Microsoft Teams is much more than a video conferencing and workplace chat platform. It also includes useful collaboration tools that help teams make decisions, gather opinions, collect feedback, and increase participation during meetings and conversations. One of the most popular features is the ability to create polls in Microsoft Teams.
Whether you’re leading a business meeting, conducting employee training, teaching an online class, or simply asking your coworkers for quick feedback, Microsoft Teams polls make it easy to collect responses in real time. Instead of asking everyone to type their answers in the chat, you can create a structured poll that participants can answer with just a few clicks or taps.
The process is slightly different depending on whether you’re using the Microsoft Teams desktop app or the Teams mobile app. Fortunately, both versions make creating and responding to polls simple, even if you’ve never used the feature before.
In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to create polls in Microsoft Teams on both desktop and mobile devices.
Create Polls in Microsoft Teams: Desktop App and Mobile
Creating a Microsoft Teams poll is easy. However, where you access the poll depends on whether you’re using the desktop application or the mobile app. Teams now integrates polling through the Polls app, which works seamlessly during meetings.
The desktop app offers the most flexibility because you can prepare polls before a meeting starts, edit them, and even create multiple polls in advance. The mobile app is more convenient when you’re attending or hosting meetings on your phone or tablet.
The following steps walk you through the entire process in an easy-to-follow order.
Step 1: Open Microsoft Teams and Start or Join a Meeting
The first step is opening the Microsoft Teams desktop application on your Windows or Mac computer. If you’re using a smartphone or tablet, launch the Microsoft Teams mobile app and sign into your account.
Once you’re signed in, either start a new meeting if you’re the organizer or join an existing meeting where you have permission to create polls.
Keep in mind that the ability to create polls usually depends on your role in the meeting. Meeting organizers, presenters, and users with appropriate permissions can generally create and launch polls. If you’re attending as a participant, you may only be able to respond to polls rather than create them.
Before continuing, make sure your internet connection is stable because polls rely on real time communication between all meeting participants.
Step 2: Access the Polls Feature
Once you’re inside the meeting, the next step is locating the Polls feature.
On the Microsoft Teams desktop app, look for the Apps option or the + icon, depending on your Teams version. Search for Polls if it hasn’t already been added to the meeting. Once added, the Polls app becomes available throughout the meeting.
Some organizations already have the Polls app installed by default. If that’s the case, you’ll simply see Polls listed among the meeting tools.
On the Microsoft Teams mobile app, join the meeting and tap the More menu, usually represented by three dots. Scroll through the available meeting options until you find Polls. Tap it to open the polling interface.
If you don’t see Polls, your organization may have disabled the feature or your meeting permissions may not allow you to create polls.
Step 3: Create Your Poll Question
Now it’s time to build your first Microsoft Teams poll.
Select the option to Create New Poll. You’ll be prompted to enter your poll question.
Try to make your question short, clear, and easy to understand. Instead of asking a long or complicated question, focus on one topic at a time. This helps participants respond quickly and accurately.
For example, you might ask:
“Which meeting time works best?”
“What feature should we prioritize next?”
“How satisfied are you with today’s training session?”
After entering the question, add your possible answer choices. Most polls use multiple choice answers, allowing participants to select one or more options depending on your settings.
Make sure each answer is distinct so participants can easily decide which option best represents their opinion.
Step 4: Customize the Poll Settings
Before publishing the poll, you’ll have the opportunity to customize several settings.
One useful option is allowing multiple answers. This is helpful when participants should be able to choose more than one response.
You may also have the option to keep responses anonymous. Anonymous polls encourage honest feedback because participants know their individual answers won’t be displayed.
Depending on your version of Microsoft Teams, you may also be able to share poll results automatically with attendees after voting ends.
Review every setting carefully before publishing the poll. These options affect how participants interact with the poll and how the results are displayed.
Step 5: Publish the Poll
After reviewing your question and settings, select Send, Launch, or Publish, depending on your Teams version.
The poll immediately appears for everyone participating in the meeting.
Participants receive a notification and can submit their responses directly from their Teams window or mobile app. The voting process usually takes only a few seconds, making polls an excellent way to keep meetings interactive without interrupting the discussion.
