Telephone conferences in Microsoft Teams enable collaboration regardless of location and promote the productivity of your team. However, it is often difficult to collect notes or ideas, make them visible to everyone and make them available. The Microsoft Teams Whiteboard is ideal for this , as it offers a shared workspace for all participants. In this article, you will find all the information you need to use the MS Teams Whiteboard.
What is the Microsoft Teams Whiteboard Telephone ?
The whiteboard in Microsoft Teams is a digital white board that you can use in any video conference. There, the participants of the video conference have the opportunity to record and share content in real time. This is then visible and accessible to everyone involved in the meeting. The whiteboard can also be saved after a conference and uploaded to the team’s file storage or opened again at the next meeting.
This makes the whiteboard suitable for project planning, problem solving or brainstorming, for example.
How to use the whiteboard
To use the whiteboard in Microsoft Teams, click on the “Share” icon and then select the “Microsoft Whiteboard” option under “Whiteboard” on the right. All participants can now draw on the whiteboard by clicking on the pen icon. You can also select different colors by double-clicking on the pen icon.
You can use your laptop’s touchpad to make the image smaller or larger. To do this, swipe down with two fingers to enlarge the image or up to make it smaller. Use the arrow keys to move the image left and right.
The “three lines” symbol at the top of the screen takes you to the Microsoft Teams Whiteboard menu. There you can make further settings, such as changing the color of the whiteboard or the grid background .
The freehand mode
After opening the whiteboard in MS Teams, you can choose between freehand mode and classic mode. Freehand mode allows you to write and draw with your mouse or with your finger if you are using a tablet. At the bottom of the screen there are various pens as well as an eraser and a ruler that you can switch between. Hold down the mouse button to change the color, size and writing style.
Telephone To use the ruler, you can either use the mouse to move the ruler in all directions or alternatively use the arrow keys. Press the canada phone number list Alt key and either the right or left arrow key to rotate the ruler by 15º each time. If you have a touch display, you can also use two fingers to rotate the ruler as desired.
This gives you the option to draw straight lines or align content differently.
The classic mode
In contrast to freehand mode, the whiteboard is controlled via the keyboard in classic mode . Text is added by writing on the keyboard . There is also the option of inserting lists or other documents into the whiteboard. To do this, click on the plus sign at the bottom of the screen, then you can select what type of content you want to insert, such as a Word document.
If you want to insert an image, click on the image icon at the bottom of the screen. This will display all the images from your file explorer and you can select the image you want to insert into the whiteboard.
How to save the whiteboard
Firstly, there is the option of exporting the image, which saves the current image section locally on your computer. To do this, open the settings via the “three-dot menu” and then select “Export”. The whiteboard can be saved there as an image or SVG file . Secondly, you have the option of sharing the whiteboard directly in Microsoft Teams. Open the menu and select “Share in Teams”, then you can select the channel to which you want to make the whiteboard available.
The Microsoft Teams Whiteboard Gallery also contains all the whiteboards you have ever used. You can access old whiteboards again, rename them, or add new participants. You can access this gallery via the arrow symbol in the top left corner of the screen.
Why can’t I find the whiteboard function?
One reason why you cannot find the Whiteboard feature in the settings is that this option is only available during a meeting and not during a private call via google’s generic email app lands on google play Furthermore, it may be that the Whiteboard app has not yet been activated in Microsoft Teams.
The whiteboard is activated in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. Under the “Add-Ons” category you will find the item “Whiteboard”, where you have to click on the box “Activate or deactivate Whiteboard for your entire organization”. You also have the option to make settings for diagnostic data and data protection there .
Alternative Whiteboard Apps Telephone
If you are not satisfied with the Microsoft Teams Whiteboard app or you would like to try other options, we present three alternative whiteboard apps below.
Mural
Similar to Freehand, Mural offers over a hundred different templates in addition to a whiteboard. One advantage of Mural is that the app can be added as a tab in Microsoft Teams channels, making it easier to access. The user can be notified of invitations or mentions on the whiteboards via a chat message. There are various membership options available for using Mural, starting at $12 per month per user.
Miro
Another alternative is Miro with over 200 whiteboard templates . You can set up the whiteboard with notes, a timer, polls and other functions. You can also create a separate tab for Miro in your channels and integrate it into your calendar. Let a notification bot inform you about changes on your board or mentions. In addition to a free version for one user, there are various tariff options for up to 20 users. You also have the option of choosing the Enterprise tariff for more than 50 users, and you negotiate the price individually with Miro.
Conclusion
The Microsoft Teams whiteboard makes video conferences more productive and facilitates digital collaboration. Remote workers or employees working from home don’t have to wait for someone to send their notes by email, but can access them directly via Teams. If you want to try out other boards or functions, this is also possible thanks to the ability to integrate other apps into Microsoft Teams.
FAQ
How can I start the whiteboard?
To start the whiteboard in a video conference, click on mobile list the “Share” button, which is located next to the microphone icon in the desktop version. Then select “Microsoft Whiteboard” and the whiteboard will open for all participants.
How do I add the whiteboard as a tab in my team?
Find the team you want and click on the plus next to the “Wiki” tab. If you want to add the whiteboard as a tab in a specific channel, click on it and then select the plus next to “Wiki”. You now need to search for the whiteboard and select the application, then you can give the tab a name. Then select “Save” and the whiteboard will be available as a tab for all team members.
Can I use the whiteboard feature in breakout rooms?
The whiteboard is also available in breakout rooms and can be viewed by all other participants at the end of the meeting. The whiteboard is operated in the same way, so you can get started without any problems.