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Outlook has two features called “poll”: Poll collects answers to a question in an email, while Scheduling Poll helps people choose a meeting time. They are separate tools.
For example, use an ordinary Poll to ask “Which laptop should we buy?” Use Scheduling Poll to offer Tuesday at 10 a.m., Wednesday at 2 p.m., or Thursday at 3 p.m. and find a time that works.
How to create an ordinary Poll in Outlook
This is the right option when you want recipients to vote on answers inside an email.
Classic Outlook and Outlook on the web
- Open Outlook and create a New email.
- Select Insert > Poll.
- Enter your question.
- Enter the first two answer choices.
- Select + Add option to add more choices.
- Turn on Multiple answers if recipients should be able to select more than one answer.
- Send the message.
Outlook inserts the poll into the email. The sender’s name is also added to Cc, allowing the sender to receive and track responses.
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In some versions of classic Outlook, you can also select Options > Use Voting Buttons > Poll.
New Outlook for Windows
- Start a new email.
- On the Message or Insert tab, select More apps > Poll.
- Type the question and answer choices.
- Select + Add option for additional choices.
- Enable Multiple answers when appropriate.
- Select Send.
What recipients see
Recipients can usually vote directly from the email using an actionable message. They can also open the browser link included with the poll and submit their response there.
When to use Scheduling Poll instead
An ordinary Poll does not check calendars or create a meeting. To find a meeting time, use Scheduling Poll. Microsoft replaced the older FindTime Outlook add-in with Scheduling Poll; FindTime is not the current name for this feature.
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New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web
- Open Calendar.
- Select New event, or right-click a time on the calendar and select New event.
- Add the attendees.
- Select the date and time area, then choose the first date Outlook should consider.
- Select Scheduling poll.
- Review the suggested meeting times.
- Hover over an unwanted option and select Delete.
- Select Add new option if you want to offer another time.
- Optionally set an end date and time for voting.
- Add the title, location or room, agenda, attachments, and other meeting details.
- Select Send.
Outlook creates a secure voting webpage for attendees. It also places temporary holds on the proposed times. Those holds are removed after the organizer selects the final meeting time.
A Scheduling Poll can contain up to 15 time options, although Microsoft recommends offering about 3 to 5. You cannot edit an existing time option in place: delete it and use Add new option to replace it.
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The date selected before opening Scheduling poll affects the recommendations Outlook generates. Choose a realistic starting date rather than opening the poll from an unrelated calendar day.
Classic Outlook for Windows
You can start a Scheduling Poll from an email:
- Open a new email, or reply to or forward an existing message.
- Put required attendees in To.
- Put optional attendees in Cc.
- Click in the message body.
- On the Message tab, select New Scheduling Poll.
You can also start from a meeting:
- Create a new meeting or open an existing meeting for editing.
- Put required attendees in Required and optional attendees in Optional.
- On the Meeting tab, select New Scheduling Poll.
- Choose the duration and date.
- Review availability and select the proposed times to include.
- Select Next.
- Add a location or enable the Teams meeting option.
- Expand Manage poll settings if you need to adjust the poll.
- Finish and send the poll.
Outlook for Mac
- Compose a new email or reply to an existing message.
- Add required attendees in To and optional attendees in Cc.
- Select Customize Toolbar.
- Drag Scheduling Poll onto the toolbar.
- Use Scheduling Poll from the toolbar while composing the message.
If the FindTime add-in was previously installed, Scheduling Poll may already be on the toolbar.
Scheduling Poll settings and availability
Classic Outlook uses the organizer’s Microsoft 365 business account to read the organizer’s calendar and, where available, attendees’ calendars within the organization. Calendar availability from accounts that are not associated with Microsoft 365 may appear as unknown.
| Indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | Available |
| Red | Busy |
| Purple | Out of office |
| Gray | Unknown availability |
Suggestions take into account how many attendees are available, whether someone is required or optional, and whether calendar conflicts are tentative or busy. The organizer is shown as underlined.
The default time zone comes from the organizer’s settings, but you can change it from the Time zone drop-down. The Meeting hours option limits suggestions to workdays and working hours. If Outlook cannot find working-hours settings, it uses 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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Scheduling Poll requirements and limitations
- The organizer needs a Microsoft 365 Exchange Online mailbox. An Exchange On-Premises mailbox cannot organize a Scheduling Poll.
- Shared mailboxes and group calendars are unsupported in the current New Outlook and web implementation. Shared mailboxes are also unsupported as organizers in the classic feature.
