Using annotation tools for collaboration in zoom App

When you use Zoom’s in-meeting product, you can add annotations to your screen during video calls, making it easy for remote teams to brainstorm and collaborate. Participants can add annotations when screen sharing either as a viewer or as the one who started sharing their screen. Annotation tools can also be used when viewing or sharing a whiteboard.

Prerequisites for screen annotation tools in virtual meetings

• Annotation enabled
• Zoom desktop client for Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Zoom mobile app for Android and iOS

Note: Attendee annotation can be disabled by the meeting host. Verify that the host has not disabled annotation if you do not have the annotation option.

How to use annotation tools for collaboration and brainstorming

Windows | macOS | Linux

How to annotate if you are screen sharing

Annotation controls will appear after you share your screen or whiteboard. Click Annotate (if you are sharing your screen) or Whiteboard (if you are sharing a whiteboard) if you don’t see the annotation tools.

How to annotate if you are viewing shared content

Click View Options then Annotate at the top of the shared screen or shared whiteboard.

Available annotation tools

These annotation tools will be available to you:

Note: The options Select, Spotlight, and Save are only available once the shared screen or whiteboard has been started.

• Mouse: Select your mouse pointer and deactivate annotation tools. If annotation tools are deactivated, this button will be blue.
• Select (only available if you started the shared screen or whiteboard): Move, resize, or select your annotations. Click and drag your mouse to display a selection area to select several annotations at once.
• Text: Type your text here.
• Draw: Identify shapes, lines, and arrows.
  Note: Use the following icons to insert semi-transparent squares or circles on a shared screen or whiteboard.

• Stamp: Insert predefined icons such as a check mark or star.
• Spotlight / Arrow / Vanishing Pen: Change your cursor into a spotlight or arrow.
  • Spotlight (only available if you started the shared screen or whiteboard): When you are within the shared area, your mouse pointer will be shown to all participants. You can use this to indicate specific areas of the screen to others.
  • Arrow: Rather than displaying your mouse pointer, displays an arrow. Select an arrow to display your name. The previous arrow will be removed with each subsequent click. The annotations you make will be highlighted for other participants.

• • Vanishing Pen (only available if you started the shared screen or whiteboard): Presenters can annotate on the whiteboard or shared screen without erasing or undoing their last addition, since the annotation will fade away after a few seconds.
• Eraser: To erase portions of the annotation, click and drag.
• Format: Formatting options for annotation tools such as color, line width, and font can be changed.
• Undo: Remove the last annotation you made.
• Redo: Undo the last annotation you made.
• Clear: Remove all annotations.
• Save: Shared whiteboards and screens should be saved as PNGs or PDFs. They should be saved to the local recording location.
  Note: Viewers can only choose this option if the host has allowed others to save.
  • To change the file format, click the downward arrow next to Save and select one of the following:
    • PNG: Choose the PNG format. Each whiteboard will be saved as a PNG file if there are multiple whiteboards.
    • PDF: Save as a PDF file. Zoom saves all whiteboard PDFs as one document, if there are multiple whiteboards.

Annotation settings

When you have started the shared screen or whiteboard, click More  in the screen share controls for these annotation settings:

• Enable/Disable Annotation for Others: Allow or disallow participants to make notes on the shared screen.
• Show/Hide Names of Annotators: The names of annotators can be shown or hidden. A brief display of the participant’s name will appear beside their annotation if their name is set to show.

Annotation shortcuts

Windows:

• Undo: Ctrl + Z
• Redo: Ctrl + Y
• Mouse mode: Right-click anywhere

Mac:

• Undo: Command + Z
• Redo: Command + Shift + Z
• Mouse mode: Right-click anywhere

Linux:

• Mouse mode: Right-click anywhere

Android

Annotation tools for shared screen or whiteboard

1. Share your screen.
2. Click the pencil icon on your screen.
   Annotation tools will appear.
3. Click the pencil icon again to close the annotation tools.

Depending on what device you are using, you will be able to use the following annotation tools.

• Annotation icon :
• Displays or hides annotation tools.
• Pen / Highlighter:
• Use these tools by tapping.
  • Pen:
  •  You can draw with a pen in the selected color by tapping and dragging.
  • Highlighter:
  • Tap and drag to highlight selected areas on the screen.
• Arrow:
• You can draw an arrow by tapping and dragging.
• Shape (Tablet only): Tap to select from the following shapes.
  • Line:
  • Tap and drag to draw a line in the selected color.
  • Rectangle:
  • Tap and drag to draw a rectangle in the selected color.
  • Oval:
  • Tap and drag to draw an oval in the selected color.
• Text (Tablet only):
•  Type text in the selected color on the shared screen.
• Color:
• Change the color and line width of your annotations.
• Erase:
• Tap on your annotations to remove them.
• Undo (Tablet only):
•  Remove your last changes.
• Redo (Tablet only):
•  Add the annotations you previously removed.
• Clear (Tablet only):
•  Clear your own annotations.
• Save:
• Save the current shared screen or whiteboard with current annotations.

Annotation tools for just the whiteboard.

