Blog · October 15, 2026

Form Ranger not working? Why the list goes empty and how to fix it

Form Ranger fills a Google Forms question from a spreadsheet column. When something changes in that sheet, the question can empty out or stop updating, often with no error message. Most cases come down to a handful of causes, and each has a fix.

How Form Ranger finds your list

It helps to know what the add-on remembers. When you set up a question, Form Ranger saves which spreadsheet, which tab and which column to read. Every refresh, it reads that column and replaces the question's choices with what it finds. If it finds nothing, the question can end up with nothing. That's why a small change to the sheet can wipe a list that took you an hour to build.

Cause 1: the header was renamed

Someone tidied up the sheet and changed "Student" to "Student name", or fixed a typo in row 1. If the add-on looks for the column by its header, it can no longer find it.

Fix: change the header back, or open Form Ranger and pick the column again. Then agree with anyone who edits the sheet that row 1 stays as it is.

Cause 2: the column is empty or the formula broke

A column can look full to you and still be empty to the add-on. Common versions:

• Someone cleared the column to paste in next term's list and hadn't pasted yet when the refresh ran.
• The column holds a formula, like FILTER or IMPORTRANGE, that returned an error. FILTER errors when nothing matches, which happens exactly when every slot in a sign-up is full.
• IMPORTRANGE lost access to the source sheet after someone changed its sharing.

Fix: make sure the column always has at least one value. Wrap formulas in IFERROR, for example =IFERROR(FILTER(A2:A, C2:C<B2:B), "All slots are taken"). Paste new lists over old ones instead of clearing first.

Cause 3: the tab was renamed, moved or deleted

Renaming "Sheet1" to "2026 roster", or deleting a tab and making a fresh one, breaks the saved link. The same goes for replacing the whole spreadsheet with a copy: the copy has a different file ID.

Fix: set up the question again in Form Ranger and pick the new tab or file. If a tab was deleted by mistake, File > Version history in Sheets can bring it back.

Cause 4: your admin blocked the add-on

In schools and companies, Workspace admins can block add-ons or restrict which ones may access data. Form Ranger's listing asks to see, edit, create and delete all your Google Drive files and all your spreadsheets, and to send email as you. Broad access like that is a common reason for an IT team to block an add-on, sometimes in the middle of term.

Fix: ask your admin whether the add-on is allowed for your account. If it isn't, ask which add-ons are, or suggest one that asks for less access. Add-ons that use Google's drive.file permission can only open the files you pick, which is easier for an admin to approve.

Cause 5: more than 1,000 choices

Google Forms allows at most 1,000 choices in one question. A roster for a whole district, or a product list that keeps growing, can go over. Then the update fails.

Fix: split the list. Ask for the school or department first, then use sections with "Go to section based on answer" so each group gets its own shorter question.

Cause 6: you expected an instant update

You edit the sheet, switch to the live form, and the new name isn't there. That isn't a bug. Google doesn't let a Forms add-on watch a spreadsheet for edits, so every populate add-on updates on its own schedule (after a response, on a timer, or when you refresh by hand).

Fix: after a big change to the sheet, refresh the question from the add-on yourself before you share the form.

Cause 7: several Google accounts in one browser

Apps Script add-ons can get confused about which account they're running as when you're signed into more than one. You may see an authorization error, or the add-on's menu may not open properly.

Fix: sign out of the other accounts, or use an incognito window signed in only with the account that owns the form.

A checklist for next time

• Freeze row 1 and tell other editors not to rename headers.
• Keep the list on its own tab that nobody else uses.
• Wrap formulas in IFERROR so the column is never empty.
• Check the live form after every big edit to the sheet.
• Use one Google account per browser window.

An add-on that fails loudly instead

The worst part of these failures is how you find out: a parent emails to say their child isn't on the list. We built Audeza Choice Sync around that problem. It does the same core job as Form Ranger, filling a question's choices from a sheet column, and it handles the causes above differently:

• An empty column never becomes an empty question. If the column comes up empty, the sync stops and the question keeps its last good choices.
• A renamed header gets followed. If the header changes but the same column still holds the choices, it updates the link to the new name and notes the rename in the log. If a different column slid into place, it stops instead of guessing.
• You hear about failures. The sidebar says what broke in plain words, with a Fix link, and you get an email from alerts@audeza.com, at most once per question and error a day. A run log shows every sync.
• Narrow permissions. It opens only the spreadsheet you pick in Google's file picker.
• Too many choices. If a column grows past 1,000, it stops and keeps the current choices instead of failing halfway.

It syncs after every response, every hour, and when you click Sync now. It's free for 3 linked questions per form. Our Form Ranger alternative page has a full comparison and a five-minute switch guide, and populate a Google Form from a sheet covers the setup.

Form Ranger is a product of New Visions for Public Schools. Its permissions come from its Google Workspace Marketplace listing, checked November 2026. Audeza isn't affiliated with New Visions.

Questions

Why did my Form Ranger dropdown suddenly go empty?

Most often the column it reads came up empty: the header was renamed, the tab was renamed or deleted, or a formula in the column returned an error. Fix the sheet, then refresh the question in Form Ranger.

Why doesn't the form update when I edit the sheet?

Google doesn't let a Forms add-on watch a spreadsheet for edits. Form Ranger and every similar add-on update on their own schedule or when you refresh, not the second you type.

Can I recover the choices Form Ranger removed?

The question only holds its current choices, so there's no undo inside the form. Restore the column in the sheet (File > Version history if it was deleted) and refresh the question.