You need to gather quick feedback from a team or group via email. Outlook includes a built-in feature for creating simple polls directly in a message. This article explains how to use voting buttons to send a poll and track the responses you receive.
Key Takeaways: Creating a Poll with Outlook Voting Buttons
- Options > Use Voting Buttons: Adds a set of predefined or custom response buttons to a new email message.
- Tracking > View Tracking Status: Shows a summary of all replies in a single window after recipients vote.
- File > Properties > Voting and Tracking options: Enables the feature and requests delivery receipts for the poll email.
How Outlook Voting Buttons Work
Voting buttons are a Microsoft 365 and Exchange Server feature. When you add them to an email, recipients see a special bar above the message with clickable options like Approve;Reject. Clicking a button sends a pre-formatted reply back to you. Outlook then automatically tallies these responses. You need an Exchange or Microsoft 365 account for this feature to work. The sender and all recipients must use Outlook or an email client that supports this function.
Prerequisites for Using Voting Buttons
Your email account must be connected to a Microsoft Exchange Server or Microsoft 365. The feature is not available for POP3 or IMAP accounts. All participants should use Outlook for desktop, Outlook on the web, or a supported mobile client to ensure the voting interface appears correctly. You must create a new email message; you cannot add voting buttons to an existing email already in your Sent Items.
Steps to Add Voting Buttons to an Email
Follow these steps to create and send an email with a voting poll.
- Compose a new email
Open Outlook and select New Email. Address the email to your recipients and write the message body that explains the poll question. - Access the voting options
Go to the Options tab on the message ribbon. In the Tracking group, click the Use Voting Buttons dropdown menu. - Select or create button labels
Choose a predefined set like Approve;Reject or Yes;No. To create a custom poll, select Custom. In the dialog box, type your desired button names separated by semicolons, for example, Option A;Option B;Option C. Click OK. - Enable tracking and send
Ensure the Request a Delivery Receipt and Request a Read Receipt boxes are checked if you want confirmation. Click Send. The voting buttons will now appear in the recipient’s email header.
Tracking and Viewing Voting Responses
Check responses in the original sent message
Open the sent email from your Sent Items folder. On the Message tab, click Tracking in the Show group. A panel will open showing each recipient’s name and their selected vote.
View all responses in a summary
While viewing the tracking status, you can see a tally of votes. Outlook groups responses by the button selected, giving you a quick count.
Handle individual reply emails
You will receive individual email replies for each vote. These are automatically filed and linked to the original message. You do not need to manually count these.
Common Mistakes and Limitations to Avoid
Recipients Cannot See the Voting Buttons
This usually happens if a recipient is not using Outlook or their email client strips the special headers. The feature requires support for Internet Message Headers. Ask recipients to open the email in Outlook desktop or Outlook on the web. Sending from a non-Exchange account will also cause this problem.
Votes Are Not Being Tracked in One Place
You must open the original sent message from your Sent Items folder to see the Tracking panel. Do not look for a tally in your inbox. If you moved the sent message out of the Sent Items folder, tracking may break. Always check tracking from the Sent Items folder.
Custom Button Text Is Too Long or Has Commas
Keep button labels short and clear. Use semicolons only to separate choices. Do not use commas, as Outlook will interpret them as part of the button name. For example, use Lunch Meeting;Client Call not Lunch Meeting,Client Call.
Standard vs Custom Voting Buttons
| Item | Standard Buttons (Approve;Reject) | Custom Buttons |
|---|---|---|
| Setup Time | Instant one-click selection | Requires manual text entry |
| Flexibility | Limited to a few preset pairs | Unlimited choices tailored to your poll |
| Recipient Clarity | Familiar, universally understood options | May require explanation in email body |
| Best For | Formal approvals or simple yes/no decisions | Team polls, scheduling, or multiple-choice questions |
You can now create efficient email polls using Outlook voting buttons. Use the Tracking feature in your sent message to monitor responses as they arrive. For more advanced surveying, explore Microsoft Forms and insert the form link directly into an Outlook email.