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Microsoft Teams includes Whiteboard as a live collaboration surface inside a meeting. You can draw, type, add sticky notes, arrange shapes, and let participants work on the same canvas without sharing your entire screen.

The steps differ slightly between the desktop/web and mobile Teams apps. The instructions below also cover choosing an existing board, limiting editing, finding the board after the meeting, and fixing the most common access problems.

Share Whiteboard in a Teams meeting on desktop or the web

  1. Join or start the Teams meeting.
  2. In the meeting controls, select Share.
  3. In the Whiteboard section, select Microsoft Whiteboard.
  4. When the board picker opens, choose an existing board or select the option to create a new board.
  5. Wait for the board to load. Meeting participants can then see and collaborate on the same Whiteboard canvas.

Whiteboard sharing is different from screen sharing. Teams sends the collaborative board to the meeting, so participants do not need to look at a presenter’s shared screen or switch to another application.

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Choose a different existing board

If the meeting already has an associated Whiteboard, Teams normally opens that board automatically. To select another board:

  1. Open the board picker from Share > Microsoft Whiteboard.
  2. Select the Home icon in the upper-left corner of the picker.
  3. Select the board you want to use.

This is useful when you prepared a project board before the meeting and want to continue working on it rather than create a blank canvas.

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Use the Whiteboard during the meeting

Once the board is open, participants with editing permission can add and rearrange supported content, including:

  • Ink and freehand drawings
  • Typed text
  • Sticky notes
  • Shapes
  • Images and other supported Whiteboard objects

The main Whiteboard controls include Create, the ink tools, Home, Share, and Settings. The exact arrangement can vary as Microsoft rolls features out across accounts and clients.

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Make the board read-only

For a board that was initiated in a Teams meeting or channel, you can prevent participants from making changes:

  1. Open Settings in Whiteboard.
  2. Turn off Other participants can edit.

This setting remains associated with that board after the meeting ends. It is a Teams-specific control: a standalone Whiteboard board does not gain this read-only option merely because you later share it in Teams.

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Share Whiteboard in Teams on a phone or tablet

  1. Join the Teams meeting on your mobile device.
  2. Tap More options.
  3. Tap Share Whiteboard.

After the board opens, use the Pen icon to choose a color and draw. Tap Note or Text to add typed content. You can move these objects around the canvas.

The mobile experience provides the core drawing and text tools. For more advanced Whiteboard functionality, open the same board in the full Microsoft Whiteboard app on Windows or iOS. Changes synchronize back to the board used in the meeting.

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Stop sharing Whiteboard on mobile

Use either of these methods:

  • Tap Stop on the Whiteboard banner.
  • Tap More options > Stop sharing Whiteboard.

Stop sharing Whiteboard on desktop

On desktop Teams, use the meeting’s Stop sharing control. This stops presenting the board in the meeting; it does not necessarily delete the board or its saved content.

Find the Whiteboard after the meeting

A board created or used in a meeting remains available after the call, subject to your organization’s storage and access policies. Open the meeting chat in Teams and select the Whiteboard tab to return to it.

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If you need the board to be available as an ongoing workspace rather than only through a meeting, add Whiteboard to a chat or channel:

  1. Open the Teams chat or channel.
  2. Select the + button at the top.
  3. Search for Whiteboard and select it.
  4. For a channel, select Save after choosing Whiteboard.

A Whiteboard attached to a team or channel can be edited by everyone who has access to that team or channel. That is broader access than sharing an individual board with selected people, so check the channel membership before adding sensitive information.

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Share a board with specific people

You can manage access from the Whiteboard app rather than the meeting controls:

  1. Open the board in Microsoft Whiteboard.
  2. Select Share next to your name in the upper-right corner.
  3. Under Send link, enter a person’s name or email address.
  4. Use the permission control next to the person’s name to choose Can edit or Can view.
  5. Select Copy link if you need to send the board URL through another channel.

