How to Add a Text Box in SurveyMonkey

You built a survey. You got responses. And then you realized — you never gave people a place to actually say something.

That’s the problem with surveys that only use multiple choice. You collect data, but you miss the story behind it. Text boxes fix that. They’re the part of your survey where respondents stop clicking and start talking — and that’s where the real insights live.

According to SurveyMonkey’s own data, surveys with open-ended text questions receive 40% more actionable feedback than those without them. Yet most people either skip adding text boxes entirely or add them wrong.

This guide shows you exactly how to add a text box in SurveyMonkey — every option, every setting, every type — so your next survey actually tells you something useful.

What Is a Text Box in SurveyMonkey?

A text box is an open-ended question field that lets respondents type their own answers. Instead of choosing from a pre-built list, they write in their own words.

SurveyMonkey offers three types of text input:

• Single-line text box — Best for short answers like names, email addresses, or one-sentence responses
• Multi-line text box (Essay/Comment box) — Best for detailed feedback, open-ended opinions, or longer explanations
• Multiple text boxes — Collects multiple short answers in one question (like a name, company, and job title together)

Knowing which one to use before you start will save you from rebuilding your survey halfway through.

How to Add a Text Box in SurveyMonkey — Step by Step

Open Your Survey

Log into your SurveyMonkey account at surveymonkey.com. From the dashboard, either open an existing survey or click + Create Survey to start fresh.

Once you’re inside the survey editor, you’ll land on the Design Survey tab. This is where all your question-building happens.

Add a New Question

Click the + Add Question button. It appears either at the bottom of your current question list or as a floating button when you hover between existing questions.

A question editor panel will open on the right side of the screen.

Select the Text Box Question Type

In the question editor, click the Question Type dropdown menu. You’ll see a full list of question formats — scroll down or look for the Open-Ended section.

From there, choose:

• Single Textbox — for one short answer
• Comment Box / Essay Box — for long-form responses
• Multiple Textboxes — for collecting several short answers under one question

Click your preferred type and it will instantly load into your survey.

Write Your Question Text

Click directly on the placeholder question text — it will say something like “Enter your question here.” Type your actual question.

Keep it specific. The more clearly you ask, the better the answers you’ll get. Instead of “Any other feedback?” try “What’s one thing we could do to improve your experience?”

Configure Text Box Settings

Once your text box is added, you’ll see a set of options below the question:

Validation options — SurveyMonkey lets you restrict answers by format. You can require that respondents enter:

• A valid email address
• A number within a specific range
• A date
• A minimum or maximum character count

This is especially useful for collecting contact details or specific data points where format matters.

Required toggle — Flip this on if you want to make the question mandatory. Respondents won’t be able to submit the survey without filling it in. Research from Qualtrics shows that making text fields optional rather than required increases completion rates by up to 22% — so use this setting thoughtfully.

Character limit — You can cap how long an answer can be. Useful for keeping feedback concise or for fields like names or codes.

Preview and Test Your Survey

Before you send it out, click the Preview button at the top of the editor. Go through the survey as a respondent would. Make sure your text box:

• Displays correctly on both desktop and mobile
• Has the right label and placeholder text
• Accepts the input format you expect

SurveyMonkey reports that over 50% of surveys are now completed on mobile devices, so always check mobile view before publishing.

Save and Publish

Once you’re satisfied, click Save and then Collect Responses to activate your survey. Your text box is live.

How to Edit or Remove a Text Box

If you need to change a text box after adding it:

To edit — Click anywhere on the question in the editor. The question panel reopens and you can change the question text, type, or settings.

To delete — Hover over the question and click the trash icon that appears in the top-right corner of the question block.

To move it — Click and drag the question to reorder it within your survey. Placement matters more than most people think — open-ended questions placed after specific closed questions get significantly more detailed responses.

Types of Text Box Questions and When to Use Each

Single Textbox

Use this when you need a short, specific answer.

Best for:

• Name, email, job title
• A one-word or one-phrase answer
• Numerical input (age, revenue range, team size)

Comment Box / Essay Box

Use this when you want opinions, explanations, or detailed feedback.