The following annotation tools appear when you share a whiteboard:

• Close icon X:
• Turn off the annotation tools. Tap the annotate icon to bring them back.
• Undo icon:
• Revert your changes.
• Redo icon:
• Re-add the annotations you removed previously.
• Pen icon:
•  Use your pen to draw.
• Eraser icon:
• Tap to remove annotations.
• Shape icon:
• Draw a line, rectangle, or oval by tapping and dragging.
• Color icon:
•  Choose a color for your annotations.
• Text icon (Tablet only):
• Tap to add text to the whiteboard. Hiding the keyboard will reveal options for bolding, italicizing, adjusting font size, and changing text color. To finish this text box, tap anywhere else on the whiteboard.
• Line width icon:
•  Tap to adjust the width of your lines and shapes.
• Highlighter icon (Tablet only):
•  Tapping and dragging highlights areas of the screen in the chosen color.
• Spotlight icon:
•  Always displays a red dot on shared screens. Use this to point out areas of the screen to other participants. This feature is available only to the person sharing their screen.
• Trash bin icon:
•  Shows options for clearing annotations.
• More icon :
• Shows the following options.
  • Smart Recognition:
  • Enable/disable smart recognition drawing by tapping the toggle. Upon enabling Zoom, your lines will be smoothed and your drawings will automatically be converted to shapes.
  • Save to Album:
  •  Your whiteboard image will be downloaded to your device.
  • If you are using a tablet in landscape mode, you can add a new whiteboard page on the main toolbar. To view and delete pages, tap View all Whiteboards or the pages icon after adding the page. Up to 12 whiteboards can be used in a session.

Annotation settings

Your shared screen can be annotated by participants and their names can appear next to their annotations if you choose to allow them to do so.

1. Hide annotation tools by tapping the pencil icon.
2. Select More in the host controls.
3. Tap Meeting Settings for these annotation settings under the Content Share section:
   • Annotate:
   •  Enable or disable annotations on your shared screen.
   • Show Names of Annotators:
   •  Display or hide the names of participants when they are annotating on a screen share. The participant’s name will appear next to their annotation if it is set to show.

iOS

Annotation tools for shared screen or whiteboard

Note:

If you share your entire screen via iOS device, you cannot annotate it. Annotation is only possible when you share portions of your screen.

1. Start sharing your screen.
2. Click the pencil icon on your screen.
   Annotation tools will appear.
3. Click the pencil icon again to close the annotation tools.

If you are using an iPad or iPhone, you will have access to different annotation tools.

• Annotate icon:
•  Toggle annotation tools on or off.
• Spotlight:
•  Always display a red dot on the shared screen. This can be used for highlighting parts of the screen.
• Pen/Highlighter:
•  You can draw with a pen or highlight parts of the screen.
• Arrow (iPad only):
•  Drag and drop to draw an arrow.
• Shape (iPad only):
• Choose from these shapes by tapping and holding:
  • Line:
  • Draw a line by tapping and dragging.
  • Rectangle:
  • Draw a rectangle by tapping and dragging.
  • Oval:
  • Draw an oval by tapping and dragging.
• Text (iPad only):
• Enter text on the shared screen.
• Color:
• Annotate in different colors and line widths.
• Eraser:
• Tap the annotation to remove it.
• Undo (iPad only):
•  Undo the last change.
• Redo (iPad only):
• Reapply the annotations you previously deleted.
• Clear (iPad only):
• Clear the annotations you previously deleted.
• Save:
• Take a picture of the shared screen.

Annotation tools for just whiteboard

The following annotation tools appear when you share a whiteboard:

Tablet

Phone

• Close icon:
•  Turn off annotation tools. You can display annotation tools again by tapping the blue pencil.
• Undo icon:
•  Roll back any changes you’ve made.
• Redo icon:
•  Reapply the annotations you removed.
• Pen icon:
• Use a pen to draw.
• Eraser icon:
•  Tap on the annotation to remove it.
• Shape icon:
• You can tap and drag to draw a line, rectangle, or oval in the selected color.
• Color icon:
• Choose the color and line width of your annotations.
• The spotlight icon (tap the arrow to display this tool): Displays a red dot on the shared screen at all times. This is useful for pointing out parts of the screen to other participants.
• Trash bin icon:
• Displays options for clearing annotations.
• More icon :
•  Shows the following options.
  • Smart Recognition:
  •  Toggle the switch to enable or disable smart recognition drawing. In case Zoom is enabled, your lines will be smoothed out and your drawings will automatically be converted to shapes after you draw.
  • Save to Album:
  •  Save an image of your whiteboard to your device.
  • New Whiteboard (displays on the main toolbar if using a tablet in landscape mode):
  •  Create a new whiteboard page. To view and delete pages, tap View all Whiteboards or the pages icon after adding a page.

Annotation settings

Your shared screen can be annotated by participants and their names can appear next to their annotations if you choose to allow them to do so.

1. Hide annotation tools by tapping the pencil icon.
2. In the host controls, tap More.
3. In the Content Share section, tap Meeting Settings.
   • Annotate:
   • You can allow or prohibit participants from annotating your shared screen.
   • Show Names of Annotators:
   •  If participants are annotating on a screen share, you can show or hide their names. Participants’ names will appear briefly beside their annotations if the option is selected.