--- title: "How to run a poll in a private Slack channel" url: "https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-poll-a-private-channel-in-slack/" description: "Polls in private Slack channels need one extra step, inviting the app. How to add Simple Poll to a private or Slack Connect channel and post your poll." --- # How to run a poll in a private Slack channel Slack apps can't see into private channels until someone in the channel invites them. A plain `/poll` still posts there, but polls from the shortcut, automatic closing, reminders, and scheduled or recurring polls need the app in the channel and fail until someone invites it. Invite Simple Poll once, and every poll after that works the same as in a public channel. ## Steps 1. **Open the private channel** Go to the private channel you want to poll. You need to be a member. 2. **Invite Simple Poll** Type `/invite @Simple Poll` and send it. Or mention `@Simple Poll` in a message: if the app isn't in the channel, Slack offers to add it, and you click **Invite Them**. 3. **Create your poll** Type `/poll` with your question and options in double quotes, for example `/poll "Which date for the leadership offsite?" "First week of the month" "Second week" "Third week" limit 1`, or type `/poll` on its own to open the form. 4. **Post it** Check the preview and click **Create Poll**. Only members of the private channel see the poll and can vote. ## Example polls Paste any of these into the message box in Slack. ```text /poll "Which date for the leadership offsite?" "First week of the month" "Second week" "Third week" limit 1 close after 2 days ``` A leads-only date poll, one vote each, closing in two days (Premium). *Premium: vote limits, closing automatically.* ```text /poll "Should we move the hiring bar review to Thursdays?" "Yes" "No" "No strong view" anonymous ``` An anonymous vote in a private channel. Free. *Free.* ```text /poll "Which candidate should move to the final round?" "Candidate A" "Candidate B" "Both" "Neither" anonymous hide results ``` A sensitive hiring vote with hidden results until you close it. Free. *Free.* ## Why the invite is needed Slack keeps private channels private from apps as well as people. Simple Poll joins public channels on its own when you post a poll there, but in a private channel a member has to add it. You only do this once per channel. Simple Poll also needs to be in the channel to share results there and to use its other features. ## Slack Connect channels Polls work in Slack Connect channels shared with other organisations. Two things have to be true: Simple Poll is installed in each workspace taking part, and, if the shared channel is private, Simple Poll has been invited to it with `/invite @Simple Poll`. ## Group DMs and testing privately A plain `/poll` works in a group DM, but automatic closing, reminders and recurring polls need Simple Poll as a member of the conversation. For those, Simple Poll's help centre recommends converting the group DM to a private channel first. In Slack, open the group DM, click the names in the conversation header, go to **Settings** and choose **Change to a private channel**. Messages already in the group DM become visible to anyone you add to the channel later. To try a poll out where nobody else can see it, post it in your own DM with Simple Poll, or in a private channel with only you in it. ## Private channel, still not anonymous A private channel limits who sees the poll. It doesn't hide who voted. If the question is sensitive, such as feedback for a manager or a vote among leads, add `anonymous` too, and consider `hide results` so early votes don't steer the rest. ## FAQ ### Why does my poll fail in a private channel? Simple Poll isn't a member of the channel yet. Type `/invite @Simple Poll` in the channel and try again. ### Do I need to be an admin to invite Simple Poll? Inviting the app to a channel is something a channel member does. Installing Simple Poll in the workspace in the first place may need an admin, depending on your workspace's settings. ### Can people outside the private channel see the poll? No. The poll is a message in the channel, so only members see it. ### Does it work in Slack Connect channels? Yes, as long as Simple Poll is installed in each workspace involved and invited to the channel if it's private. ## Related - [How to create a poll in Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-create-a-poll-in-slack/): Slack has no poll button of its own. Its help centre suggests two routes: install a polling app, or post a message and ask people to vote with emoji reactions. This guide covers the app route with Simple Poll, used by 945,000+ teams, because it gives you a real poll: counted votes, anonymous voting, one-vote limits and a clean result. - [How to create an anonymous poll in Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-create-an-anonymous-poll-in-slack/): An anonymous poll in Simple Poll hides who voted for what from everyone, including the person who created it. The poll still counts every vote and shows the totals. It's free on every plan. - [How to use the /poll command in Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-use-the-poll-slash-command/): /poll is Simple Poll's slash command. Typed on its own, it opens the poll form. Typed with a question, options and a few keywords, it builds the whole poll in one line, shows you a preview, and posts it. This page is the reference for the one-line version. - [Slack polls for executive assistants](https://simplepoll.rocks/use-cases/executive-assistants/): Assistants run the logistics nobody else wants to chase: when the leadership team can meet, what everyone eats, who is coming, which venue. Most of that used to be a thread of forty replies you had to tally by hand. A poll tallies it for you and gives the thread a deadline. - [Polls for Slack communities](https://simplepoll.rocks/use-cases/slack-communities/): A Slack community is not a company. Nobody has to answer you, half the members are lurkers, and a careless @channel reaches thousands of people who did not ask for it. Polls work well here because they are the lowest-effort way for a quiet member to take part: one click, no message to write. ## Sources - [Using Simple Poll in private channels or Slack Connect channels](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/115-can-i-use-simple-poll-in-private-channels-or-shared-channels) - [Can I use Simple Poll with Slack Connect?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/89-can-i-use-simple-poll-with-slack-connect) - [How to create a poll in Slack](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/122-how-to-create-a-poll-in-slack) - [Convert a group direct message to a private channel (Slack help centre)](https://slack.com/help/articles/217555437-Convert-a-group-direct-message-to-a-private-channel) --- Simple Poll is the #1 polls and surveys app for Slack. Add it to Slack: https://simplepoll.rocks/. Pricing: https://simplepoll.rocks/pricing/.