A Zoom Whiteboard lets teachers and trainers write, draw, annotate, and collaborate live during online lessons. It’s one of the easiest ways to make virtual teaching more interactive for brainstorming, explaining concepts, and breakout room activities.
How do you use a Zoom Whiteboard?
- Start a Zoom meeting.
- Click Share Screen.
- Select Whiteboard.
- Click Share.
- Use the annotation tools to write, draw, and collaborate.
In this guide you’ll learn:
- How to open a Zoom Whiteboard
- How to use its tools
- Best practices for teaching online
- How to use whiteboards in breakout rooms
- Alternatives to Zoom Whiteboard
If you are teaching online regularly, make sure also to visit our Online Teaching hub for more guides.
What Is An Online Whiteboard?
An online whiteboard (also known as a digital whiteboard or virtual whiteboard) is used exactly the same way as a classroom whiteboard would be used offline.
An online whiteboard, as the name suggests, is a board with a white background on which you can write things with different colored markers.
The board can be used by different people interactively, and because it has a plain white background, it is easy to see the different colors on it. Thus, the drawings and notes made on the whiteboard are easy to see.
In a virtual classroom, an online whiteboard is a wonderful tool that you can use as a teacher to make the classes more interesting and to draw and write things onto a screen that everyone can see in real time.
Tip: You can also use digital whiteboards inside breakout rooms, whereby your participants work in mini-classrooms as they do group activities online.
How To Use a Zoom Whiteboard for Teaching Virtually
If you are new to teaching online, the very idea of trying to work out how to use a virtual online whiteboard might be overwhelming.
Using a Zoom Whiteboard is actually quite easy, and in this post, I’ll explain the options and provide some tips on using them.
I am going to use Zoom as an example here, but these video-conferencing platforms (that you can use for Online teaching) all have a whiteboard feature:
- Zoom
- Adobe Connect
- Webex
- GoToWebinar
- GotoTraining
- GoToMeeting
If you’re deciding which platform to use, see our guide to the best online teaching tools for trainers and educators before choosing your virtual classroom software.
So, to give an example using Zoom, you would take these steps.
Step 1: Open a Zoom Meeting
Start a meeting as you normally would by logging into your Zoom account as the administrator of the account.
Then click the ‘meetings’ tab and set up your meeting. Then click to ‘start your meeting’ (see image below).
Step 2: Share Your Screen
In Zoom, once you are inside a meeting (that you are using to teach online) you then click on ‘Share Screen’.
Step 3 – Share the Whiteboard
Next, one of the options you will see is ‘Whiteboard’. Click ‘Whiteboard’.
Then click ‘Share’ in the bottom right of the screen.
Step 4: Whiteboard Toolbar
You will now see the whiteboard toolbar and be able to use the whiteboard, including:
- Add text
- Draw images
- Put a spotlight on anything you want to highlight on screen
What Features Does a Zoom Whiteboard Have?
Once you are using an online whiteboard, whether you are using Zoom, Adobe Connect, or another program, the features tend to be roughly the same. These features are as follows:
- Text: so that you can write text on the whiteboard
- Draw: enables you to draw a variety of shapes and to draw freehand on the interactive screen.
- Spotlight: is extremely useful if you want to direct the gaze of the viewers to look at a certain area on the whiteboard.
- Eraser: can be used to erase things onscreen.
- Format: is where you change the text size, color, and style
- Undo/Redo/Clear: features much like those on MS Word, where you can undo and redo changes or clear them.
- Save: extremely useful so that you can share the whiteboard with participants after the class as needed.
Can You Use a Whiteboard in Zoom Breakout Rooms?
The great news is that you can use a whiteboard inside the breakout rooms.
This is important because it means that, as you put groups of people into a breakout room for group activities and for team-building and ice-breakers, you can have them use a whiteboard within their breakout room if the activity or game requires it.
The combination of breakout rooms + whiteboard means that running training activities for teaching online is more than possible!
There is a brief video on how to use a whiteboard in a breakout room here.
What Is the Best Online Whiteboard Software?
A question we often get asked is what the best online whiteboard software is and which one we recommend.
I have to be honest and admit that we have got onto the Zoom bandwagon (and we are aware of the security features and considerations with Zoom and other platforms), and we love Zoom because overall it is really quite easy to use, especially if you are a new teacher online.
‘GoToTraining’ we have found also has all of the key features needed, and it is popular with many freelance trainers.
‘WebEx’ has all the key tools, but I found it hard and confusing to use compared to Zoom. I have heard of some trainers, though, who love WebEx, so PLEASE feel free to add your own comments at the bottom of this post in the comments section about what platform you consider best for online teaching!
Online Training Platform Comparisons
| Whiteboard | Breakout Rooms | Chat | Screen Share | Poll | Quiz | |
| Zoom | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Webex | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Adobe Connect | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GoTo Training | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Teams | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| GoTo Meeting | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Google Meet | Yes* | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Workspace editions) | No |
*Google Meet integrates with Google Workspace whiteboard tools. Features depend on your Google Workspace edition.
Platform features may change over time. This comparison was last reviewed in July 2026.
Where Can I Find a Free Online Whiteboard to Download
The one free whiteboard that I have sometimes used, but only for very small collaborations, is ‘Web Whiteboard’.
You can also use the free version of Twiddla but it’s very limited if you use the free version.
FAQs
Can participants write on a Zoom Whiteboard?
Yes. It is possible to write on a Zoom whiteboard, but only if the person hosting the meeting enables the annotation or collaboration features. If enabled, then participants will be able to write, draw, and add notes to the Zoom Whiteboard during the meeting or workshop.
Is Zoom Whiteboard free?
Zoom includes Whiteboard with many free and paid plans, although advanced whiteboard features depend on your Zoom subscription.
Can you save a Zoom Whiteboard?
Yes. Zoom allows you to save the contents of a whiteboard so they can be shared with participants or reused later.
What’s the difference between Zoom Whiteboard and screen annotation?
A Zoom Whiteboard is a blank collaborative workspace, while annotation allows participants to draw and write directly over shared content such as slides or documents.
Lesson Plans for Teaching Online
Using a whiteboard is only one way to make virtual sessions more engaging. You can also improve learner participation with these practical tips on how to be a great online trainer.
If you are planning to start teaching online, offering real-time training, then make sure to take a look at the soft skills training kits we offer above.
