How to Use Zoom Whiteboard on an iPad with Apple Pencil
Open Zoom Whiteboard on your iPad, draw with Apple Pencil in or outside a meeting, check what others see, and fix common pen and access problems.
An iPad with an Apple Pencil works well as a drawing surface for Zoom Whiteboard. You can sketch diagrams, annotate ideas or write by hand while others in a meeting watch or collaborate. This guide covers opening a whiteboard on the iPad, drawing with the Pencil, joining from the iPad as a second device, and fixing the usual problems.
Before you start
Install the Zoom app on the iPad from the App Store and update it to the current version. Whiteboard features have changed between releases, so an outdated app may show different buttons or lack the newer whiteboard entirely.
Sign in with your Zoom account. Zoom Whiteboard is an online service, not a local drawing app. Whiteboards are tied to your account and stored by Zoom, so you need an internet connection. If you need specific storage, retention or sharing rules, check your organization's settings or Zoom's current documentation rather than assuming a particular behavior.
If you use a work or school account, an administrator can turn the whiteboard feature on or off and can limit who may create or share boards. If you can't find the whiteboard option anywhere in the app, ask your administrator before you start troubleshooting the iPad.
For the Apple Pencil, confirm that your Pencil model is compatible with your iPad model. Then charge it and pair it in the iPad's Bluetooth settings. Test it in any Apple app, such as Notes, so you know the Pencil itself works before you open Zoom.
Step-by-step instructions
1) Open the Zoom app and sign in. To work on a board outside a meeting, open the Whiteboards section of the app and create a new board or open an existing one.
2) To use a whiteboard during a call, start or join the meeting on the iPad. Look for the Whiteboards option in the meeting controls. On a narrower layout it may sit under the More menu. Opening it lets you create a new board or share an existing one with participants.
3) In some older app versions, or under some account configurations, the whiteboard appears as a sharing option instead of a separate button. If you don't see a Whiteboards control, check the share menu. Button names and locations vary by version, so treat these as directions to look in rather than exact paths.
4) Select the pen or drawing tool in the whiteboard toolbar and write with the Apple Pencil. Choose a color and stroke width before you start. Thin strokes can be hard for participants to read on small screens or in a scaled-down video window.
5) If your finger or palm leaves marks, look for a pen-only or palm-related option in the whiteboard settings. You can also check the Apple Pencil section of the iPad Settings app, where iPadOS lets you restrict drawing to the Pencil in supporting apps. Whether Zoom honors that setting depends on the app version, so test it on a blank board first.
6) Use the selection, eraser and undo tools to correct mistakes instead of starting a new board. This keeps the board's history and sharing settings intact.
7) To connect an iPad to a whiteboard while you run the meeting from a computer, join the same meeting from the iPad with the same or another account. Then open or join the shared whiteboard on the iPad and draw there. The computer stays free for video and screen control, and the iPad acts as your pen tablet.
8) When both devices are in the same room, mute the iPad's microphone and turn off its speaker audio, or join it without audio. Otherwise you may get echo or feedback. If the iPad asks for camera permission, you can deny it or turn the iPad's video off. Its camera is usually not needed for drawing, and leaving it on adds a second, often poorly lit view of you.
9) When you finish, stop sharing the whiteboard or close it. Stopping the share in a meeting does not necessarily delete the board. Check where it is saved in your Whiteboards list before you assume it is gone or kept.
Check the output
During a meeting, ask one participant to confirm that your strokes appear on their screen and roughly how quickly. What you see on the iPad is not proof of what others receive. A brief delay usually comes from the network rather than the Pencil.
Look at the board on a second device or from another participant's view. This tells you whether handwriting is legible at normal zoom levels. If text looks small, write larger or increase the stroke width. Don't count on viewers zooming in themselves.
After the session, open the board again from the Whiteboards section to confirm it saved. Check who can view or edit it. If you need a copy outside Zoom, use the export or download options your app version offers. Then open the exported file to confirm that it contains every page and the drawings are readable.
Common problems and next steps
The Apple Pencil doesn't draw in Zoom Whiteboard: make sure a pen tool is active rather than the select or pan tool. If the Pencil also fails in other apps, check its charge and Bluetooth pairing, and confirm it is compatible with your iPad. If it works elsewhere but not in Zoom, update the Zoom app and restart it.
Stray marks from your hand: turn on any pen-only option in the whiteboard. Also review the Apple Pencil setting in the iPad's Settings app, and rest your hand outside the canvas area while you write.
No Whiteboards button on the iPad: update the app and look under the More menu in meetings. If it is still missing, the feature may be disabled for your account. Also, the meeting host may have limited sharing to the host only. The host or an administrator has to change that; it can't be fixed on the iPad.
You can see a board but can't edit it: the board owner or host controls editing permissions. Ask them to grant you edit access or to allow participants to collaborate.
Lag or delayed strokes: move closer to the Wi-Fi router or switch to a less busy network. Close other apps that use bandwidth. On a second device used only for drawing, turning off video and audio also reduces the load.
If the steps here don't match what you see, your app version or account setup probably differs. Compare your Zoom version with the current release notes, or ask your organization's Zoom administrator which whiteboard features are enabled.