Best for:

• “What could we do better?”
• Post-event feedback
• Product improvement suggestions
• Customer testimonials

According to HubSpot, 65% of companies that use open-ended survey questions report better product-market fit insights compared to those using only structured questions.

Multiple Textboxes

Use this when you need several short pieces of information collected under one label.

Best for:

• Contact forms embedded in surveys
• Multi-part answers (e.g., “List your top 3 priorities”)
• Structured data collection without building separate questions

Text Box Best Practices That Actually Improve Response Quality

Put Your Open-Ended Questions at the End

Research from Survey Sampling International shows that surveys with open-ended questions at the beginning have a 12% higher abandonment rate. People want to answer easy questions first — let them build momentum with closed questions before you ask them to write.

Use Placeholder Text Wisely

SurveyMonkey allows you to add placeholder text inside the text box (the greyed-out hint text people see before they type). Use it to guide format or length:

• “e.g., 3–5 sentences”
• “Your full name as it appears on your ID”
• “Optional — any other thoughts?”

Don’t use placeholder text as the question itself. It disappears the moment someone clicks, and they’ll forget what you asked.

Limit Open-Ended Questions to What You’ll Actually Read

This is the most ignored piece of advice in survey design. Every text box answer requires a human to read it. If you add 10 open-ended questions, you’ll have 10x the analysis work.

A study by the American Association for Public Opinion Research found that surveys with more than 3 open-ended questions see a 34% drop in response quality as respondents start giving shorter, less thoughtful answers.

One or two well-placed text boxes will give you more signal than six mediocre ones.

Match Text Box Length to Expected Answer Length

A single-line box signals to respondents: “Keep it short.” An essay box signals: “Take your time.” If you want detailed feedback but use a single-line box, people will give you one-sentence answers even if they have more to say.

Always match the visual size of the box to the length of answer you’re hoping to receive.

Key Statistics on Survey Response Rates and Open-Ended Questions

Understanding the numbers helps you design better surveys:

• SurveyMonkey processes over 20 million survey questions per day across its platform
• The average survey response rate across industries is 33% (SurveyMonkey benchmark data)
• Email-based survey invitations average a 24% open rate, but actual completion rates drop to 10–15%
• Surveys under 5 minutes to complete get 3x more completions than longer surveys
• Adding one well-placed open-ended question increases perceived survey value by 27% among respondents
• 74% of business leaders say open-ended survey feedback directly influenced a product or service decision in the past year (Qualtrics State of Experience research)
• Surveys sent on Tuesday through Thursday perform 18% better than those sent on Mondays or Fridays
• Mobile-optimized surveys with text boxes that resize correctly see 22% higher completion rates than non-optimized versions

These numbers tell a clear story: fewer, better-placed text boxes in faster surveys get you more quality data than loading up on open-ended fields.

Common Mistakes When Adding Text Boxes in SurveyMonkey

Making Every Text Box Required

Required fields create friction. Most respondents will skip or abandon a survey that forces them to write out answers to every question. Reserve required status for fields that are genuinely critical — like an email address or a numerical rating.

Forgetting to Test on Mobile

Half your respondents are on their phones. A text box that looks perfect on desktop can be tiny, hard to tap, or broken on mobile. Always preview on a mobile screen before publishing.

Using Generic Question Text

“Any other comments?” is a waste of a text box. Nobody knows what you want. Be specific. “What’s one thing that surprised you about today’s session?” will get you 10x better answers.

Not Using Validation for Structured Fields

If you’re collecting emails, phone numbers, or dates — turn on validation. It takes 10 seconds and saves hours of cleaning messy data after the fact.

Conclusion

Adding a text box in SurveyMonkey takes about 30 seconds. But knowing which type to add, where to place it, and how to configure it properly — that’s what separates surveys that generate noise from surveys that generate real insight.

Use single textboxes for short, structured data. Use comment boxes when you want opinions. Keep required fields to a minimum. Test on mobile. And limit yourself to one or two open-ended questions per survey so the answers you get are actually worth reading.

The data backs this up: well-designed surveys with strategically placed text boxes consistently outperform generic form-dumps in both response rate and response quality.

Now go build the survey that actually tells you something.