--- title: "The Slack /poll command, with syntax and examples" url: "https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-use-the-poll-slash-command/" description: "The full /poll syntax for Simple Poll in Slack. Quoting, poll types, every setting keyword, close and reminder times, and copy-paste examples." --- # How to use the /poll command in Slack `/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. ## Steps 1. **Start with the question in double quotes** `/poll "Which day works for the team lunch?"` 2. **Add each option in double quotes** `/poll "Which day works for the team lunch?" "Tuesday" "Wednesday" "Thursday"`. Leave the options out and voters add their own. 3. **Add settings after the last quote, without quotes** `/poll "Which day works for the team lunch?" "Tuesday" "Wednesday" "Thursday" anonymous limit 1` 4. **Press Enter, check the preview, post** Simple Poll shows a preview only you can see. Click **Create Poll** to post it. ## Example polls Paste any of these into the message box in Slack. ```text /poll "Which day works for the team lunch?" "Tuesday" "Wednesday" "Thursday" ``` The basic form. Free. *Free.* ```text /poll "Where should the team dinner be?" "Thai" :curry: "Pizza" :pizza: "Tacos" :taco: allow-options anonymous ``` Option emoji, anonymous votes and room for more suggestions. Free. *Free.* ```text /poll "Which launch date works for you?" "Next Monday" "Next Wednesday" "The Monday after" limit 1 close after 1 day remind 2 hours before closing @here ``` A one-vote decision that closes itself, with a reminder (Premium). *Premium: vote limits, closing automatically, reminders.* ```text /poll "Ideas for the next offsite" short text :bulb: ``` Free-text ideas that people can upvote with a light bulb. Free. *Free.* ## Quoting rules - Put the question and every option in straight double quotes. Slack's curly quotes count too. - There's no escaping, so a question or option can't contain a double quote. Use single quotes or reword. - Settings go after the last quote, separated by spaces. Words inside quotes are never read as settings, so `"Anonymous or named feedback?"` is a safe question. - Give an option its own emoji by putting the code right after its closing quote: `"Pizza" :pizza: "Tacos" :taco:`. - Slack formatting works inside quotes: `*bold*`, `:emoji:`, and links. - A misspelt keyword is ignored, so `anonymus` makes a poll that isn't anonymous. Check the preview. ## Poll types Without a type keyword you get a choice poll, where people can pick any number of options. Add one of these to change it: - `ranked`: voters put the options in order. See [ranked choice polls](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-create-a-ranked-choice-poll-in-slack/). - `scale`: a 1 to 5 rating. No options, or exactly five labels. - `short text`: free-text answers. No options. `short text :bulb:` lets people vote on answers with that reaction; the choices are `:thumbsup:` `:bulb:` `:heart:` `:joy:` `:tada:` `:rocket:` `:fire:` `:small_red_triangle:`. - `q&a`: people post questions and upvote them. No options. See [running an AMA](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-run-an-ama-in-slack/). ## Settings keywords Free on every plan: - `anonymous`: nobody, the creator included, sees who voted for what. - `allow-options`: voters can add options. - `order-results-by-votes`: list options by votes, not in your order. - `hide results`: voters see the results only once you close the poll (on Premium, once you also choose to reveal them). - `@here` or `@channel`: notify the channel when it posts. Premium: - `limit 1` (or `limit 2`, and so on): the most options each person can pick. - `close after 1 day`: close on its own. Allowed: 10, 30 or 60 minutes; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12 or 24 hours; 1, 2, 3 or 7 days. - `remind 2 hours after posting` or `remind 1 hour before closing`: repost it at the bottom of the channel. Allowed: 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes; 1, 2, 3, 12 or 24 hours; 1 day. A before-closing reminder needs `close after`. - `show results to creator`: only you see the results. - `schedule tomorrow 9am`: post it later. Always put it last. - More than 5 options (up to 45), and surveys with `---` between questions. Case doesn't matter in keywords, and hyphens, underscores or spaces between words all work: `allow-options` and `allow options` are the same. ## Surveys in one command Separate questions with `---`. The first part is a title, an optional description and the survey-wide settings; each part after it is one question with its own type, plus `limit 1` or `optional` if you need them. See [surveys in Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-create-a-survey-in-slack/). ## What the command can't do It can't send a poll to people by DM, close at a set date and time, repeat a poll, or change a poll after it's posted. Repeating polls are set up in the poll form with the **Schedule** button; edits are made from the posted poll's **Open** button (Premium). ## FAQ ### How do I open the poll form instead? Type `/poll` with nothing after it and press Enter. The form has every setting as a checkbox or dropdown, plus scheduling, templates and drafts. ### Can I skip the preview? Yes. Add `no-preview` at the end and the poll posts straight away. Only do this once you trust your syntax. ### Why did a setting not apply? Usually a typo or a keyword placed inside quotes. Keywords only count after the last quote, and a misspelt one is ignored. Check the preview before you click **Create Poll**. ### Do I need quotes at all? Simple Poll understands some unquoted forms, but they're easy to get wrong. Always quote the question and each option. ### Is /poll free? Yes. The command and the free keywords work on every plan. Premium keywords are listed above; start a 14-day trial with `/simplepoll trial`. ## 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 make an emoji poll in Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-make-an-emoji-poll-in-slack/): "Emoji poll" means two things in Slack. One is a message where people vote by reacting with an emoji, which needs no app. The other is a proper poll where each option carries an emoji, which reads faster and still counts votes properly. This page covers both, plus the poll emoji themselves. - [How to create a survey in Slack](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-create-a-survey-in-slack/): A survey in Simple Poll is one Slack message with several questions behind it. People click the survey's Open button, answer in a pop-up without leaving Slack, and you get the results in the same place. Surveys are a Premium feature, with up to 20 questions each. - [How to close a Slack poll automatically](https://simplepoll.rocks/guides/how-to-close-a-slack-poll-automatically/): A poll that never closes never quite decides anything: votes trickle in, the result shifts, and nobody knows when to act. An automatic close fixes the deadline up front. In Simple Poll you add close after and a duration, and the poll closes on its own. Automatic closing is a Premium feature; anyone can close their own poll by hand. - [What is a slash command?](https://simplepoll.rocks/glossary/slash-command/): A slash command is a message that starts with a forward slash, like `/poll`, and runs an app or a built-in Slack action instead of posting text to the channel. ## Sources - [How can I use Slash Commands to make a poll quickly?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/120-how-can-i-use-slash-commands-to-make-a-poll-quickly) - [How to create a poll in Slack](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/122-how-to-create-a-poll-in-slack) - [How can I use my own emoji?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/40-how-can-i-use-my-own-emoji) - [Can I create a poll that starts with no options?](https://help.simplepoll.rocks/article/92-can-i-create-a-poll-that-starts-with-no-options) --- Simple Poll is the #1 polls and surveys app for Slack. Add it to Slack: https://simplepoll.rocks/. Pricing: https://simplepoll.rocks/pricing/.