How to Use Zoom Whiteboard on a Chromebook

Zoom Whiteboard gives you a shared canvas for sketches, text, shapes and sticky notes, both during a meeting and outside one. On a Chromebook you use it through a Zoom app built for ChromeOS rather than a classic desktop installation, so the layout can differ from Windows or macOS. This guide covers opening a whiteboard, working on it with a touchpad, touchscreen or stylus, and confirming that other people can see your changes.

Before you start

Check which Zoom app you have. The original Zoom Chrome app was retired, and Chromebooks now run Zoom either as the Android app from the Google Play Store or as the web app version. Button labels and placement can differ between them, so keep in mind which one you opened from the launcher.

Whiteboard is not a local drawing tool. It depends on Zoom's online service and your Zoom account, so a stable internet connection is required and boards are stored with your account rather than in the Chromebook's Files app. How long boards are kept and who can access them depends on your account and organisation settings, so verify those before putting sensitive information on a board.

• Sign in to a Zoom account. Guests and signed-out users may not be able to create boards.
• Make sure Whiteboard is allowed on your account. Work and school admins can turn it off, and plan limits may restrict how many boards you can edit.
• Update ChromeOS and the Zoom app, because older versions may only offer the classic whiteboard or none at all.
• A touchscreen or stylus is optional but makes drawing much more precise than a touchpad.

Your camera and microphone are not needed for the whiteboard itself. If Zoom asks for camera permission when you join, your answer does not change whether you can use the board.

Step-by-step instructions

Open a whiteboard during a meeting

• 1. Start or join the meeting in the Zoom app on your Chromebook.
• 2. Look along the meeting controls for a Whiteboards button. In a small or narrow window it may be grouped under More, so maximise the window if you cannot find it.
• 3. Create a new board, or open one you have already made if the app lists existing boards.
• 4. Use the whiteboard toolbar to draw, type text, add shapes or place sticky notes.
• 5. When you are finished, close the whiteboard or stop sharing it from the same controls.

If the only whiteboard option you see sits inside the Share Screen menu, you are probably using the older classic whiteboard. It works differently from the current Zoom Whiteboard, especially in how content is saved, so update the app if you need the newer version.

Use a whiteboard outside a meeting

Depending on your app version, Zoom may also offer a Whiteboards section in the main app window. From there you can create a board, prepare it ahead of a meeting and use its sharing options to invite collaborators. If this section is missing, use the in-meeting method above.

Draw comfortably on a Chromebook

Touchpad strokes tend to look shaky, so for handwriting or diagrams use a touchscreen, a stylus or a mouse. Convertible Chromebooks are easier to draw on in tablet mode. To try the tools without affecting real work, create a separate practice board and delete it afterwards.

Check the output

During a meeting, ask a participant to confirm that the board appears for them and that your edits show up as you make them. If you have given others edit access, have one person add a note so you can see that changes arrive in both directions.

After the meeting, reopen the board from your Zoom account to confirm it was saved. If you need a file for notes or handouts, look for export options in the whiteboard menu; the formats on offer depend on your version. Save the export and open it in the Files app to make sure it contains everything you expected.

With the current whiteboard, participants work on the canvas itself rather than watching a video of your screen, so your camera's resolution, frame rate and lighting do not affect how the board looks to them. Their connection and device performance can still slow down how quickly changes appear.

Common problems and next steps

Whiteboards button missing: confirm you are signed in rather than joined as a guest, then update the Zoom app. If the button is still not there, the host or your account admin may have disabled the feature, or your app version may not support it. Switching between the Play Store app and the web app is also worth trying.

The board opens but you cannot edit it: the owner or host may have shared it as view-only. Ask them to give you edit access.

Drawing lags or strokes appear late: close unused browser tabs and apps, move closer to your Wi-Fi router, or split very large boards into smaller ones.

A board disappeared after the meeting: check whether it was made with the classic whiteboard, which saves content differently. Also make sure you were signed in to the same account and that your plan did not limit the number of boards you can keep.

Showing a physical whiteboard instead: point your webcam at the board rather than using the digital one. Allow camera permission for Zoom in ChromeOS settings, make sure the selected camera in Zoom's video settings is the one facing the board, and light the board evenly to cut down on glare.

If none of these steps help, contact your Zoom account admin about whether Whiteboard is enabled for you, or reach out to Zoom support with your app version and ChromeOS version.