Use Scheduling Polls in Outlook on the Web

Use a scheduling poll when you need to find a meeting time for several people and do not want the usual back-and-forth email chain. Outlook lets you propose a few possible times, attendees vote, and the final meeting can be scheduled from the poll.

Short video version

Rick’s original video walkthrough is here: Outlook scheduling polls tutorial.

Before You Start

• Use your VT Microsoft 365 account at https://outlook.office.com.
• The email path below is the most reliable place to start. Microsoft documents a calendar-based entry point too, but the button is not consistently visible in every Outlook layout.
• Scheduling Poll works best from your own mailbox. Microsoft notes that it is not supported for shared email accounts or group calendars.
• Add the people you want to meet with before opening the poll tool. Outlook uses those attendees to check availability and suggest times.
• Pick a small number of options. Microsoft allows up to 15 time options, but 3-5 is usually kinder to everyone voting.
• This is different from the regular Poll app in Outlook. You want Scheduling poll, not a Microsoft Forms question poll.

Option 1: Start From an Email

Use this when there is already an email thread about the meeting.

Step 1: Open Outlook on the Web

Go to https://outlook.office.com and sign in with your VT account.

Step 2: Start a Message or Reply

Create a new email or reply to the existing thread.

Put required attendees in the To field. Put optional attendees in Cc.

Step 3: Open Scheduling Poll

Click in the body of the message so Outlook shows the message tools.

In the message toolbar, look for Scheduling poll. Depending on your Outlook view, it may be on the Message tab, the Insert tab, or under a More apps / … menu.

Step 4: Choose Duration and Dates

In the Scheduling Poll panel, choose the meeting duration and the date you want to check.

Outlook will suggest possible meeting times based on attendee availability when it can see those calendars. People outside VT, or people without Microsoft 365 calendars, may show as unknown.

Step 5: Select Time Options

Choose the times you want to offer. Keep the list short unless there is a good reason to include more.

If you need another option, use Add new option. If you picked a bad time, delete it and add a better one.

Step 6: Review Poll Settings

Click Next, then review the details.

Common settings include:

• Online meeting / Teams meeting: Adds an online meeting link if you want one.
• Schedule when attendees reach consensus: Outlook can schedule automatically when all required attendees agree on a time.
• Hold selected times: Outlook may place temporary holds for the proposed times so the windows do not get booked while voting is open.
• Notify me about poll updates: Sends you updates when people vote.
• Require attendees to verify their identity: Helps prevent anonymous votes.
• Lock poll for attendees: Prevents attendees from suggesting new times or changing the attendee list.

Step 7: Create and Send

Click Create poll. Outlook adds the poll information to your email.

Review the message, add any context you want, then click Send.

Calendar Option

Microsoft also documents a calendar-based way to start a scheduling poll, but it does not always appear reliably in Outlook on the web. If you are creating a meeting from scratch, it is usually safer to start from a new email and use Option 1 above.

If you do see Scheduling poll while creating a calendar event, you can use it:

1. Open Calendar in Outlook on the web.
2. Create a New event.
3. Add a title and invite the required attendees. Add optional attendees if needed.
4. Look for Scheduling poll in the event tools, often on the Event tab or under a … menu.
5. If the button is there, select time options, review the poll settings, and send the event/poll.

If the button is not there, do not fight the calendar screen. Go back to Mail, start a new message to the same attendees, and create the scheduling poll from the email compose window.

What Attendees See

Attendees receive an email with the proposed meeting times and a link to vote.

Depending on their Outlook view, they may be able to vote directly from the email, from calendar holds, or from the secure voting page. People outside Virginia Tech can vote from the secure webpage link.

Voting options may include Prefer, Yes, and No. The important thing is simple: attendees should mark the times that work and submit their vote.

Choosing the Final Time

If automatic scheduling is enabled and everyone required agrees on a time, Outlook can schedule the meeting for you.

If you need to choose manually, open the poll from the email, the calendar hold, or the organizer dashboard:

https://outlook.office365.com/findtime/dashboard

Choose the time with the best votes and end the poll with that selected option. Outlook will update the meeting and remove the temporary holds.

If You Do Not See Scheduling Poll

Try these checks:

1. Make sure you are using Outlook on the web, not a personal Outlook.com, Gmail, Yahoo, POP, or IMAP account.
2. Make sure you are composing a message or event from your own VT mailbox, not a shared mailbox or group calendar.
3. Add attendees first. The button may not be useful until Outlook knows who the poll is for.
4. In an email compose window, look under Insert, Message, More apps, or the … menu. Microsoft has moved this command around in different Outlook layouts.
5. If it still does not appear, open a ticket or email aadithelp@vt.edu.

Microsoft’s official guides

Microsoft’s current references are useful if your screen looks different:

• Access Scheduling Poll
• Find the best meeting time with Outlook Scheduling Poll
• Scheduling Poll organizer dashboard