How to Draw and Write by Hand on Zoom Whiteboard

Zoom lets you sketch diagrams, write notes by hand and mark up a shared screen during a meeting. This guide explains how to open a whiteboard, use the drawing and text tools, keep your handwriting legible and save the result. Labels and layouts change between Zoom versions, so treat the names below as what to look for, not as exact menu paths.

Before you start

Zoom offers two related tools. The first is in-meeting annotation, which includes the classic whiteboard and drawing on top of a shared screen. The second is the newer Zoom Whiteboard, which creates boards that can persist after the meeting. The tool you see depends on your app version and on settings controlled by your account or organization administrator.

Zoom Whiteboard is part of Zoom's online service. Boards are tied to your Zoom account rather than kept only on your computer. If you handle sensitive material, check your organization's retention and sharing policies before you rely on it. Classic annotations exist only during the share session unless you save them.

• An up-to-date Zoom desktop or mobile app, signed in to your account
• The whiteboard feature enabled for your account; some organizations turn it off
• Permission from the host to share or annotate, if you are a participant rather than the host
• A suitable input device: a mouse works, but a touchscreen, a pen tablet or a tablet with a stylus makes handwriting much easier

Step-by-step instructions

Open a whiteboard in a meeting

• 1. Start or join the meeting.
• 2. Select Share (or Share Screen) in the meeting controls.
• 3. Choose the Whiteboard option in the sharing window.
• 4. Depending on your version and settings, Zoom opens either the classic whiteboard or Zoom Whiteboard. With Zoom Whiteboard, you may be asked to create a new board or open an existing one.
• 5. Wait for the whiteboard toolbar to appear before you start drawing.

Draw by hand

Select the pen or draw tool in the whiteboard toolbar. Pick a color and line thickness, then drag with your mouse, finger or stylus to draw. To make changes, use Undo for your most recent strokes and the eraser for specific marks. Undo is the safer choice because it affects only your own recent actions.

Write on the whiteboard

You can write on a Zoom whiteboard in two ways. Handwrite with the pen tool, or select the text tool, click the canvas and type. Typed text is always neater and easier to read, especially for labels and lists. Freehand writing works better for quick sketches, equations and arrows that connect ideas.

Annotate a shared screen

Annotation also works on top of any shared screen, not just a blank whiteboard. If you are presenting, look for Annotate in the sharing toolbar at the top of your screen. If someone else is presenting, look for Annotate in the view options above the shared content. If the option is missing, the host or presenter may have turned off participant annotation.

Write neatly

• Use a stylus on a tablet, touchscreen or pen tablet instead of a mouse when possible
• Write larger than you would on paper, and write slowly
• Choose a medium or thick line so strokes stay readable after scaling
• Use the text tool for headings and labels, and keep handwriting for diagrams
• Use line, arrow and shape tools for straight edges instead of drawing them freehand
• If the canvas can be zoomed, zoom in before writing small details

Be careful with any clear or erase-all command. Depending on the option you choose, it can remove other participants' drawings as well as your own.

Check the output

First, ask another participant to confirm they can see your drawing as it appears. If you are using the classic whiteboard or annotations, use the Save option in the toolbar before you stop sharing. Then find the saved file on your computer and open it to confirm it captured everything. Depending on your settings, the file may be an image or a PDF.

With Zoom Whiteboard, check that the board appears in your list of whiteboards after the meeting and that its sharing permissions match who should see it. If you need a copy outside Zoom, check which export formats your version offers. Exports are flat files, and handwriting is not converted into editable text unless the tool explicitly offers that feature.

Common problems and next steps

• No whiteboard option: update the Zoom app, and ask your administrator whether the whiteboard feature is enabled for your account
• Cannot annotate as a participant: ask the host or presenter to allow participant annotation
• Shaky or jagged lines: switch from a mouse to a stylus or touchscreen, and use thicker lines
• Strokes appear in the wrong place with a pen tablet: check the tablet driver settings and confirm it is mapped to the screen that shows Zoom
• Annotations disappeared: classic annotations are not kept after sharing ends unless they were saved first
• Drawings removed by someone else: avoid clear-all commands during shared sessions, and save copies at key points

If you whiteboard often, a tablet with a stylus is the most effective upgrade for handwriting quality. For boards you need to revisit, use Zoom Whiteboard if your account supports it. For quick explanations during a call, use annotation on a shared screen.