If someone joins the meeting after you’ve launched the poll, they may still be able to participate if the poll remains open.
Step 6: Monitor Responses in Real Time
One of the biggest advantages of Microsoft Teams polls is the ability to watch responses arrive instantly.
As participants vote, you’ll see updated totals and percentages displayed within the Polls window.
Real time results help meeting organizers understand group opinions immediately. This is especially useful during brainstorming sessions, project planning meetings, classroom discussions, training events, and team voting.
If you’re discussing multiple topics, you can pause after each poll to review the responses before moving on to the next subject.
Watching live results also keeps attendees engaged because they can see how the group is responding.
Step 7: Close the Poll When Voting Ends
Once everyone has had enough time to vote, close the poll.
Closing the poll prevents additional responses from being submitted. This ensures your final results remain accurate while allowing you to begin discussing the outcome.
Some Teams versions allow you to reopen a poll if needed, while others require creating a new poll.
After closing the poll, you can review the complete results and decide whether to share them with meeting participants.
After the poll closes, Microsoft Teams displays the final responses.
You can review the total number of votes, the percentage received by each answer, and whether anonymous voting was enabled.
Many meeting organizers use these results to guide discussions, make decisions, or determine the next steps during the meeting.
If appropriate, share the results with participants so everyone understands the outcome of the poll. This improves transparency and helps teams move forward with confidence.
Some organizations also save poll results for future reference when documenting meeting decisions.
Step 9: Create Additional Polls During the Meeting
You’re not limited to just one poll.
If your meeting includes several discussion topics, you can continue creating additional polls whenever needed.
Many presenters prepare several polls in advance to make meetings run more smoothly. Others create polls on the spot based on questions that arise during the discussion.
Using multiple polls throughout a meeting helps maintain engagement while giving every participant an opportunity to contribute.
Common Tips for Better Microsoft Teams Polls
Creating a successful poll isn’t just about asking a question. It’s also about making participation simple and meaningful.
Keep every question concise so participants can answer without confusion. Use answer choices that don’t overlap, and avoid combining multiple questions into a single poll. If you need feedback on several topics, create separate polls for each one. Give attendees enough time to vote before closing the poll, and explain how you’ll use the results so participants understand why their input matters. Reviewing the responses immediately after voting can also encourage discussion and keep everyone engaged.
FAQs
Can I create polls before the meeting starts?
Yes. Microsoft Teams allows meeting organizers to prepare polls before the meeting begins in many versions of the app. This saves time and keeps the meeting organized.
Can participants create polls?
Generally, only meeting organizers and presenters with the appropriate permissions can create polls. Regular participants can usually respond but cannot create new polls.
Are Microsoft Teams polls anonymous?
Yes. You can often enable anonymous voting while creating the poll if your organization allows it.
Can I create polls from my phone?
Yes. The Microsoft Teams mobile app supports creating and launching polls during meetings, although some advanced options may only be available on the desktop app.
Why don’t I see the Polls option?
Your organization may have disabled the Polls app, your Teams version may need updating, or you may not have permission to create polls in the current meeting.
Can I edit a poll after publishing it?
Once a poll has been launched, editing options are usually limited. It’s a good idea to review your question and answers carefully before publishing.
Do poll results save automatically?
In many cases, poll results remain available within the meeting after the poll closes, allowing organizers to review them later. Availability can vary based on your organization’s Microsoft Teams configuration.
Can I create multiple polls in one meeting?
Yes. You can create and launch as many polls as needed throughout a meeting to collect feedback on different topics.
Summary
Creating polls in Microsoft Teams is one of the easiest ways to increase engagement, collect feedback, and make meetings more interactive. Whether you’re using the desktop app or the mobile app, the process is straightforward once you know where to find the Polls feature.
By creating clear questions, choosing appropriate answer options, customizing poll settings, and reviewing responses in real time, you can make meetings more productive and encourage greater participation.
Whether you’re leading a business meeting, teaching an online class, or gathering quick opinions from your team, Microsoft Teams polls provide a fast, reliable, and user friendly way to capture everyone’s input.