If you have poll questions (live content slides) in your PowerPoint slide deck but live content slides do not work as expected, check these settings and configurations.
Live content slides are not appearing
Attendees cannot see live content slides
Live Content Slides appear on the wrong desktop when using multiple displays
Live Content Slides not working when using PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams
Poll Results are cut off or distorted
Windows PowerPoint ribbon is missing
Live content slides are not appearing
What's going on: The poll feature only turns on once you actually start your presentation (what's called "Slide Show mode"). If you're just clicking through your slides to edit or review them, you won't see any poll results yet — that's expected, not a bug.
Things to check:
- Make sure you've clicked "Slide Show" (or "Present") to actually start the presentation, rather than just scrolling through slides in the regular editing view
- Confirm you've reached one of your designated poll slides — nothing will happen on regular slides
- If a yellow bar pops up asking you to "Enable Editing," click it. Some computers block new add-ins until you approve this
Attendees cannot see live content slides
What's going on: When you share your screen in a meeting (like Zoom or Webex), the poll results actually pop up in a separate little window — not inside the PowerPoint window itself. If you only share the PowerPoint window, your audience won't see the polls, even though you can.
Things to check:
- When you start screen sharing, choose to share your entire screen/desktop — not just the PowerPoint application window
- Double-check your meeting platform's sharing menu to confirm "Screen" or "Desktop" is selected, not "Window"
Live Content Slides appear on the wrong desktop when using multiple displays
What's going on: If you're using two monitors (like a laptop screen plus a projector), your poll results will show up on whichever screen your computer thinks is the "main" one. Sometimes that's not the screen you expect.
Things to check:
- Check which monitor is set as the main display in your computer's settings
- If it's the wrong one, here's Microsoft's guide on how to switch it: Present on multiple monitors (and view speaker notes privately)
Live Content Slides not working when using PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams
What's going on: Microsoft Teams has its own built-in way of showing slides called PowerPoint Live, which skips the usual screen-sharing process. Unfortunately, our poll feature isn't able to work through that method — on Mac or Windows.
Things to check:
- Make sure you've installed our Mac App or Windows Add-In ahead of time (whichever matches your computer)
- Instead of using the "PowerPoint Live" option in Teams, share your entire screen and run your presentation in regular Slide Show mode
Poll Results are cut off or distorted
What's going on: This usually happens when your laptop screen and a second screen (like a projector) are set to different "zoom levels," officially called display scaling. When they don't match, poll results can look squished, cut off, or blurry.
Things to check:
- Go to your Windows Display Settings
- Click on each screen (Display 1 and Display 2) one at a time, and note the percentage shown for each (this is the "scale")
- If your settings show "Duplicate these displays," switch it to "Extend these displays" instead — this lets you set each screen's zoom level separately
- Set both screens to the same percentage (for example, if Display 1 is at 125%, set Display 2 to 125% as well)
- Once they match, you can switch back to "Duplicate these displays" if you'd prefer that setup
Windows PowerPoint ribbon is missing
What's going on: This has its own dedicated help article with step-by-step instructions.
Things to check:
- Visit Troubleshooting the Windows PowerPoint Add-In for the full walkthrough
Mac App icon is missing
What's going on: This also has its own dedicated help article.
Things to check:
- Visit Troubleshooting Conferences i/o Mac App for the full walkthrough
No Internet Connection
What's going on: Poll results need an active internet connection to load in real time — without one, they simply won't show up.
Things to check:
- Make sure your computer is connected to the internet and it's working properly
- If you're on Wi-Fi, try reconnecting or switching to a different network
Best Practice: Test Polls
To learn more about testing live polls, see How to Test Polls. You can change the on-screen behavior of polls so that there's a countdown timer, or you could opt for a "manually advance to results" option. Learn more about slide behavior here.
Related to