Creating a poll in teams outside of Meeting

Question

Maybe i'm getting old and blind.

Before in Teams if i was the host of a meeting there would be a cog on the meeting invite for me to pre-stage the poll.

I don't see that anymore, only method i can see if to go into the meeting chat and make one.

what am i missing? did a quick search on here and couldn't find an answer.

Answer 1

Hi @nerdy 

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Thank you for reaching out, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to let us know what you’re experiencing. When familiar options disappear after an update, it can be a bit surprising, and it’s completely understandable to wonder whether something is missing. 

Microsoft recently introduced changes to the Teams meeting experience, and as part of these updates, the cog icon that used to appear in the meeting invite for pre‑staging polls is no longer available. According to Microsoft’s latest guidance, creating polls has now fully shifted into the Polls app, which is accessed from the meeting chat or a Polls tab added to the meeting. 

Here are some steps that may help you set up a poll in Teams before the meeting begins: 

1. Open Teams > Go to Calendar tab 
2. Click the meeting you scheduled 
3. Select Chat with participants 
4. At the top, choose Add a tab (+) 
5. Search for Polls and add it 
6. Then select Create New Poll 

This adds a Polls tab to the meeting, and you can stage drafts that stay hidden until you launch them. 

Additional details are available at the link below: Poll attendees during a Teams meeting 

Note: Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.  

I hope this information is useful. Additionally, as other users have raised similar concerns and may not be aware of where to share their feedback, I hope this response helps clarify the situation and suggests a potential next step. Highlighting this information can make it more visible to others in the community who may be facing the same issue, making it easier for them to find guidance and contribute their feedback as well. 

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern. If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

I look forward to your thoughts on this. 

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Answer 2

In Microsoft Teams, the ability to create a poll directly from the meeting invite may have changed or been updated. Currently, the primary method for creating a poll is through the meeting chat, where you can initiate a poll during the meeting or in the chat associated with the meeting.

If you are not seeing the cog icon to pre-stage a poll in the meeting invite, it could be due to updates in the Teams interface or settings that have changed since the last version you used. It's also possible that certain features are only available under specific conditions or configurations set by your organization.

For more detailed guidance on creating polls and any changes to the Teams interface, you may want to check the official Microsoft Teams documentation or support resources.