How to create a poll in Slack

Simple Poll makes it quick and easy to create polls in Slack. There are a couple of ways to do so, so let’s start with the easiest.

1. Create a poll using a shortcut

A quick way to create a poll is by using a shortcut. You can access the Simple Poll shortcut by clicking the Run shortcut button in Slack. It’s the little / symbol in the bottom left of the message window.

If Create poll with Simple Poll is not in the list already, you can search for it by typing "poll":

After selecting the shortcut for Create poll with Simple Poll, a modal window that lets you create your poll will open:

Fill in the details of your poll and select any settings you want to apply. When you’re ready, click Preview to check what your poll will look like.

💡 Tip: If you want a safe place to experiment with creating polls, you can post one in a private channel, or even in a direct message to yourself!

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2. Create a poll using the /poll command

You can create polls by using the /poll command. You can use this command in two ways:

1. Type in /poll and press Enter. This will open the modal window in the same way as using a shortcut.

2. Type in /poll directly followed by the question/topic you want to ask and the options you want to include. Surround your question and each option with quotation marks.

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For example, typing this:

/poll “What times would work for a quick team meeting later?” “1pm” “2pm” “3pm”

Hitting enter, or send, will show you a preview, and then you can post the poll:

You can still make use of the settings from the modal window, by adding keywords after your question/topic and options. Keywords are not surrounded with quotation marks.

• The keyword anonymous makes the poll anonymous
• The keyword allow-options lets team members add options to your poll
• The keyword limit 1 limits how many votes each respondent can cast to 1

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For example, you can create a poll that is both anonymous and allows people to add options:

/poll “What do you want to make sure we cover in the company meeting later?” “Hiring progress” “Party update” “Financials” allow-options anonymous

Here is what that poll would look like:

3. Create a poll using the app

You can create a poll by navigating to the Simple Poll App on the left side of your Slack window. Once open click on the 'Create A Poll' button to open the modal window. Here you can fill in your poll details and settings. When you’re ready, click Preview to check what your poll will look like.

If you get stuck, don’t hesitate to get in touch via [email protected]