In this article:
- Read-Only Presentation
- Protected Presentation
- Disabling Warning Messages in Poll Everywhere
- References
If the Poll Everywhere app for PowerPoint on Windows isn’t working as expected, the issue may be related to file permissions. Certain features, such as presenting Poll Everywhere activities, can be disabled when a PowerPoint file is in Read-Only or Protected View mode. In these cases, you may need to manually adjust the file’s permissions or mark it as a trusted document to enable full functionality.
For context, if you're seeing warnings like “Read-Only,” “Protected View,” or other file status notifications while using the Poll Everywhere add-in, these are usually triggered by PowerPoint’s built-in security features. This typically happens when a file is:
-
Downloaded from email
-
Opened from cloud-based storage services like Box, OneDrive, or Google Drive
-
Accessed via a shared network location
Windows flags these files as originating from the internet and applies what’s known as a “Mark of the Web.” These restrictions can interfere with the insertion or proper display and activation of Poll Everywhere activities during your presentation.
Read-Only Presentation
When PowerPoint opens a read-only file it will not allow modifications to the file until read-only flags are removed.
Step 1. Click File > Info
Step 2. Review the presentation's status.
Step 3. Right-click File > Properties
Step 4. Uncheck read-only.
Protected Presentation
When a PowerPoint file is downloaded from the Internet, it is opened in protected mode until the user decides to trust and edit it.
Step 1. Click File > Options
Step 2. Click Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Protected View
Step 3. Uncheck Enable Protected View for files originating from the internet.
Step 4: After making the adjustments, close all instances of PowerPoint completely and then reopen it. This step ensures that the changes take effect.
In some cases, moving the file to a trusted location like the Desktop can cause PowerPoint to trust the file.
Disabling Warning Messages in Poll Everywhere
You can disable warning messages in the Poll Everywhere:
-
Open PowerPoint.
-
Go to the Poll Everywhere tab.
-
Click Settings, then select the About tab.
-
Uncheck the option "Show warning messages about file state".
- After making the adjustments, close all instances of PowerPoint completely and then reopen it. This step ensures that the changes take effect.
Please note that this will prevent future file state warnings from appearing in the Poll Everywhere add-in.
References
If you continue to have trouble, please gather your logs and contact support.