How to Use Zoom Whiteboard for Live Teaching

A whiteboard lets you sketch diagrams, work through problems and collect student ideas during a live Zoom class. Zoom offers two whiteboard experiences, and they behave differently. This guide covers how to open one during a lesson, invite students to contribute, keep your work afterwards and fix the problems teachers most often run into.

Before you start

Find out which whiteboard your Zoom version offers. The newer Zoom Whiteboard is a cloud-based service: boards are tied to your Zoom account and stored on Zoom's servers, so you need an internet connection and a signed-in account. The classic whiteboard is a shared drawing surface that exists only for the duration of the screen share, and it is saved only if you save it manually. Many current desktop apps show the newer whiteboard by default. Some account or school configurations still use the classic one.

Update the Zoom desktop app before class. Whiteboard features, button labels and toolbar layouts change between releases, so an older client may not match what your students see. If your school manages your Zoom account, an administrator may control whether whiteboards are enabled, who can create them and whether students can edit them. If you cannot find the feature, ask the administrator before assuming it is missing.

Decide how you will draw. A mouse works for labels and simple shapes. Handwriting, equations and diagrams are much easier with a pen tablet, a touchscreen or an iPad running Zoom. Because cloud whiteboards store content on Zoom's servers, check your institution's rules on student data before you put names, grades or other personal information on a board.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Prepare the board before the lesson

With the newer Zoom Whiteboard, you can create a board outside a meeting from the Whiteboard area of the Zoom app. Add your headings, a problem set, a diagram or a template ahead of time, and give the board a clear name such as the course and date. Then you can open it in class rather than starting from a blank page. The classic whiteboard cannot be prepared in advance because it only exists during a share.

2. Open the whiteboard during class

Start or join your meeting as host or co-host. For the newer whiteboard, look for a Whiteboards button in the meeting controls. If your window is narrow, it may be under More. From there, open your prepared board or create a new one. For the classic whiteboard, open Share Screen and choose Whiteboard from the sharing options. Labels can differ slightly by version and platform, so check them in a test meeting before your first lesson.

3. Teach with the drawing tools

Use the pen for handwriting, shapes and lines for diagrams, text boxes for typed notes and sticky notes for short ideas. On a large cloud board, zoom and pan to the area you are working on so students can follow the focus. Leave space for student contributions and avoid erasing work you may want to return to. Starting a new section or page keeps the earlier material available.

4. Let students contribute

With the newer whiteboard, sharing settings decide whether participants can only view or can also edit. Grant edit access when you want brainstorming or group problem-solving, and return to view-only when you want students to watch a demonstration. With the classic whiteboard, students draw using annotation. The host's sharing options include a setting that turns annotation for others on or off, so check it if students say they cannot draw. Give students a simple rule, such as one colour per group or writing only in a marked area, to keep the board readable.

5. Use whiteboards in breakout rooms if needed

For group work, students in breakout rooms can use their own whiteboard if your account settings allow it. Afterwards, ask each group to share its board when everyone returns to the main session. Behaviour in breakout rooms depends on your Zoom version and account policies, so try the setup in a test meeting first.

6. Save or share the board after class

A cloud whiteboard stays in your account after the meeting ends. You can reopen it, share it with students or export it in the formats your version offers. A classic whiteboard is lost when the share ends unless you save it during the session using the save option in the annotation toolbar. Saved files usually go to your local Zoom folder. Note where the file is saved before you close the share.

Check the output

Before your first real lesson, run a short meeting with a second device signed in as a participant. That device shows you what students actually see. Check that the board appears, that your handwriting is readable at normal size, and that the participant can or cannot edit as you intended.

After class, open the saved or exported file and confirm it holds the full board. Exports show the board as it was at the time of export. They are not live, so export again if students keep editing a shared board later. If you record the lesson, the recording shows the whiteboard only while it was shared, and fine detail can look softer in the recording than on screen. Write larger and use high-contrast colours if students will rely on the replay.

Common problems and next steps

Whiteboard button missing: update the app, check whether the window is too narrow and look under More. Then ask your account administrator whether whiteboards are enabled for you. You may be using the classic whiteboard, which is reached through Share Screen instead.

Students cannot draw or type: for the newer whiteboard, check the board's sharing permissions and give edit access. For the classic whiteboard, make sure annotation for participants is not disabled in the sharing options. Students on older app versions or some mobile devices may have fewer tools, so ask them to update.

Board is messy or hard to read: prepare sections in advance, use larger pen sizes and give each group its own area or colour. Clear or lock off areas only after you have saved what you need.

Work disappeared after class: classic whiteboard content is not kept automatically. Next time, save before ending the share, or switch to the cloud-based whiteboard if your account supports it.

Prefer writing on paper: Zoom can share content from a second camera, such as a document camera or a webcam pointed at your desk. Give the browser or app camera permission, make sure the selected camera is the one aimed at your page, and use even lighting to avoid glare and shadows. Choose a resolution high enough for handwriting to stay legible, and keep the camera steady so the image stays sharp. A normal frame rate is usually enough for writing.