Guide · Polls
How to make a poll on Discord: built-in polls, reaction votes and a poll bot
Three ways to run a vote on Discord — the built-in poll, emoji reactions and a poll bot — with steps for each, what they can’t do, and which one fits which question.
PollsSuggestionsReminders
On this page
There are three ways to make a poll on Discord: the built-in poll that Discord added to every chat, a quick vote with emoji reactions, and a poll bot for votes that need rules — anonymity, role-only voting or votes weighted by rank. This guide shows how to do each one, what each can’t do, and which one to pick for the question you are asking. The bot steps use BotGG Polls, which are free.
Which kind of poll do you need?
| Built-in Discord poll | Emoji reactions | BotGG poll bot | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set-up | None | None | Add the bot once |
| Options | Up to 10 | Up to 20 (one per emoji) | Up to 20 |
| One vote or several | Your choice | Anyone can react to everything | Your choice, with a limit |
| Anonymous | No — anyone can see who voted | No | Yes, even admins can’t see |
| Only some roles may vote | No | No | Yes |
| Votes weighted by role | No | No | Yes, 1–100 per role |
| Hide results until the end | No | No | Yes |
| Runs until | A fixed duration | Forever | A duration up to 4 weeks, or until you end it |
Short version: for “which map tonight?” use the built-in poll. For council votes, staff elections, anything anonymous or anything that should only count certain members, use a poll bot.
How to make a poll with Discord’s built-in feature
Discord polls work in server channels, threads, group DMs and DMs.
On desktop or in the browser
- Open the channel and click the + button on the left of the message box.
- Choose Create Poll.
- Write the question (up to 300 characters) and the answers — up to 10, each with an optional emoji.
- Pick a duration from the list and switch on Allow Multiple Answers if people may choose more than one.
- Click Post.
On mobile
- In the channel, tap the + next to the message box.
- Tap Poll, fill in the question and the answers, choose the duration and post it.
What you should know about built-in polls
- Votes are public. Anyone in the channel can open the results and see who picked what.
- You can’t edit a poll after posting. Delete it and post a new one if you made a mistake.
- Ending early: the author (or a moderator who can manage messages) can end it from the message menu (… → End Poll Now).
- Results appear for a member after they vote, or with Show results. When the poll ends, Discord posts a short result message in the channel.
- No Create Poll button? You need the Create Polls permission in that channel. Server admins can grant or remove it per role in the channel’s permissions — handy if you want polls only in #votes.
How to make a poll with emoji reactions
The oldest way still works for very quick questions:
- Post the question with one line per option:
1️⃣ Friday,2️⃣ Saturday,3️⃣ Sunday. - React to your own message with every option’s emoji, so members only need to click.
- Count the reactions — and subtract your own.
It needs nothing, but nothing stops a member from voting for every option, there’s no end time, and the counts are only as reliable as the people reacting. Use it for “👍 or 👎?”, not for decisions.
How to make a poll with a bot (anonymous, role-only, weighted)
A poll bot posts the vote as a message with buttons and enforces the rules for you. With BotGG:
Step 1: Enable Polls
Add BotGG to your server (https://discord.com/oauth2/authorize?client_id=1553367772451446804&scope=bot%20applications.commands&permissions=282970448981207), open https://console.botgg.app, pick the server and switch on Polls. In the settings choose:
- Where polls may be created — all channels or only, say, #votes and its threads.
- Who may create polls and who manages them (ends polls, sees hidden results).
- Defaults — duration, live or hidden results, anonymity, the results chart and a role to ping when a poll goes live.
Step 2: Create the poll in Discord
Type /poll create in a channel. A form opens: write the question (up to 300 characters) and one option per line — 2 to 20 options, up to 80 characters each. Start a line with an emoji and it appears on the button:
🔫 Valorant⛏️ Minecraft🚀 Among Us
Optional settings go on the command itself:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
duration | How long the poll runs: 45m, 2h, 1d 12h, 1w (up to 4 weeks); 0 = until you end it |
max_choices | How many options one member may pick |
anonymous | Nobody can see who voted for what — staff included |
live_results | Off = members see only totals until the poll ends, so there’s no bandwagon voting |
role | Only members with this role can vote |
weighted | Each vote counts with the voter’s highest role weight |
Up to 10 options become buttons; longer polls switch to a select menu by themselves.
Step 3: Or build it in the console
The Create tab in the console has the same settings plus an emoji picker, option reordering and a live Discord-style preview. The bot posts the poll within seconds. The Active tab shows live result cards, and Ended keeps the archive with final results.
Step 4: Collect votes and close
Members click a button to vote and click again to take the vote back, or use Remove my vote. Results shows their own vote privately. The poll ends on its timer, with /poll end, or with the End now button for poll managers. The final post shows the bars, the winner (or a tie) and, if you enabled it, a results chart image ready to share. /poll list shows the active polls, /poll results opens any poll by its number.
How to make an anonymous poll on Discord
Built-in polls and reactions always show who voted. For a truly anonymous vote, create a bot poll with anonymous:true (or make anonymity the default in the console). Nobody can see individual votes — not the creator, not moderators, not the server owner. Only the totals are shown.
Weighted and role-only votes
Two settings turn a poll into a proper decision tool:
- Role-only polls (
role) — only members with that role can vote; everyone else gets a short explanation instead of a click that does nothing. Use it for clan rosters, subscribers or staff. - Weighted polls (
weighted:true) — in the console you give roles a weight from 1 to 100, for example Member 1, Officer 3, Leader 5. Each member counts once, with the highest weight among their roles. The bars show both the vote count and the weight.
Poll ideas that work
- Game night — “What do we play on Friday?” with live results and a ping role.
- Event date — multiple choice, so people tick every day they can make it.
- Staff or council elections — anonymous, role-only, results hidden until the end.
- Server changes — collect ideas with Suggestions first, then vote on the top ones.
- Regular check-ins — announce a weekly vote on a schedule with Reminders.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No Create Poll option | You lack the Create Polls permission in this channel | Check the role and channel permissions |
/poll doesn’t appear | BotGG isn’t in the server, Polls is off, or you can’t use app commands here | Enable Polls in the console and check “Use Application Commands” |
| “Polls are not allowed in this channel” | The channel isn’t in the allowed list | Add it in the Polls settings, or use one of the channels the bot suggests |
| “You are not allowed to create polls here” | Poll creation is limited to certain roles | Add your role to the creator roles in the Polls settings |
| A member can’t vote | The poll is role-only, or they reached the choice limit | Members see the reason in a private reply |
| Weighted poll can’t be created | No role weights are set | Add role weights in the Polls settings |
FAQ
How do I make a poll on Discord?
Click + next to the message box and choose Create Poll, write the question and up to 10 answers, pick a duration and post. For anonymous, role-only or weighted votes use a poll bot: with BotGG, type /poll create.
Can Discord polls be anonymous?
Built-in Discord polls are not — anyone can see who voted for what. A BotGG poll with anonymous:true hides every individual vote, including from admins.
How do I see who voted in a Discord poll?
In a built-in poll, open the results and choose an answer to see its voters. In a non-anonymous BotGG poll, poll managers see voters per option in the console; anonymous polls never show them.
Can I edit a Discord poll after posting it?
Not a built-in one: delete it and post it again. A BotGG poll also keeps its options once it’s live, so write them carefully; deleting the poll message cancels the poll cleanly.
How many options can a poll have?
Built-in polls allow 10 answers. BotGG polls allow 20: up to 10 as buttons, more as a select menu.
Is the poll bot free?
Yes. BotGG Polls — anonymous, weighted and role-only votes, hidden results and the results chart — are part of the free plan.