In this article:
Poll Everywhere for Mac needs Accessibility permission to insert slides into Microsoft PowerPoint and Keynote. This permission lets Poll Everywhere control those apps on your behalf; it's what enables the app's Insert button to add a slide to your deck.
If this permission is off, whether you dismissed the prompt the first time, clicked Don't Allow, or turned it off yourself later, slide insertion will silently fail or do nothing. The app won't ask you again automatically on the next launch. That's expected: macOS doesn't re-prompt for a permission once you've responded to it.
For Accessibility Permission:
To grant or restore Accessibility access for Poll Everywhere:
Note: The exact menu name may vary depending on your macOS version (e.g., Ventura, Sonoma, Tahoe). In macOS 27, Apple has renamed and moved Accessibility permissions to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Device Control and Data AccessIf you also see Poll Everywhere Live, toggle that on too — both should be enabled for full functionality.
Step 1: Open your Mac's System Settings
Step 2: Navigate to Privacy & Security > Accessibility
Step 3: Find Poll Everywhere in the list of applications and toggle it on
Step 4: Relaunch Poll Everywhere and try inserting a slide again
Helful Tip: If Poll Everywhere doesn't appear in the Accessibility list at all, quit and relaunch the app once — this triggers macOS to add it to the list, after which you can toggle it on.
macOS treats Accessibility as a protected permission; the same category covers any app that wants to control other apps on your behalf. The first time Poll Everywhere needs it, macOS shows a one-time prompt. Once you respond (Allow or Don't Allow), macOS remembers that choice and won't ask again.
This is the same permission model behind the separate Screen Recording permission Poll Everywhere also requests. See the Screen Recording Permissions and Troubleshooting Poll Everywhere for Mac Display Issues.
If you've granted Accessibility access and slide insertion still isn't working, also check whether your menu bar auto-hide setting is causing a separate issue: Resolving macOS Menu Bar Compatibility Issues with Poll Everywhere for Mac.
What if my System Settings look different?
Apple has changed the System Settings layout across recent macOS versions. If you're not seeing the exact same menus, refer to Apple's official support article: Change Accessibility settings on your Mac (use the "Select version" dropdown for your macOS version).
For Mojave Permission:
Previously, older versions of Poll Everywhere requested a separate "Automation" permission (introduced in macOS 10.14 Mojave) to control PowerPoint and Keynote.
If you select “Don’t Allow,” Poll Everywhere will not have the necessary permissions to run inside PowerPoint or Keynote. This will likely result in errors or crashes.
To grant or restore permissions to Poll Everywhere, follow these steps:
Step 1: Select System Settings.
Step 2: Choose Privacy & Security from the sidebar.
Step 3: Scroll down and click Automation.
Step 4: Turn the toggle on the Poll Everywhere app for Microsoft PowerPoint and Keynote to control which apps can talk to others
Once this process is complete, Poll Everywhere for macOS should function as intended in both PowerPoint and Keynote.
If you continue to have trouble, please gather your logs and contact support.