How to Use Microsoft Teams Whiteboard in Chat

A whiteboard in a Teams chat gives everyone in that conversation a shared canvas for sketches, sticky notes and quick diagrams. It stays with the chat, so people can return to it after a call ends. This guide shows how to add a whiteboard to a one-to-one or group chat, how to check that it works for everyone, and what to do when it doesn't appear or won't open.

Before you start

Microsoft Whiteboard in Teams is a cloud service, not a local drawing tool. The board is stored online and synced between participants, so you need a working internet connection. Check your organization's documentation to confirm where boards are stored and who can access them. Newer boards are commonly saved to the creator's work or school OneDrive, but storage, retention and sharing rules depend on how your organization is set up.

• A Microsoft 365 work or school account signed in to Teams. Whiteboard support in personal or free Teams accounts may differ, so confirm it is available for your account type.
• Whiteboard enabled for your organization. Administrators can turn it off or restrict it.
• An up-to-date Teams desktop app, or Teams in a supported browser.
• An existing one-to-one or group chat with the people you want to collaborate with. Guests and people from other organizations may have limited or no access to the board.

Whiteboard does not use your camera permission or selected camera. If you are on a video call at the same time, your camera, resolution, frame rate and lighting settings work independently of the board.

Step-by-step instructions

Whiteboard is added to a chat as a tab. The exact labels and button positions can vary between new Teams, classic Teams, the web version and mobile apps. If something looks different on your screen, look for the closest equivalent.

• 1. Open Teams and go to the one-to-one or group chat where you want the whiteboard.
• 2. At the top of the chat, find the row of tabs (Chat and Files, for example) and select the plus button to add a tab. In some versions this is under a More or overflow option.
• 3. In the app list, search for Whiteboard and select it.
• 4. Choose whether to create a new board or attach an existing one, if your version offers that choice. Then give the tab a clear name.
• 5. Save. If Teams offers to post a message to the chat about the new tab, keep it on so participants know the board exists.
• 6. Open the new tab and start working. Use the pen, text, shapes and sticky notes from the toolbar.
• 7. Ask other chat members to open the same tab. Everyone who has access edits the same board.

Adding the tab is reversible. To remove it, open the tab's menu and choose the remove option. Removing a tab usually takes it off the chat without guaranteeing the board file is deleted. Check the storage location afterward if you need the content gone, or if you need to keep it.

On mobile, adding tabs may be limited or unavailable. If so, add the board from the desktop or web app first. Mobile users can usually open an existing whiteboard tab or view the board in the Whiteboard app.

If you start a call from the chat, you can also share a whiteboard from the call's share options. That board belongs to the call, and how it is kept afterward depends on your Teams version and organization settings. For a board that stays with the conversation, use the tab method above.

Check the output

• Confirm the tab appears at the top of the chat for every participant, not only for you.
• Have another participant add a sticky note or a line, and check that it appears on your screen. Edits sync over the network, so a short delay is normal.
• Close and reopen the tab to confirm the content was saved.
• Find where the board file is stored and review who has permission to open it, especially if the chat includes guests.

If you need a copy outside Teams, look for an export option in the board's settings or menu. Available formats vary by version. An exported image may not keep fine handwriting legible at every size, so zoom in on the export before you send or print it. Exported images are static copies, so later edits to the live board won't appear in them.

Common problems and next steps

Whiteboard is missing from the app list: Whiteboard may be disabled by your administrator, blocked by an app policy, or not supported for your account type. Ask your IT team whether Whiteboard is enabled for your account.

Other people can't open the board: They may lack permission to the stored file, or they may be guests or external users whose access is restricted. Check the board's sharing settings and your organization's external collaboration rules.

The tab stays blank or keeps loading: Update Teams, sign out and back in, or open the same chat in Teams on the web to see whether the issue is specific to the desktop app. Network filters that block Microsoft 365 services can also stop the board from loading.

You can't find a whiteboard used during a call: Boards shared in a call may not show up as a regular chat tab. Check the call or meeting chat and the board's storage location. In the future, add the board as a chat tab before the call if you want it to stay attached to the conversation.

Edits from others appear late or not at all: Ask everyone to refresh the tab and confirm they are signed in with the expected account. Being signed in to a different account is a common reason one person sees an empty or separate board.