Annotation Tools - Zoom

Owned by Sam Kardasz
Last updated: Dec 02, 2020
3 min read

In this guide, you will learn how to:

  • Use the various annotation tools offered by Zoom.

If you started screen sharing:

After sharing your screen or whiteboard, annotation controls will display. If you don’t see the annotation tools, click Annotate (if you are sharing your screen) or Whiteboard (if you are sharing a whiteboard).

If you’re viewing a shared screen:

While viewing a shared screen or shared whiteboard, click View Options > Annotate at the top.

Annotation Tools

Note: Select, Spotlight, and Save are only available if you started the shared screen or whiteboard.

Mouse

Deactivate annotation tools and switch to your mouse pointer. This button is blue if annotation tools are deactivated.

Select

Select, move, or resize your annotations. To select several annotations at once, click and drag your mouse to display a selection area.

Text

Insert text.

Draw

Insert lines, arrows, and shapes.

Note: To highlight an area of the shared screen or whiteboard, select the following square or circle icon to insert a semi-transparent square or circle.

Stamp

Insert predefined icons like a check mark or star.

Spotlight

Turn your cursor into a spotlight or arrow.

Spotlight: Displays your mouse pointer to all participants when your mouse is within the area being shared. Use this to point out parts of the screen to other participants.
Arrow: Displays a small arrow instead of your mouse pointer. Click to insert an arrow that displays your name. Each subsequent click will remove the previous arrow placed. You can use this feature to point out your annotations to other participants.

Eraser

Click and drag to erase parts of your annotation.

Format

Change the formatting options of annotations tools like color, line width, and font.

Undo

Undo your latest annotation.

Redo

Redo your latest annotation that you undid.

Clear

Delete all annotations.

Save

Save shared screen / whiteboard and annotations as a PNG or PDF. The files are saved to the local recording location.

Note: This option is only available to viewers if the host has allowed others to save.
To change the file format, click the downward arrow next to Save and select one of these options:

  • PNG: Save as a PNG file. If there are multiple whiteboards, Zoom will save a PNG file for each whiteboard.

  • PDF: Save as a PDF. If there are multiple whiteboards, Zoom will save a single PDF containing all whiteboards.

Annotation settings

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

  • Allow/Disable participants annotation: Allow or prevent the participants from annotating on your shared screen.

  • Show/Hide Names of Annotators: Show or hide the participants' name when they are annotating. If set to show, the participant's name will briefly display beside their annotation.

 

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