Cannot Moderate a Poll on Slides

  • Issue: Cannot find moderation buttons (lock, show responses, clear responses, etc.) in PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides.
  • Solution: Hover your mouse to the bottom of the slide when you present to find the presenter tools. As of late Aug/early Sept 2021, Poll Everywhere has updated their moderation controls and moved them to the bottom of the slide (previously in top right corner).

Screenshot of example multiple-choice poll question

PowerPoint Slides Show Old Responses

  • Issue: My PowerPoint slides used in a previous semester show responses from students in that class.
  • Solution: Clear responses from your polls. You can do so from the PowerPoint tab: Click Clear Responses and select All. You may also need to click Sync to clear the graphs. Alternatively, you can go into your Poll Everywhere activities on the web, select all polls used in a prior semester, and click Clear.

Windows: Zoomed In Polls on PowerPoint Slides

  • Issue: On Windows PowerPoint, Poll Everywhere slides are zoomed in / not fitting to the screen, and I cannot reach my controls.
  • Solution: Change your Display Settings so that items on your screen are scaled at 100% (instructions for Windows 7/8 and 10).
    • We have also found that, for some computers and projectors where displays are extended, the display settings may change automatically to adjust for a differential in resolution between the two screens, so you may need to change display settings again right after connecting to the room projector via HDMI or VGA.

Mac: Instructions/Results Do Not Show in Presenter View

  • Issue: When presenting slides in Presenter View using Mac PowerPoint, the instructions and poll controls are not shown or are shown zoomed in, rather than on the full-screen slide typically shown to the audience. Sometimes the poll instructions/results show up only in the small preview window next to presenter notes.
  • Solution: Poll Everywhere does not recognize the aspect ratio of your display. Follow the steps for the Force Monitor solution. You may need to do this each time while hooked up to the display (Macs may not store this setting).
  • Solution: Instructors have also found success presenting and sharing their whole desktop, instead of just the presentation.

Tablet or iPad: Polls in PowerPoint Not Opening

  • Issue: I cannot open polls in PowerPoint slides on my iPad or tablet.
  • Solution: The PowerPoint polling slideware is only for desktop. To run polls on your iPad or other tablet, install the Poll Everywhere Presenter app from the App Store on your iOS or Android. Run polls on the Poll Everywhere app as you would on the web.

“The slide failed to open properly” error on PowerPoint slides

  • Issue: When presenting my PowerPoint slides, an error pops up stating: “The slide failed to open properly. Try switching to another slide, then come back, or restart PowerPoint.”
  • Solution: Uninstall Poll Everywhere app and reinstall the app for Windows or Mac to make sure you have the latest version. Then remove and reinsert your polls from your slides.

Cannot see a tally of students who have responded to the poll on Instructions slide

  • Issue: As of Dec 2022, you may no longer see a tally of students who responded to the poll on the Instructions slide.
  • Solution: Change your visual settings by clicking on a poll, then clicking Visual Settings. In the box, scroll down to Total Results, then select Show on chart. Click Done and you should see the tally on the top right corner under your poll question.