To draw over a live broadcast, make sure the marks are part of what viewers receive—not just a layer visible on your own monitor. In OBS, use a drawing plugin or a browser-source overlay; for a Zoom or Microsoft Teams screen share, use the meeting app’s built-in annotation controls. A mouse is enough for basic marks, while a tablet, touch screen, or second device can make drawing easier.
Choose a method that reaches the live output
First identify where you want the marks to appear. An OBS plugin or source can put them into the OBS program output. Meeting-app annotation is designed for participants viewing that meeting’s shared content. A desktop annotation utility may draw over screen content, but confirm how it interacts with your particular capture or sharing setup before relying on it.
| Method | Where marks appear | Input | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| OBS Draw dock | OBS stream output | Drawing input through the dock; see the resource page for details | Drawing directly in an OBS workflow |
| Instant Highlight Source Draw | OBS preview or a drawing canvas layer | Mouse, tablet, or touch | Freehand marks and shapes with erase and undo/redo controls |
| WebRTC-Telestrator | OBS scene through a browser-source overlay | Remote phone, tablet, or PC browser | Drawing on a separate device while viewing a selected host display |
| Zoom annotation | Shared content in a Zoom meeting | Controls vary by device | Annotating during a Zoom screen share |
| Teams annotation | Shared content in a Teams meeting | Annotation controls in the presenter toolbar | Collaborative or presenter-controlled meeting markup |
| SHARA | Desktop screen layer; confirm capture behavior in your setup | Pen, marker, shapes, eraser, laser, and other tools | Windows screen annotation across supported sharing or recording workflows |
Draw over a broadcast in OBS
Option 1: Use an OBS drawing dock
The OBS Forums resource for Draw describes drawing on stream output from a dock. Its page lists Windows, macOS, and Linux, a minimum OBS version of 28.0.0, and version 0.3.1. The update history says version 0.3.0 requires OBS 31.1 or later and adds OBS 32 support. Because requirements can change, check the current resource page and installation instructions before installing; the minimum listed version and the requirement for a newer update are not interchangeable.
Option 2: Draw on the preview or add a canvas
Instant Highlight Source Draw describes real-time freehand drawing and shapes, configurable line attributes, an eraser, and undo/redo. Its resource page says you can draw on the OBS preview using a mouse, tablet, or touch, or add a full-scene drawing canvas. Choose the preview workflow for marks tied to what you see there; choose a canvas layer when you want a drawing surface in the scene. Consult the resource’s current compatibility and installation notes for your OBS version.
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Option 3: Draw from a second device
- Prepare the OBS host. Follow the current WebRTC-Telestrator resource instructions to open its host browser and select the display you want to annotate.
- Connect the drawing device. Open the remote browser workflow on a phone, tablet, or PC, then view the selected display and draw over it.
- Place the marks in the scene. Add the resulting browser source to the OBS scene and position or size it as needed. The resource describes the remote marks being sent back as an OBS browser-source overlay.
- Check the viewer-facing result. Make a private recording or unlisted rehearsal and confirm the marks appear in the intended scene, remain legible, and can be cleared when you want a clean screen.
Option 4: Use a desktop annotation utility
The OBS Forums page for SHARA describes a Windows utility with a radial menu, pen, marker, shapes, eraser, laser, magnifier, spotlight, and live zoom. It states compatibility with OBS, Zoom, Teams, and screen recording or sharing tools. A free trial is included according to that page, which also points to Microsoft Store availability; check the page for current availability, pricing, terms, and setup details. Since a desktop overlay is not necessarily the same as an OBS scene layer, verify that your capture method actually includes it before going live.
Annotate a Zoom or Teams screen share
Zoom
Zoom’s annotation guide documents tools including pen, highlighter, arrows, shapes, text, color and line-width controls, erasing, undo/redo, and spotlight. The host can enable or disable annotation for other participants. Available controls depend on device and sharing mode: Zoom’s iOS instructions say you cannot annotate a whole-screen share from iOS, but can annotate a shared portion. Use the guide’s instructions for your device and confirm the host’s annotation setting if participants cannot mark up the content.
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Microsoft Teams
Microsoft’s Teams annotation guide says the feature is powered by Whiteboard. While sharing content, turn annotation on from the presenter toolbar and choose whether everyone can annotate or access is limited to the presenter. Teams also documents saving an annotation snapshot to a Whiteboard file. These controls apply to the Teams meeting share; they are not a general overlay for a separate broadcast destination.
Do you need a drawing tablet?
No. The cited OBS scene-drawing resource supports mouse, tablet, and touch input. Use whichever input you already have for occasional arrows, circles, or labels. A pen tablet or touch device is worth considering if handwriting or precise freehand lines are central to the presentation; no particular model is required by the documented workflows. With WebRTC-Telestrator, the remote phone, tablet, or PC acts as the drawing surface.
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Set up and test before going live
- Verify compatibility: check your installed OBS version, operating system, and the current plugin or resource requirements before adding an OBS tool.
- Confirm the capture path: make a short recording or private rehearsal to ensure the marks appear in the stream output or meeting share—not only on your local display.
- Practice clearing marks: identify the eraser, undo, clear, or hide control before the broadcast. For persistent diagrams, plan how you will remove or reset the canvas between topics.
- Check permissions: in Zoom or Teams, confirm annotation is enabled for the people who need to use it.
- Keep overlays readable: test line thickness, color, and placement against the actual content so marks do not obscure essential text or controls.
Troubleshoot common drawing problems
Viewers cannot see the marks
The tool may be drawing on a local desktop layer rather than inside the captured OBS output, or it may be outside the active scene. Test with a recording and verify the OBS dock, canvas, or browser source is configured for the scene being sent live.
The OBS plugin will not load
Compare your installed OBS version and operating system with the current resource page. For Draw, the page lists OBS 28.0.0 as a minimum while its update history says version 0.3.0 requires OBS 31.1 or later. Install only a release whose stated requirements your setup meets.
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A meeting participant cannot annotate
Check whether the host or presenter has enabled participant annotation. In Teams, the presenter can restrict annotation to themselves; Zoom’s host can enable or disable annotation for others. Also check the sharing mode and device-specific limitations, particularly Zoom’s iOS whole-screen restriction.
The remote device cannot draw on the intended content
In the WebRTC-Telestrator workflow, confirm the OBS host has selected the correct display, the remote browser is viewing that display, and the resulting browser source is present in the active scene. Follow the resource’s current connection instructions if the remote view does not connect.
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