Run live polls, quizzes, word clouds, and more — without leaving your Teams meeting.

The AhaSlides add-in brings your interactive presentations directly into Microsoft Teams. Participants respond from their phones or laptops while you present — no screen sharing, no separate links, no switching apps.

How it works

Once the add-in is installed, you access your AhaSlides library from a dedicated button in the Teams meeting toolbar. Pick a presentation, hit Share, and your slides go live. Participants see the interactive panel on their own devices and respond in real time — you see results update on your presenter view as they come in.

The result: A fully interactive presentation experience, entirely within Teams — no browser tabs, no access codes to read out, no drop-off.

Setting it up

In a Teams chat (as a tab)

1. Open any Teams channel or group chat
2. Click + at the top to add a tab
3. Search for AhaSlides and select it
4. Sign in with your AhaSlides account

In a Teams meeting (from the toolbar)

The AhaSlides button appears directly in your meeting toolbar. Click AhaSlides to open the panel, browse your presentations, and start presenting.

Note: If you don't see the AhaSlides button, click Apps in the toolbar and add it from there.

Presenting in a meeting

Opening the panel

Click AhaSlides in the meeting toolbar. The panel opens on the right side of the Teams window, showing your presentation library — individual presentations and folders, each with slide count and participant stats.

Browsing your library

• Your presentations appear as a scrollable list with folder groupings
• Each item shows the number of slides and recent participants
• Tap any folder to browse presentations inside it

Starting a presentation

Click Share on any presentation to go live. Your slides appear in the main meeting view, visible to all participants.

Navigating slides

Use the ← → arrows or click any thumbnail in the slide strip at the bottom to jump between slides. The current slide number (e.g. 4 / 10) is shown in the centre.

Presenter notes

A Notes panel sits to the right of the slide. Click to add or view speaker notes for the current slide — only you can see these.

Switching presentations

The AhaSlides panel stays open alongside your presentation. Browse and switch to a different presentation at any time without leaving the meeting.

What participants see

Participants open the AhaSlides panel on their own devices — no join code needed when they're already in the Teams meeting. The participant screen is split into four tabs:

Responding to slides

Participants interact directly from the panel:

• Word Cloud — type up to 3 words and submit; words appear instantly on the presenter's cloud
• Poll — select an answer; bar chart updates live for the presenter
• Open Ended — type a response and optionally upload an image
• Rating Scale — drag or tap to rate; results appear as a wavy line chart
• Brainstorm — submit ideas, then vote on others' submissions in a second phase
• Quiz — choose an answer before the timer runs out; get instant right/wrong feedback
• Q&A — type and submit questions at any time; upvote questions from other participants

After answering, participants see: "You have already answered this question. Please wait for the presenter to show the next slide."

Emoji reactions

At the bottom of the participant panel, five emoji reactions (👍 ❤️ 😂 😮 😠) let participants express themselves at any time during the session. Reaction counts are visible to both presenter and participants.

Ask a question

An Ask a question button is always visible on the participant panel, regardless of which slide is active. This lets participants submit Q&A questions at any point — not just on a dedicated Q&A slide.

Tips

• You don't need a Q&A slide to take questions. The "Ask a question" button is visible on every slide. Dedicated Q&A slides give you a full question board on the presenter view; the button approach works silently in the background.
• Folders keep large libraries manageable. Organise presentations into folders (e.g. "Enterprise onboarding", "Team performance") so you can find the right deck quickly mid-meeting.
• Emoji reactions run throughout the session. Participants can react to any slide, not just interactive ones — useful for pacing and reading the room.
• Participant names are set at join. Participants enter a display name when they connect. This name appears on Q&A submissions and quiz leaderboards.

Frequently asked questions

Do participants need to install the Teams add-in?
No. Participants see the AhaSlides panel automatically when you share a presentation. They only need to be in the Teams meeting.

Do participants need an AhaSlides account?
No. Participants join as guests with a display name. An account is only required to create and present.

Can I use AhaSlides without the add-in?
Yes. Open your presentation in a browser, go live, then use Teams' screen sharing to present. Participants join via the access code as usual. This works but doesn't give participants the integrated panel experience.

Can I switch between presentations mid-meeting?
Yes. The AhaSlides panel stays open while you present. Browse your library and click Share on a different presentation at any time.

Is the add-in available on mobile Teams?
The presenter experience is optimised for desktop Teams. Participants can always respond from any device.