | Run when forms are edited | To enable automatic duplicate detection | | Connect to external service | To verify your subscription status |

  1. Click Continue to proceed
  2. Select the Google account you want to use
  3. Review permissions and click Allow

Security Note: Remove Duplicates only processes data within Google's infrastructure. No form data is stored externally.

Step 3: Verify Installation

After installation completes:

  1. Return to your Google Form
  2. Click on Extensions in the top menu
  3. You should see 🧹 Remove Duplicates in Forms with these options:
    • 👉 Find & Delete duplicates
    • Upgrade to Premium
    • Contact
    • Help

First-Time Setup

When you first open the add-on:

  1. Click Extensions → 🧹 Remove Duplicates in Forms → 👉 Find & Delete duplicates
  2. The add-on will automatically:
    • Check if your form has a linked spreadsheet
    • Count your form responses
    • Initialize your 7-day free trial
  3. You'll see the main duplicate management interface (650x650px modal)

Step 4: Link a Spreadsheet (Required)

Remove Duplicates works by cleaning the spreadsheet linked to your form:

If No Spreadsheet Is Linked:

  1. Go to the Responses tab in your Google Form
  2. Click the green spreadsheet icon (Create Spreadsheet)
  3. Choose either:
    • Create a new spreadsheet (recommended)
    • Select existing spreadsheet
  4. The spreadsheet will automatically link to your form

Why This Is Important:

  • Remove Duplicates cleans the linked spreadsheet, not the form itself
  • Original form responses are always preserved
  • A backup is created before any cleaning operation

Organization Installation (For Admins)

Installing for Your Entire Organization

  1. Sign in to Google Admin Console
  2. Navigate to Apps → Google Workspace Marketplace apps
  3. Click the plus icon (+) to add a new app
  4. Search for "Remove Duplicates in Forms"
  5. Click Install on the app listing
  6. Configure installation scope:
    • Everyone: Automatically available for all users
    • Specific organizational units: Target specific departments
    • Specific groups: Install for selected user groups

Deployment Options

  • Forced installation: Automatically appears for all selected users
  • Whitelisted: Users can choose to install if they want
  • Trusted app: No additional permissions required from users

Managing Access

Control how users interact with the add-on:

  • Allow individual installations
  • Pre-install for all users
  • Block individual installations (admin control only)

Troubleshooting Installation

Add-on Not Appearing

If Remove Duplicates doesn't appear after installation:

  1. Refresh your browser: Press Ctrl+F5 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac)
  2. Clear cache and cookies:
    • Go to browser settings
    • Clear browsing data for the last hour
  3. Try a new form: Create a fresh Google Form to test
  4. Sign out and back in: Log out of Google completely and sign back in
  5. Check browser extensions: Disable ad blockers temporarily

Permission Errors

| Error Message | Solution | |--------------|----------| | "Add-on blocked by administrator" | Contact your Google Workspace admin to whitelist the app | | "Insufficient permissions" | Ensure you're using the correct Google account | | "Cannot access Forms" | Verify Google Forms is enabled for your account | | "Installation failed" | Try using an incognito/private browsing window |

Browser Compatibility

Recommended Browser: Google Chrome (latest version)

Supported Browsers:

  • Firefox 90+
  • Safari 14+
  • Microsoft Edge 90+

Requirements:

  • JavaScript must be enabled
  • Third-party cookies allowed for *.google.com
  • Pop-ups allowed for forms.google.com

Organization Restrictions

If your organization blocks add-ons:

  1. Contact your Google Workspace administrator
  2. Request whitelisting for Remove Duplicates in Forms
  3. Provide business justification:
    • Saves 10+ hours monthly on data cleaning
    • Prevents duplicate survey responses
    • Maintains data integrity with automatic backups
    • No external data storage - all processing within Google

Post-Installation Setup

Once successfully installed:

1. Run Your First Scan

  • Open the add-on from Extensions menu
  • Choose Smart Detect for automatic duplicate detection
  • Review detected duplicates with actual values shown

2. Configure Your Preferences

  • Select detection strategy (Keep First vs Keep Latest)
  • Choose fields to check for duplicates
  • Set up your cleaning preferences

3. Start Your Free Trial

  • 7-day trial starts automatically on first use
  • Full access to all premium features:
    • Unlimited duplicate removal
    • Advanced detection algorithms
    • Bulk operations
    • Export duplicate reports

Uninstalling Remove Duplicates

If you need to remove the add-on:

  1. Open any Google Form
  2. Go to Extensions → Add-ons → Manage add-ons
  3. Find Remove Duplicates in Forms
  4. Click the three-dot menu
  5. Select Uninstall

Note: Uninstalling doesn't affect any cleaned data or backups created. All changes to spreadsheets remain.

Getting Help

Need Installation Support?

Common Questions

Q: Do I need to pay immediately? A: No, you get a 7-day free trial with full features. Payment is only required after the trial ends.

Q: Can I use this with multiple forms? A: Yes! Once installed, Remove Duplicates works with all your Google Forms.

Q: Will this delete my original form responses? A: No. Remove Duplicates only cleans the linked spreadsheet. Original form responses in Google Forms are never modified.

Next Steps

Now that you've installed Remove Duplicates in Forms:

  1. Quick Setup Guide - Configure the add-on in 60 seconds
  2. Your First Scan - Learn to detect duplicates
  3. Understanding Duplicates - Why duplicates occur and how to prevent them
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