This guide explains how to create quick polls in Microsoft Outlook and Teams, helping faculty, staff, and students to drive fast decision-making. It also covers Loop voting tables, which allow for more content and collaboration than a typical poll.
Table of Contents
Polls in Outlook for Windows
Start a new email. Address it, add a subject, and add any other content you wish.
Click on the Message tab at the top of the new email.
Click on All Apps > Polls.
The poll editor will open in the right-side panel.
Type in your question and options.
- Click “Add option” for more options.
- Click “Multiple answers” to allow respondents to select multiple options.
Click Next.
View the preview of your poll.
- To make changes, click “Edit.”
- If satisfied, click “Add to email.”
Once the poll is added to your email draft, it will appear as a line of text with a link. For the readers, it will appear as an embedded poll.
- You can CC/BCC yourself to see the poll and have a quick link to view the results.
To view the poll’s results:
- If you included yourself in the email, you can then click the “View Results” button.
- Or go to Microsoft Forms, sign in, and click on My Forms. You'll see your Outlook poll and can click it to view the results.
These instructions are for classic Outlook on Windows (the File menu is available in the app). Polls sent using new Outlook (no File menu) or Outlook for web will appear only as a link, not an embedded poll, to any receiver who isn’t using new Outlook.
Polls in Outlook for Mac
Start a new email. Address it, add a subject, and add any other content you wish.
Click Polls listed at the top of the new email.
The poll editor will open in a new right-side panel.
Type in your question and options.
- Click “Add option” for more options.
- Click “Multiple answers” to allow respondents to select multiple options.
Click Next.
View the preview of your poll.
- To make changes, click “Edit.”
- If satisfied, click “Add to email.”
Once the poll is added to your email draft, it will appear as a line of text with a link. For the readers, it will appear as an embedded poll.
- You can CC/BCC yourself to see the poll and have a quick link to view the results.
To view the poll’s results:
- If you included yourself in the email, you can then click the “View Results” button.
- Or go to Microsoft Forms, sign in, and click on My Forms. You'll see your Outlook poll and can click it to view the results.
Polls in Teams
In the composition box for a Teams chat or channel, click on the + icon.
Select Polls.
- If you don’t see Polls, use the search box at the top
- If you still can’t find Polls, then click the Apps button in the left pane, search for Polls, and add it.
In the Polls window, build out your poll.
- You can only ask one question, but have many options and allow for multiple selections.
- Enable/disable recording names (only visible to organizers and presenters).
- Enable/disable share results with respondents.
Click Preview.
- To make changes, click “Edit.”
- If satisfied, click “Send.” Note that the poll will immediately post to the chat/channel, and you will not be able to edit or delete it.
To view the poll’s results:
- Click on the More button in the poll to open it up in Microsoft Forms.
- Or go to Microsoft Forms, sign in, and click on My Forms. You'll see your Teams poll and can click it to view the results.
Microsoft Loop Voting Table
Microsoft Loop’s voting table features polling, provides more context, and allows participants to add more options. Any changes made are synced across Outlook and Teams.
Using a Voting Table in Teams
In the composition box for a Teams chat or channel, click on the Loop icon.
Click on the More Options menu (…) and select Voting Table.
Add a title above the table.
On each row, add your idea/option, the pros, and the cons.
Click + New to add more rows.
You can optionally rename or remove any of the columns.
When ready, click the Send button.
Anyone in the chat or channel can both view and edit the voting table by default. Names will be associated with votes and changes.
You can copy the component to also post it in another Teams chat/channel, or send it out via email:
- Click on the More Options menu (…) in the upper right of the posted voting table.
- Select Copy Component.
- Paste the component into a new chat or a new email draft.
- Everyone will see the same content and changes regardless of how they received the component.
Using a Voting Table in Outlook
Tarleton accounts currently can’t add a Loop component directly in Outlook. But you can create one in Loop and then copy it into a new email draft.
Go to Microsoft Loop and sign in.
Click on My Workspace or add a new workspace.
- If using My Workspace, also add a new page.
- If using a new workspace, it’ll start with a new page.
On the page, click on the + icon to the left of an empty line.
Scroll down and select Voting Table.
Change the page name to something matching your voting table.
Change “Voting table” to your table’s title.
On each row, add your idea/option, the pros, and the cons.
Click + New to add more rows.
You can optionally rename or remove any of the columns.
When ready, click the Share button in the upper right, then select Loop Component.
In the pop-up window, click Settings and set who will have access.
- You can set it to “People in tarleton.edu (NTNET)” if unsure, which grants anyone, whether a Tarleton employee or student, access if they have the link.
Copy the link and then paste it into a new email draft. The Loop component should display in your draft.
Receivers can edit the table from inside their email. Any changes will sync and appear in the sent email, provided they are using an Outlook app.