Use Poll Everywhere with PowerPoint for Windows

Rather than using Poll Everywhere on the web to present your activities to participants, you can embed your activities into your PowerPoint presentation. This guide will walk you through using activities with PowerPoint on Windows and some troubleshooting considerations.

You can integrate Poll Everywhere slides into PowerPoint by following these basic steps:

Install/check for the Poll Everywhere app.
Sign in to the Poll Everywhere app.
Insert your activities.
Present your activities.

Before you begin, consider the following:

This guide is meant for Windows users. For those using macOS devices, please refer to: Use Poll Everywhere with PowerPoint for macOS.
Do not use the Poll Everywhere Add-in found within the Add-ins menu of PowerPoint, as it will not work.

Step 1: Install/Check for the Poll Everywhere PowerPoint App

First, Poll Everywhere needs to be installed on your device. Although activities are typically used on the website, presenting them in PowerPoint requires a separate app to run alongside your presentation. Ensure that the Poll Everywhere for Windows app is installed on the presentation computer if it's different from the one you used to create the presentation. To check if your device has Poll Everywhere installed:

Log in to the presentation computer, whether it's a classroom computer or your device.
Open Microsoft PowerPoint and check if there is a Poll Everywhere tab towards the top of the app.
- Don't see the "Poll Everywhere" tab? Install Poll Everywhere for Windows or contact the UIW Help Desk for assistance.
- If you can see the "Poll Everywhere" tab - Continue to "Step 2: Sign in to Poll Everywhere" below.

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Step 2: Sign in to the Poll Everywhere app

To ensure that everything runs smoothly, make sure to log into your Poll Everywhere account using the app. This is usually not an issue when using your personal computer, but it may be problematic if you're presenting from a classroom computer. Follow the steps below to log into your Poll Everywhere account on the presentation machine.

From the computer you'll present from, open Microsoft PowerPoint and:

Select the Poll Everywhere tab.
Select Log in and continue with your university credentials.

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No matter what type of computer you are presenting from, Poll Everywhere will display the same steps to sign in. Follow the steps below.

Select Launch log-in window
Enter your UIW email and select Next
Select Log in with the University of the Incarnate Word
Select Authorize

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Once you've logged in, you can insert and present your activities from PowerPoint. You can directly manage, sync, and insert your activities from the Poll Everywhere tab in PowerPoint. Although not all of the presented options are relevant, please take note of the following.

Sync: This option syncs all your slides with Poll Everywhere, ensuring the latest changes are saved in your presentation.
Insert: Insert a poll or activity slide into your presentation.
Contact support: Trouble with understanding Poll Everywhere? Contact their dedicated support line.
Check for updates: This checks for the latest version, ensuring Poll Everywhere is up to date and ready to be used.

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Step 3: Insert your Activities

Once you're logged into Poll Everywhere, you'll need to insert activities into your slide deck from the Poll Everywhere tab. To insert activities into your PowerPoint presentation:

Open the Poll Everywhere tab in PowerPoint
Select Insert
Select Activity
Within the pop-up window, select the activity you want to insert into your presentation
Select the Insert Slides button

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For an in-depth guide on inserting activities, visit Poll Everywhere's guide on inserting.

Step 4: Presenting your Activities

Activities only take responses while activated, which happens in presentation mode. To use your activity during your presentation, switch to slide show/presentation mode to begin your presentation. You can do this in three different ways:

Press the F5 key on your keyboard.
Select the Start From Beginning command on the Quick Access toolbar.
Click the Play Slide Show command at the bottom of the PowerPoint window.

The activity will remain locked and unavailable for response until you navigate to that slide during your presentation. Once you do, the live activity will be displayed and (by default) unlocked and ready to receive responses. Once you navigate away from the slide, the activity will be closed to further responses.

You can check that your activity is working properly by hovering through the bottom area of the slide and finding the toolbar, which has the clear responses option. If the toolbar appears, you're good to go. If not, visit the FAQ section for troubleshooting.

Tips for Success

You must log in to the Poll Everywhere app on each computer you plan to present from.
If you teach or present in multiple spaces, it’s considered best practice to log into Poll Everywhere via PowerPoint before the presentation in that space.
You cannot use embed code collected from pollev.com to record responses in PowerPoint.
Poll Everywhere slides can be re-arranged in your presentation after insertion. This will not break activities.
Regularly check to ensure the latest version of Microsoft PowerPoint is installed on your device.

Poll Everywhere with PowerPoint on Windows Video Guide

Poll Everywhere with PPT for Windows FAQ

The activity slide launches but doesn’t activate or allow responses, or the toolbar doesn’t display.

You’ll know the activity isn’t active if you see multi-colored corners and a prompt at the bottom of the slide:

To fix this:

Make sure the Poll Everywhere tab is open and you're signed in.
Restart PowerPoint.
In the Poll Everywhere tab, use Sync > All, then try again.
Remove and reinsert the activity slide using the Poll Everywhere tab.

The activity launches, but the slide spills off-screen.

This is usually a display resolution issue. Adjust your display resolution to the recommended setting and relaunch the slide.

The slide doesn’t display correctly while sharing in a Teams meeting.

If you’re using Microsoft Teams, make sure you share your entire screen instead of just the PowerPoint window. Do not use PowerPoint Live, as it will prevent activities from displaying properly.

The activity works on my personal device but not on a classroom computer.

Poll Everywhere must be installed on the computer used for presenting. Contact the UIW Help Desk or a Technical Support Specialist to verify installation on the classroom or meeting room computer. It's best to test your presentation in the space where you plan to teach.

I adjusted my display settings, but the activity still doesn’t show correctly.

If resolution settings have been checked and the issue remains, try restarting PowerPoint. This often resolves lingering display problems.

My issue is still not resolved after troubleshooting.

If you’re still experiencing issues:

Contact Poll Everywhere support for faster technical help.
For classroom computer issues, contact the UIW Help Desk for on-site assistance.