How to set up a Discord polls bot

Before you start

• Create a Build Discord Bots account and have your bot online in a Discord server you manage. Polls is available on Free and its setup does not require Pro.
• Prepare a text channel for a harmless test. Give the bot access to view that channel, Send Messages, and Embed Links. A staff account needs Manage Server to change settings through the Discord settings command.

1. Enable Polls and choose the server

   On your bot’s dashboard, open Modules and enable Polls. Open the module card’s Settings using its gear button, then choose the intended server in the Server selector. Check Enable Poll Commands and save your changes. That setting controls whether members can create polls through the module in this server. The module must also be loaded and the bot online before commands can respond. If your bot belongs to several servers, configure each destination deliberately rather than assuming that a channel selection applies everywhere. Command examples use the default ! prefix; replace it with your bot’s configured prefix if different.

   For the walkthrough, use a question such as “Which activity should we try at the next community meetup?” and draft a few distinct answers. Avoid combining different decisions into one question: choosing an activity and choosing its date are easier to interpret separately. Polls records one selected option per member, so answers should represent alternatives rather than a checklist. Explain in a nearby message whether staff will follow the leading choice or simply use the result to plan a later discussion.

2. Set the destination and option limit

   Default Poll Channel supplies the destination when the interactive poll form has no channel override. Select your test channel while learning the workflow. None (post where command was used) leaves the current channel as the normal destination. The form can also accept a channel name or ID when you need a different destination. Check the selected channel in Discord before submitting, especially if staff and public channels have similar names. If a saved default channel becomes unavailable, the form can fall back to the current channel, so review defaults after reorganizing your server.

   Set Max Options Per Poll to the largest list you want members to submit. The supported range is 2 through 10, with 10 as the module default. This is an option count for each poll, not a subscription allowance or a promised number of daily votes. Keep your first question shorter than the maximum if fewer choices cover the decision. Long or overlapping answers make a result harder to read, even when the form accepts them. Poll Embed Color controls the embed accent; select a valid hex color that fits your server’s presentation.

3. Create the poll through its form

   In Discord, use !poll to request the interactive creator, then click its Create Poll button. Enter your question and put each answer on a separate line in the options field. For the meetup example, you could enter “Cooperative game”, “Trivia”, and “Creative workshop” on their own lines. Leave the optional channel field blank to use the configured default, or provide the intended channel explicitly. The creator prompt is temporary, so open it again if you wait too long and its button disappears. The completed poll is a separate message.

   Submit the form and check the confirmation before moving on. The module rejects an empty question, too few or too many options, and an explicit channel it cannot resolve. It also checks whether the bot can send messages and embeds in the chosen destination. A successful submission creates an embed with the question, answer counts, percentages, and voting buttons. Read the result as an ordinary member would. Short answer labels are easier to distinguish on buttons, and the question should make sense without requiring people to scroll through a long conversation.

4. Test voting and changes before sharing

   Click one answer button from a member account and confirm that its count changes. Each member has one current selection; clicking another answer moves that vote when Allow Vote Changes is enabled. Clicking the same answer again removes the vote in that mode. Test all three actions on your example: select an answer, move to another, then remove it. This makes the behavior concrete for moderators who may later answer member questions. The displayed percentages describe votes submitted to that poll, not the opinion of everyone who belongs to the server.

   If you turn Allow Vote Changes off, a member’s first vote is locked while that setting applies. Choose the policy before inviting participation and explain it next to the poll. This control is read from the server settings when a button is clicked; changing it later affects how existing polls handle subsequent votes too. Do not describe the feature as anonymous voting: the module associates votes with user IDs to maintain a single selection per member. Avoid sensitive questions that depend on anonymity or a formal election process this workflow does not provide.

5. Use a quick yes/no poll in the current channel

   For a binary question, use !quickpoll followed by your question in the same message. For example, ask “Should we repeat this activity next week?” The bot sends Yes and No buttons with the question. Unlike the interactive form, this command posts in the channel where you invoke it; it does not route through Default Poll Channel. Move into the intended discussion channel first. A default configured for structured community polls therefore does not make a quick question safe to run from an unrelated public conversation.

   Auto-delete Command Messages attempts to remove the invoking message for message-based commands. Leave it off while learning if you want the original request to remain visible, or enable it when command clutter gets in the way. Discord permissions still govern whether deletion succeeds. This setting does not delete the published poll or close voting. Keep the distinction clear when explaining cleanup to staff: removing a command request, removing a poll message, and stopping new poll creation are different actions. None should be presented to members as an automatic voting deadline.

6. Review settings and publish the real question

   Staff can use !pollsettings to view the saved configuration in Discord. With Manage Server, !pollsettings offers enabled, channel, color, maxoptions, votechange, and autodelete settings. The dashboard and command update the same server settings, so agree who owns changes rather than having two moderators overwrite each other’s choices. If creation fails, check that Polls and Enable Poll Commands are on, then inspect the destination and the bot’s permissions. If voting behaves unexpectedly, inspect Allow Vote Changes before asking members to submit the same answer again.

   Once the test is understood, create the real question in the intended channel and tell members how the result will be used. There is no closing-time field or close-poll command in this module’s current creation workflow. If you announce a discussion deadline, review the totals yourself at that point and explain the next step in a separate message. Disabling new poll commands is not a way to freeze old voting buttons. Keep questions practical, review the outcome with your community, and use the signup button below when you are ready to configure your own hosted bot.