Microsoft released the new version of Whiteboard with the goal to provide a unified experience across different platforms and devices, such as web, desktop, Android, iOS, etc. Moreover, the new Microsoft Whiteboard also offers a more user-friendly interface to elevate user experience along with new features support. So, let’s explore more about the new Microsoft Whiteboard and learn how to use it.
Microsoft Whiteboard – A Brief Overview
Microsoft Whiteboard is a feature-rich visual collaboration workplace that assists individuals and teams to have effective meetings, conduct brainstorming sessions, solve complex problems, and do a lot more. In simple words, it is a digital version of the physical whiteboard but comes with a lot more functionalities.
3 Ways to Access Microsoft Whiteboard
There are multiple ways you can access the Whiteboard. The 3 common ways are listed below:
- Microsoft Teams
You can open Whiteboard directly in the Microsoft Teams meeting. When you are in the meeting, click the “Share content” icon located at the top right side and then click “Microsoft Whiteboard”. It will open a new Whiteboard canvas where you can work standalone or collaborate with others in real-time.
You can also set the Whiteboard before the meeting starts or attendees join the meeting by following the same above approach. This way, when the meeting begins and you open Whiteboard, it will show the prior work you did right away.
You can also access the Whiteboard content after the meeting. To do that, go back to the meeting details from Calendar and click the “Whiteboard” tab from the top.
- Web
You can access Whiteboard directly from your web browser. Go to https://whiteboard.office.com and log in with your Microsoft login credentials. Once you are signed in, you can start using Whiteboard right away.
- App
Microsoft Whiteboard is available as a separate app on the desktop, Android, and iOS. You can download any one of them specific to your device and access Whiteboard anytime.
The best part about the new Microsoft Whiteboard is that you get the same unified user experience of the tool whether you use it in Teams, web, or app. Let’s now discuss how to use Microsoft Whiteboard.
How to use Microsoft Whiteboard?
When you launch Whiteboard, you get a start page that shows your past whiteboards that you can reopen, edit, or delete. To create a new whiteboard, click the square box that says “Create new Whiteboard”. Now let’s explore the different functions and features of Whiteboard one by one:
Rename
When you open the new whiteboard canvas, the first thing you should do is rename the board. To do that, click “Untitled whiteboard” from the top left side and then type the name you want to set for the board.
Text
The left side of the Whiteboard provides all the set of functions you can use to customize your whiteboard. To add text, click the “Text” icon and then click on the whiteboard. A text box will be set up where you can now add text with any color at any position on the whiteboard.
Templates
Whiteboard provides many pre-built templates that help you set up the board easily. For example, you get the templates for brainstorming, problem solving, project planning, workshops, retrospective, and many more. Simply click the “Templates” icon from the left sidebar, pick the category and template design you want to use, double-click the template, and drag it to the whiteboard. Once the template is added to the whiteboard, you can customize it completely. You can rewrite the text, adjust the position of objects, add new objects, change color, and do a lot more.
Sticky Notes
Whiteboard seems incomplete without sticky notes. Therefore, you also get a dedicated feature to add sticky notes in Microsoft Whiteboard. To add sticky notes, click the “Notes” icon from the left sidebar and then pick the color of the note. This way, the sticky note is added to the whiteboard, and it automatically positions itself with the other similar-sized objects for quick alignment. However, you can change the position later on as well. Moreover, you can also adjust its size, color, text, rotation, and other attributes.
Images
You can also insert images in the whiteboard directly from your device storage. Click the “Images” icon, select the image you want to upload, and then click “Open”. Once the image is uploaded to the whiteboard, you can adjust its position and size.
Shapes
Whiteboard also provides different shapes that you can add for a better explanation of your content. To access shapes, click the “Shapes” icon from the left sidebar and then pick the shape you want to add. Now click the mouse on the whiteboard to set up the shape. Once done, you can reposition it and also change color.
Reactions
When a whiteboard is shared with multiple members, reactions can help to express review or vote on someone’s else content on the whiteboard. For example, you can use the “Tick” reaction to vote on some points. To access reactions, click the “Reactions” icon from the left sidebar. Now click the reaction you want to place and drop the reaction at the right location. Afterward, you can adjust the size and position as you want.
Inking Tools
Just like the physical board markers, Microsoft Whiteboard provides inking tools. They are accessible from the top as a small pop-up window, or you can also access them from the left sidebar. In the inking tools, you can set 3 pens with customized colors, thickness size, arrows, etc. Moreover, you also get 2 markers with similar customization settings.
Background
You can also change the background color of the whiteboard. To do that, click the “Settings” icon from the top right corner and then click “Format background”. Now set the color and grid of the background.
Share
Once you have set up the whiteboard, you can share it with others instantly. To do that, click the “Share” icon from the top right corner. Toggle the “Share link” to “ON” and then click “Copy link”. Moreover, you can also share it as an image file. To do that, click the “Settings” icon and then click “Export image (PNG)”. This way, you can share the whiteboard with anyone you want.
Wrapping Up
Microsoft Whiteboard is an easy-to-use and feature-rich whiteboard that makes it easy and instant to create intuitive boards with real-time collaboration and quick sharing. In addition, the unified approach of Microsoft along with enhanced user experience with the new Whiteboard version is further making it the perfect workplace tool.
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