- Calendar delegates cannot currently create new Scheduling Polls or vote on behalf of the main calendar owner.
- The feature is available with Microsoft 365 business or enterprise plans that include Exchange Online. Microsoft documents support for GCC, but not GCC High.
- The interface is being released progressively, so a documented button may not yet appear on every account or in every region.
Using Teams, Zoom, or Webex
Scheduling Poll integrates with Teams or Skype for Business. The organization’s configured default online-meeting provider determines which provider appears, and Teams or Skype can support automatic or manual scheduling.
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- Turn off the Teams or Skype checkbox.
- Turn off automatic scheduling.
- Send the poll and wait for voting.
- Open the voting page and select Schedule meeting for the chosen time.
- Add the Zoom or Webex link with its Outlook add-in.
- Send the resulting calendar invitation.
Manage an existing Scheduling Poll
Open the organizer dashboard at outlook.office365.com/findtime/dashboard. Polls are grouped as Open polls, Completed, Canceled, Expired, and Deleted.
A poll created more than 90 days ago is marked expired. For an open poll, Edit poll can change the subject, location, or duration. Increasing the duration can invalidate existing votes because attendees may no longer be available for the longer meeting.
Cancel poll stops further voting and scheduling. The voting page remains viewable, but its actions are disabled.
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Under Default Poll Settings, you can set defaults for future polls, including notifications, automatic scheduling when attendees reach consensus, calendar holds, attendee lockout, identity verification, default duration, and meeting-hours limits. These settings do not retroactively change polls that already exist.
When automatic scheduling is enabled and all required attendees favor a time, Outlook creates the event automatically. If several times qualify, it schedules the earliest one.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Fixes for common Outlook poll problems
The Poll button is missing
Check that you are composing a new message and look under Insert. In New Outlook, use More apps > Poll. Your Microsoft 365 administrator must allow Send a link to the form and collect responses under External sharing in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
Outlook asks you to sign in again
If you are already signed in with a work or school account, repeated sign-in prompts can indicate that an administrator setting needs to be changed. Contact your Microsoft 365 administrator rather than repeatedly resetting your password.
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Voting buttons are not supported in encrypted Outlook messages. Send the poll in a message that recipients can access normally, subject to your organization’s security policies.
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Scheduling Poll is unavailable
Verify that the organizer is using a supported Microsoft 365 Exchange Online mailbox rather than a shared mailbox, group calendar, or Exchange On-Premises mailbox. Also check whether the feature has reached your account and whether a delegate is trying to create the poll.
Quick choice: which Outlook feature?
| Goal | Use |
|---|---|
| Choose a product, date, preference, or opinion | Poll in an email |
| Find a time when attendees are available | Scheduling Poll |
| Create the final calendar invitation automatically | Scheduling Poll, subject to its settings and attendee responses |
| Coordinate a Zoom or Webex meeting | Scheduling Poll manually, then add the provider link after voting |
FAQ
Is Outlook Poll the same as Scheduling Poll?
No. Poll collects answers to a question in an email. Scheduling Poll collects votes on proposed meeting times and can create the final calendar event.
How many choices can I add to an Outlook Poll?
You can add answer choices with + Add option. The practical limit depends on the form and Outlook experience, but Microsoft’s documented Scheduling Poll limit is 15 time options; that limit applies to meeting times, not ordinary question answers.
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Yes, in New Outlook and Outlook on the web, open Calendar, create a new event, add attendees, choose a date, and select Scheduling poll. Classic Outlook also provides New Scheduling Poll from a meeting on the Meeting tab.
Why can’t I find Scheduling Poll in Outlook?
The feature may not have reached your account, or the account may be unsupported. The organizer needs a Microsoft 365 Exchange Online mailbox. Shared mailboxes, group calendars, Exchange On-Premises organizers, and delegate-created polls are common causes.
Can Outlook automatically schedule a Zoom meeting from a poll?
No. Automatic Scheduling Poll scheduling works with Teams or Skype for Business. For Zoom or Webex, schedule the selected time manually and add the provider link afterward.
The Bottom Line
Use Insert > Poll when you need answers to a question. Use Scheduling Poll from Calendar or a meeting when the question is “When can we meet?” Keeping those features separate avoids sending a simple vote when you actually need calendar availability and a meeting invitation.
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Microsoft’s feature documentation: ordinary Polls and Scheduling Poll.
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