Apr 3, 2026

How to Create a Poll in Outlook (Every Version, 2026)

Outlook How-to Polls Voting Buttons Microsoft Forms Microsoft 365 Email Productivity

Outlook has built-in poll and voting features that let you collect responses without leaving email. You can insert a quick poll directly in the message body, use classic voting buttons in the ribbon, or link to a full Microsoft Forms survey.

This guide covers every current method: Outlook on the web, the new Outlook for Windows and Mac, classic Outlook for Windows, and Outlook mobile.

1. Insert a Poll in Outlook on the Web

Outlook on the web uses Microsoft Forms to embed interactive polls directly inside email messages. Recipients click their answer without opening a separate link.

Go to outlook.com or your Microsoft 365 webmail and click New mail
Click the Insert menu in the toolbar (or click the three dots ”…” overflow menu)
Select Poll
A panel opens on the right — type your question in the question field
Add your answer options (at least two). Click Add option for more choices
Toggle Multiple answers on if you want respondents to select more than one option
Click Insert poll into email
The poll appears as an interactive card in the email body — add any additional text, set your recipients, and click Send

Recipients on Outlook (web, desktop, or mobile) see the poll inline and can vote with a single click. Recipients on non-Microsoft email clients see a Vote button that opens the poll in a browser.

After people vote, you’ll receive email notifications for each response. You can also open your Sent folder, find the message, and click the poll to see aggregated results in real time.

2. Insert a Poll in New Outlook for Windows and Mac

The new Outlook desktop app (the one with the simplified ribbon and no “File” tab) supports the same Microsoft Forms polls as the web version.

Click New mail
In the compose toolbar, click the Apps icon (grid of dots) or go to Insert in the ribbon
Select Forms (or Poll — Microsoft labels it differently depending on your build)
If prompted, choose New form to create a poll from scratch
Type your question and at least two answer options
Toggle Multiple answers if needed
Click Insert (or Save)
The poll embeds in the email body as an interactive card
Add recipients and click Send

If you don’t see the Poll or Forms option, make sure your Microsoft 365 subscription is up to date. The feature requires a work, school, or personal Microsoft account — it’s not available on third-party accounts (Gmail, Yahoo) connected through new Outlook.

3. Use Voting Buttons in Classic Outlook for Windows

Classic Outlook (the version with the full File menu and ribbon) has had voting buttons since long before Microsoft Forms existed. Voting buttons appear as a banner at the top of the email and let recipients respond with a single click.

Using preset voting buttons:

Click New Email to open a compose window
Go to the Options tab in the ribbon
Click Use Voting Buttons (in the Tracking group)
Choose a preset:
- Approve;Reject
- Yes;No
- Yes;No;Maybe
A banner appears at the top of your compose window confirming voting buttons have been added
Write your message, add recipients, and click Send

Creating custom voting options:

In a new email, go to Options → Use Voting Buttons → Custom
In the Properties dialog that opens, find the Voting and Tracking options section
Check Use voting buttons
Delete the default text and type your own semicolon-separated options (e.g., Monday;Tuesday;Wednesday;Thursday;Friday)
Click Close
Send the email

Recipients using Outlook (any version) see a Vote banner at the top of the message. They click it and select their answer. Recipients on non-Outlook email clients won’t see the voting buttons — they’ll just see a regular email.

4. Create a Poll on Outlook Mobile (iOS and Android)

The Outlook mobile app doesn’t have a built-in poll insertion tool in the compose window. However, you have two workarounds.

Option A — Start on the web, send from mobile:

Create the poll in Outlook on the web (Section 1 above) and save it as a draft
Open the Outlook mobile app — the draft syncs automatically
Open the draft and send it from your phone

Option B — Use Microsoft Forms directly:

Open the Microsoft Forms app (or go to forms.office.com in your mobile browser)
Tap New Form
Add your question and options
Tap Share and copy the link
Open the Outlook mobile app, create a new email, and paste the link in the body
Send the email

Recipients can tap the link to vote in their browser. You’ll see results in the Microsoft Forms app or website.

For polls with multiple questions, branching logic, or anonymous responses, create a standalone Microsoft Forms survey and share it by email.

Go to forms.office.com and sign in with your Microsoft account
Click New Form (or New Quiz if you need scored questions)
Click Add new to insert questions — available types include Choice, Text, Rating, Date, and Ranking
For each question, configure options:
- Toggle Required to make a question mandatory
- Toggle Multiple answers on choice questions if needed
- Click the three dots on a question for options like Shuffle options or Add branching
Click Settings (gear icon) to control who can respond, whether responses are anonymous, and start/end dates
Click Collect responses (or Share) and copy the link
Open Outlook (any version), create a new email, paste the link, add context about the survey, and send

Microsoft Forms tracks all responses in real time. Go to the Responses tab in your form to see summary charts and individual answers, or click Open in Excel to download the raw data.

6. View and Manage Poll Results

How you check results depends on which method you used.

Microsoft Forms polls (web and new Outlook):

Open your Sent Items folder and find the email containing the poll
Click the poll card in the email body — results update in real time
You’ll also receive individual email notifications as people vote
For more detail, go to forms.office.com, find the form under Recent, and click the Responses tab

Voting buttons (classic Outlook):

Open your Sent Items folder and find the email you sent with voting buttons
Open the message — in the ribbon, go to the Message tab
Click Tracking (in the Show group)
A table shows each recipient’s name and their vote
You can also see responses in your inbox — each vote arrives as a reply with the recipient’s choice in the subject line

Microsoft Forms survey (standalone link):

Go to forms.office.com and open your form
Click the Responses tab to see summary charts, individual responses, and completion rates
Click Open in Excel to export all response data to a spreadsheet

7. Tips for Better Outlook Polls

Keep it short. Polls with 2-5 options get the highest response rates. If you need more than 5 options, use a Microsoft Forms survey instead
Use clear, mutually exclusive options. “Monday,” “Tuesday,” “Wednesday” is better than “Early week,” “Mid week,” “End of week”
Set a deadline in the email body. Outlook polls don’t have built-in expiration dates, so write “Please vote by Friday at 5 PM” in your message
Pin the sent message. Pin the email in Sent Items so you can quickly check back on results
Don’t mix methods. If some recipients use Outlook and others use Gmail, embedded voting buttons won’t work for the Gmail users — use a Microsoft Forms link instead for cross-platform compatibility

Quick Reference

What you want to do	Method	Where it works
Quick yes/no poll in an email	Voting buttons (classic Outlook)	Classic Outlook recipients only
Interactive embedded poll	Insert Poll / Forms (web or new Outlook)	All email clients (link fallback for non-Outlook)
Multi-question survey	Microsoft Forms (standalone link)	Any email client, any browser
Custom response options (e.g., days of the week)	Custom voting buttons (classic) or Microsoft Forms	Classic Outlook / All clients
Anonymous poll	Microsoft Forms with anonymous setting	Any email client, any browser
Poll from mobile	Microsoft Forms link pasted in email	Any email client, any browser

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