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How to Create and Use Polls in Teams
Applies to: Microsoft Teams (Desktop, Web, Mobile)
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-03-09
Summary
Polls in Teams let you gather quick feedback from your team — whether in a chat, channel, or live meeting. Use them to make group decisions, collect opinions, or run quick surveys. This article shows how to create polls using the Microsoft Forms integration in Teams.
Prerequisites
- Microsoft Teams (desktop, web, or mobile app).
- Microsoft Forms (included with Microsoft 365).
- No admin rights required.
Instructions
1. Create a Poll in a Chat or Channel
Post a quick poll for your team to vote on.
- Open the chat or channel where you want to post the poll.
- Below the message box, click the + (Apps) icon.
- Search for and select Polls (or Forms).
- Enter your question in the provided field.
- Add answer options (at least 2).
- Configure optional settings:
- Multiple answers — Allow voters to select more than one option.
- Share results automatically after voting — Show results to voters after they respond.
- Keep responses anonymous — Hide voter names from results.
- Click Send to post the poll.
If the people you need an answer from live in your inbox rather than in Teams, voting buttons do the same job inside an email — see How to Use Voting Buttons in Outlook.
2. Create a Poll During a Live Meeting
Launch a real-time poll for meeting attendees.
- During a Teams meeting, click the Apps icon in the meeting toolbar.
- Search for and select Polls (or Forms).
- Click Create new poll.
- Enter the question and answer options.
- Click Launch to push the poll to all meeting attendees immediately.
- Attendees see a pop-up notification and can vote in real time.
- Results update live as votes come in.
3. Vote on a Poll
Respond to a poll that has been shared with you.
- When a poll appears in a chat, channel, or meeting, read the question.
- Click your preferred answer option(s).
- Click Submit Vote.
- Once you submit, you can see the current results (if the creator enabled result sharing).
4. View Poll Results
Check the outcome of a completed poll.
- Navigate to the chat, channel, or meeting where the poll was posted.
- The poll card displays the results with percentages and vote counts for each option.
- If configured, click View results to see a detailed breakdown.
- Meeting poll results are also available in the meeting recap after the meeting ends.
Troubleshooting
TIP
Keep polls simple — 2 to 5 answer options work best. For more complex surveys, create a full Microsoft Forms questionnaire and share the link in the chat instead.
| Symptom / Error | Potential Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Polls app is not available | App disabled by admin policy | Ask IT to enable the Polls (Forms) app for your account — some organisations switch it off in the Teams app permission policy. |
| Cannot create poll during meeting | Using an unsupported client | Polls in meetings require the Teams desktop or web app. Update to the latest version. |
| Voters cannot see results | Result sharing was not enabled | The poll creator must enable Share results automatically when creating the poll. |