Annotate a Shared Screen in Microsoft Teams

The ability to annotate on shared screens is a useful collaborative tool in your MS Teams meeting. Annotation uses the same toolset as the MS Whiteboard.

Ensure you are using New Teams.
Select the Settings and More menu.
Slide the New Teams toggle to On.
Start or join your meeting.
Share your full screen. Participants or Hosts may share their screen and start annotation.
Select Annotate from the Meeting Controls panel that appears at the top of your screen.
Choose who can use the Annotation tool.
Click the Annotate icon again to turn off.

Need more detail?

Delve into the in-depth walkthrough below, complete with images and various notes for every step.

In-Depth Walkthrough

Step 1

Ensure that you are using New Teams.

Select the Settings and More menu next to your profile picture at the top of your MS Teams window.
Slide the New Teams toggle to On.

Step 2

Start or join your meeting.

Step 3

Share your full screen. Participants or Hosts may share their screen and start annotation.

Step 4

Select Annotate from the Meeting Controls panel that appears at the top of your screen.

You may have to mouse over the You're sharing your screen notice to find the Controls panel.

Choose who will be able to use the Annotation tool by selecting that yourself alone can annotate, or everyone can annotate.

Step 5

The annotation toolset control menu will open.

The settings cog in the toolset menu will allow you to alter your choices.

The Tools cog also has other collaborative selections including Collaborative Cursors and Enhance inked shapes.

Step 6

Select an annotation tool and begin marking on your screen. It's recommended to practice each tool before using in a meeting. Be aware, you're unable to navigate on your shared screen while annotation is turned on.

Step 7

Click the Annotate icon again to turn off. Stop Sharing when ready.

FAQ

Can I save meeting annotations?

In order to save your annotations, you must take a screenshot or use the Print Screen function on your keyboard.

I have a Mac, why is my annotation screen black?

At present, a glitch exists with certain MacBook's, which prevents screen sharing with annotation selected. No solution has been suggested.