Kahoot imports questions from an Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx) using a specific column structure: question text, up to four answer options, time limit in seconds, and a correct answer number. The import function is accessed from the quiz editor via the 'Import spreadsheet' button. Questions are limited to 95 characters and answers to 60 characters each.
What Kahoot's Import Supports
Kahoot supports bulk question import via Excel spreadsheet only. There is no CSV import, no Word import, no PDF import, and no plain text import. The import function accepts .xlsx files structured to Kahoot's column template, with one question per row.
Kahoot's spreadsheet import supports multiple choice questions only - up to 4 answer options per question with at least one correct answer marked. True/false questions are formatted as 2-option multiple choice. Open-ended, short answer, and fill-in-the-blank question types are not supported by Kahoot's import.
The Kahoot Spreadsheet Format
Kahoot's import spreadsheet uses the following column structure (the exact column headers must match Kahoot's template):
| Column | Required? | Limits and Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Yes | Max 95 characters including spaces |
| Answer 1 | Yes | Max 60 characters. At least 2 answers required. |
| Answer 2 | Yes | Max 60 characters |
| Answer 3 | No | Max 60 characters |
| Answer 4 | No | Max 60 characters |
| Time limit (seconds) | Yes | 5-120 seconds. 20 is the Kahoot default. |
| Correct answer | Yes | Number (1-4) indicating which answer is correct. At least 1 required. |
| Image link | No | URL to an image to display with the question |
Download Kahoot's official template from the import dialog in Kahoot's quiz editor. Use it as your base to ensure the column headers match exactly - Kahoot's import rejects spreadsheets with column headers that do not match the template.
How to Import Step by Step
Log into Kahoot and click Create
Go to kahoot.com. Click Create in the top navigation. Select Quiz as the game type.
Select Blank Canvas
Choose Blank Canvas - not one of the themed templates. This opens the quiz editor where the import function is available.
Click Import spreadsheet
In the bottom right of the quiz editor, click Import spreadsheet. A dialog opens with a link to download Kahoot's template and a drag-and-drop upload zone.
Upload your .xlsx file
Drag and drop your spreadsheet or click to browse and upload. Kahoot validates the file. If errors exist, an error message lists the specific rows and issues. Fix them in your spreadsheet and re-upload.
Click Continue and review
Click Continue to proceed past any non-critical warnings. Your questions appear in the Kahoot quiz editor. Add images if needed, adjust time limits per question, and click Save.
Converting Quiz Documents to the Right Format
If your questions exist in a Word document, PDF, or Excel question bank (not in the Kahoot spreadsheet format), you have two routes to the correct spreadsheet format:
Manual: Download Kahoot's template. Open your source document alongside it. Copy each question into the Question column. Copy each answer into Answer 1-4. Check character counts for every item. Add time limits. Mark correct answers. For 30 questions, plan 45-60 minutes and expect to catch limit errors after a failed first import.
Pirai AI: Upload your Word, PDF, or Excel document to platform.piraiai.com. Select Kahoot as the target platform. Pirai AI reads the document, extracts every question and answer option, and produces the correctly formatted Kahoot spreadsheet - including character limit checking with overlong items flagged in the editor before you download. Download the .xlsx and import directly into Kahoot. Total time under 5 minutes for most quizzes.
Troubleshooting Kahoot Import Errors
Character limit errors. The most common. A question exceeds 95 characters or an answer exceeds 60. Open your spreadsheet, find the flagged row, shorten the text, and re-upload. With Pirai AI, these are flagged before download so you fix them in the editor first.
Missing correct answer. The Correct Answer column is empty or contains an invalid value for a row. Every question requires a correct answer number (1, 2, 3, or 4). If your source document has no answer key, add correct answers in the spreadsheet or in Kahoot's editor after import.
Too few answer options. Kahoot requires at least 2 answer options per question. Questions with only one option fail. True/false questions need "True" and "False" as the two answer options.
Column header mismatch. Kahoot's import rejects spreadsheets where column headers do not exactly match the template. Always start from Kahoot's downloaded template rather than creating a spreadsheet from scratch.
Tips for Large Question Banks
Kahoot limits each spreadsheet import to 100 questions and 1MB. For question banks larger than this, split the spreadsheet into multiple files and import each as a separate quiz. You can then link quizzes in a Kahoot game collection for a longer session.
For ongoing question bank management, keep your master question bank in Excel and use Pirai AI or Kahoot's template structure as the export format. This way the source of truth stays in a document you control rather than being locked inside Kahoot's editor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kahoot bulk import uses an Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx). Create your spreadsheet using Kahoot's template (downloadable from the import dialog), with one question per row and columns for question text, up to four answers, time limit, and correct answer number. In Kahoot, go to Create > Quiz > Blank Canvas > Import spreadsheet to upload the file.
Kahoot's spreadsheet import supports a maximum of 100 questions per upload with a 1MB file size limit. For larger question banks, split into multiple spreadsheets and create separate quizzes, or link multiple quizzes in a Kahoot collection.
Yes, by exporting your Google Sheet as .xlsx (File > Download > Microsoft Excel .xlsx) and then importing the .xlsx file into Kahoot. The column structure must match Kahoot's import template. If your Google Sheet is a question bank in a different format, use Pirai AI to convert it to the Kahoot template first.
The most common reasons are: question text over 95 characters, answer text over 60 characters, missing correct answer in the Correct Answer column, fewer than 2 answer options, or column headers that don't match Kahoot's template. Kahoot's error message identifies the specific rows with issues. Fix them in the spreadsheet and re-upload.
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