Create a Kahoot from a Word Document: Convert, Don't Retype
You wrote your questions in a Word document — maybe a unit review with headings and bullet options, maybe a tidy table of stems and answers. You want them in Kahoot. The blocker is the same as every other non-spreadsheet source: Kahoot cannot open a .docx. Its only bulk entry point is the official .xlsx template with fixed columns. The good news: a Word document is usually the most structured source you have, so conversion is closer to a mapping problem than a retyping marathon. This guide covers the two common Word layouts — tables and heading-and-list — and how each maps to the template.
.xlsx) before Kahoot will read it.
Two Word layouts, two parsing paths
Layout A — Questions in a table (easiest)
If each row is one question — stem in the first cell, options across the next cells — the structure already looks like Kahoot's template. The conversion is almost a column-to-column copy: row → question, cells → Answer 1–6, a "seconds" cell → Time limit, and a "key" cell → Correct answers.
Layout B — Headings and bullet lists
If the document uses a heading-style paragraph for the stem and bullets or numbered lines for the options, the parser keys off formatting instead of grid lines: the heading becomes the stem, the lines beneath become the options, and the line you marked correct (bold, or tagged "Answer:") becomes the key.
The fixed columns both layouts target
- Question — the question stem.
- Answer 1 – Answer 6 — the options, one per column (up to six).
- Time limit — seconds per question, a plain number.
- Correct answers — the option position numbers (1, 2, 3…), not letters, not text.
- Media (optional) — one image URL per question.
Step-by-step: Word document → Kahoot
Get the official template
In Kahoot, New kahoot → Add question → Spreadsheet → download the blank .xlsx. Keep its header row exact.
Identify your layout
Decide whether your questions are in a table (Layout A) or in headings with bullet options (Layout B). The mapping differs, but the destination columns are identical.
Map stems, options, and keys
Move each stem into Question, options into Answer 1–6, seconds into Time limit, and rewrite the correct option as a position number in Correct answers.
Host any diagrams
Embedded Word pictures are not carried over. Host each question's image and put its URL in Media — at most one URL per question.
Save as .xlsx and upload
Save as .xlsx (not .docx) and upload it on Kahoot's Spreadsheet screen. Preview the parsed questions and confirm the keys, especially for heading-style questions where the marker was inferred.
Skip the manual mapping
A long Word document means hundreds of cells to move by hand — and a shifted row silently drops a question. ExamParser reads a .docx, detects whether questions are in tables or heading-and-list form, maps them to Kahoot's fixed column fields, rewrites the answer key as position numbers, enforces the one-image-URL rule, and outputs the official Kahoot .xlsx ready to upload. The same source can also feed Canvas, Moodle, and other platforms.
More import guides at examparser.com/blog/en.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import a Word document directly into Kahoot?
No. Kahoot has no Word (.docx) import — and no PDF, CSV, or plain-text import either. Its only bulk entry point is the official .xlsx spreadsheet template with fixed columns. To make a Kahoot from a Word document, you convert the document's questions into that .xlsx template, then upload it on the Spreadsheet screen.
My questions are in a Word table. Does that help?
Yes — a table is the easiest shape to convert. If each row is a question with the stem in one cell and options across other cells, the structure maps almost one-to-one onto Kahoot's columns (Question, Answer 1–6, Time limit, Correct answers). A converter like ExamParser reads the table rows directly, so you avoid copy-paste row by row.
What if my Word doc uses headings and bullet lists instead of tables?
That still converts, just with different parsing. A heading-style paragraph becomes the question stem, the bulleted or numbered lines beneath it become the options, and the line marked correct (e.g. bold, or tagged 'Answer:') becomes the key. The same rules apply: the key becomes a position number, and any diagram becomes a single hosted image URL.
Do images inside the Word document carry over?
Not directly. Kahoot holds at most one image per question, as a URL. A picture embedded in the .docx must be hosted, then its URL placed in the Media column of the .xlsx template. If a Word question has several inline images, pick the one that matters most (or combine them into a single hosted image) before uploading.
Ready to convert that Word document?
Map your .docx questions — table or heading-and-list — into Kahoot's official .xlsx template (fixed columns, position-number answers, one image URL per question), and your review sheet becomes a live kahoot.
Try ExamParser →