Depending on your organization’s sharing configuration, a copied link may work only for specified users, people who already have access, or anyone in the organization with the link.

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Invited editors can generally edit and rename the board, share it, and remove other users. They cannot delete the board or remove its owner.

Can external people use Teams Whiteboard?

The answer depends on how the board is being used.

Microsoft’s current documentation says external participants can collaborate on a Whiteboard inside a Teams meeting when the organization has moved Whiteboard storage to OneDrive for Business and administrators have enabled the required settings. Therefore, the blanket statement that external users can never use Teams Whiteboard is outdated.

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Direct sharing of a board outside the organization can still be restricted. A guest who can participate in a meeting may not automatically be eligible for direct access to a Whiteboard link. If an external participant cannot open or edit the board, the meeting organizer or Microsoft 365 administrator may need to check the tenant’s Whiteboard and external-collaboration configuration.

Common problems when sharing Whiteboard

Problem Likely cause What to check
Whiteboard is missing from Share Feature availability or organization policy Ask the Teams or Microsoft 365 administrator to check Whiteboard and collaboration settings. Microsoft also releases features gradually, so different accounts may show different controls.
The wrong board opens Teams automatically selected the board associated with the meeting Open the board picker and select Home to choose another existing board.
A participant cannot edit The board is read-only or the user has view permission Check Settings > Other participants can edit, then check the person’s permission under Share.
Read-only mode is not available The board was not initiated in a Teams meeting or channel Use the Teams-specific board for this control, or manage individual permissions from Whiteboard sharing.
Screen sharing fails on a Mac Teams lacks macOS recording permission Go to Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording, then enable Microsoft Teams. This affects screen sharing; it is separate from the Whiteboard board itself.
Teams web sharing behaves differently Browser or platform limitations For Teams web screen sharing, use Google Chrome or the latest Microsoft Edge. Linux is not currently supported for Teams web screen sharing. These limitations do not mean that a Whiteboard board cannot exist.
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Whiteboard sharing versus screen sharing

Method What participants receive Best for
Microsoft Whiteboard A shared, editable canvas Brainstorming, diagrams, planning, workshops, and collaborative notes
Screen sharing A view of an application, window, or screen Demonstrations, presentations, software walkthroughs, and showing content that is not in Whiteboard

Choose Whiteboard when several people need to contribute. Choose screen sharing when the audience mainly needs to watch what is happening on your device.

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FAQ

Why can’t I see Whiteboard in the Teams Share menu?

The option may be unavailable because of tenant administration, account licensing, client version, or a gradual feature rollout. Ask your Microsoft 365 administrator to check the organization’s Whiteboard and collaboration settings, and update Teams if appropriate.

Can I share an existing Whiteboard in a Teams meeting?

Yes. Select Share, choose Microsoft Whiteboard in the Whiteboard section, then use the board picker. If Teams opens the meeting’s associated board, select Home in the picker and choose another board.

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Can everyone in the meeting edit the Whiteboard?

Participants can edit when the board allows participant editing and their access level is Can edit. The meeting owner can turn off Other participants can edit in Settings to make a Teams-originated board read-only.

Does stopping Whiteboard sharing delete the board?

No. Stopping presentation removes the board from the meeting view. The board can remain available through the meeting chat’s Whiteboard tab or the Whiteboard app, depending on access and organizational retention policies.

Can external guests collaborate on Teams Whiteboard?

External participation inside a Teams meeting is supported when the organization uses the required OneDrive for Business storage configuration and administrators enable the relevant settings. Direct sharing of a board link with people outside the organization may still be restricted.

The Bottom Line

To share Whiteboard in a desktop or web Teams meeting, select Share > Microsoft Whiteboard, then choose a new or existing board. On mobile, select More options > Share Whiteboard. Use Whiteboard when participants need to work together on a canvas, and check board permissions if someone can view but not edit.

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