Online Whiteboards for Drawing During Virtual Meetings

The short answer

To draw on an online whiteboard during a virtual meeting, use one of two setups. The first is the whiteboard built into your meeting app, if it has one. The second is a separate browser-based board that you share by invite link or by screen sharing. A built-in board keeps everyone in one window. A standalone board usually gives you more drawing tools and keeps the canvas after the call ends.

If you only need quick sketches, start with your meeting app's own board. If you need a board that several people can edit, save and reopen later, a dedicated whiteboard tool is usually the better fit. Many of these tools offer a free plan, but check its current limits before you rely on it.

How drawing on a shared board works

A collaborative whiteboard is a shared canvas stored by the service. Each stroke, shape or note you add is sent to the other participants and drawn on their screens, so everyone can draw at the same time. Screen sharing works differently. You draw in a local app and the meeting software streams a video of your screen. Others can watch, but they can't edit unless the meeting app has a separate annotation feature.

Your input device has a large effect on how your drawings look. A mouse or touchpad is fine for shapes, arrows and labels. Freehand writing and diagrams are easier with a touchscreen, a stylus or a pen tablet. Pressure sensitivity and palm rejection depend on your device, its driver, the browser and the whiteboard app. Don't assume they work until you have tried them in the tool you plan to use.

Some details change between products and versions. These include where the whiteboard button sits, whether guests need an account, how many people can edit at once, and which export formats are offered. Check them in the current version of your meeting app or whiteboard tool rather than relying on older guides.

Setting up a board for your next call

• Decide whether participants need to draw, or only watch you draw.
• If they need to draw, choose a shared board and confirm that guests can join without creating an account, or tell them in advance that they need one.
• Test your pen, stylus or touchscreen in the board before the meeting, and check that strokes appear smoothly.
• Create the board ahead of time, and add any templates, images or headings you want to start from.
• Set link permissions so that only intended people can view or edit.
• After the call, export or save the board if you need a copy, and confirm the file opens correctly.

Some typical decisions: a tutor explaining equations benefits from a stylus and a board that keeps pages between lessons. A team sketching a page layout needs simultaneous editing more than fine pen control. Someone marking up a screenshot may only need the meeting app's annotation tools over a shared screen.

Free whiteboard drawing plans often cap the number of boards, editors or export options, or remove history after some time. These limits differ between services and change over time, so read the current plan terms. Make sure the free tier covers what you actually need, such as exporting an image or PDF, before the meeting starts.

Limits and related questions

Privacy and file handling: a cloud whiteboard stores your content on the provider's servers. Check the service's own privacy and retention terms. Verify who can open a shared link, whether deleted boards are actually removed, and where exported files are saved on your device. Don't put sensitive information on a board until you have confirmed these points for your use.

Performance: a slow or unstable connection can make strokes appear late for other participants. Very large boards with many images may also feel sluggish in the browser. Screen sharing adds video compression, so thin lines and small handwriting can look blurry to viewers. Thicker strokes and larger text help.

Recording: whether a whiteboard appears in a meeting recording depends on the meeting app and on how the board was shown. A board shared by screen sharing is usually captured like any other shared screen. A separately opened board may not be. Check the recording before you rely on it.

Alternative without software: if digital drawing feels awkward, you can point a webcam at paper or a physical whiteboard. Check focus, lighting and glare in a camera preview first. Some meeting apps can mirror the camera image, so make sure text reads correctly for viewers.