Microsoft whiteboard 2016 help

Note: This article applies to the existing version of Whiteboard that comes installed on Surface Hub (and is pinned to the Welcome screen). For help with the newest Whiteboard app, see Microsoft Whiteboard Help.

How do I select, move, resize, and copy content?

How do I get images into Whiteboard from a Web browser?

How do I use ink on a whiteboard? What is finger painting?

Who can sign into Whiteboard?

How do I sign into Whiteboard?

I can't sign in. What should I do?

How do I export a whiteboard, or save it as a screenshot or a file?

How do I collaborate with someone else with Whiteboard on a Surface Hub?

My OneDrive for Business continues to sync the Whiteboard App Data folder. How do I stop it?

How do I use the on-screen Ruler?

How do I use Ink to Shape?

Why isn't Whiteboard recognizing shapes that I draw?

How do I use Ink to Table?

How do I use Bing Search in Whiteboard?

I don't see Bing Search, Sign in, or Sharing options. Is something wrong?

I've got a suggestion or I've found a bug. What should I do?

How do I select, move, resize, and copy content?

• You can select content with the Lasso Select tool at the bottom of the screen. With Lasso Select activated, use your pen to circle the content you want to select. When finger painting mode is enabled for passive/non-pen based devices, you can also use your finger to circle-select content.

• When finger painting mode is disabled, tap once on any blank area of the canvas. A small Lasso Select icon will appear. Drag this icon to circle the content you want to select. 

• If your active pen has a barrel button, hold this button to temporarily switch into Lasso Select mode and circle content to select.

• When content has been selected, move it using the onscreen arrows widget, or resize your selection using the squares in its corners. To copy, press and hold the selected content, and then press and hold in the location where you want to paste.

How do I get images into Whiteboard from a Web browser?

• You can copy and paste images from a browser or another app by pressing and holding on touch devices, or by right-clicking to copy content and then right-clicking to paste it.

How do I use ink on a whiteboard? What is finger painting?

• If you're using a device with an active pen, you can use pen and touch for different things. Drawing on the screen with the pen will cause ink to appear, while dragging with your fingers will cause the canvas to pan.

• If your device is passive — meaning that the pens are typically hollow or the device did not come with any pens — you'll need to toggle finger painting mode on and off to change how you interact with the screen. While finger painting mode is on, touching the screen will draw ink on the canvas. While finger painting mode is off, touching the screen will pan or zoom the canvas. 

Who can sign into Whiteboard?

• Users with Microsoft 365 Business can sign into Whiteboard to initiate collaborative Whiteboard sessions with other people in their organization. If you or your organization don't have Microsoft 365 Apps for business, you can still export and import boards.

Note: Currently, it's not possible to sign into Whiteboard with a Microsoft account. Whiteboard isn't available with Microsoft 365 for home subscriptions.

How do I sign into Whiteboard?

• Tap the Sign in button in the upper right-hand corner and then sign in with your Microsoft 365 Business account. As soon as you're signed in, you can access additional features, such as Whiteboard to Whiteboard collaboration.

I can't sign in. What should I do?

• Make sure that you're using your organization's Microsoft 365 for business organizational account and that your company is using Microsoft 365 with OneDrive for Business deployed. You may also be in a currently unsupported environment, such as Microsoft 365 operated by 21Vianet or Microsoft 365 Germany. Contact your Administrator for more information or see the Microsoft Surface Hub admin guide for settings that can prevent signing in.

How do I export a whiteboard, or save it as a screenshot or a file?

• To export your whiteboard, tap the Share button and then select Export a copy. This will also present you with options for exporting your content — including a .one file that can be opened by OneNote or an image file.

How do I collaborate with someone else with Whiteboard on a Surface Hub?

• While you're signed in, you can tap the Invite button next to your name to start a collaborative session by tapping Start session. Whiteboard will generate a link that you can copy and paste into Skype or into an email message to share the whiteboard with others.

  Note: Whiteboard to Whiteboard collaboration requires that you're using a Surface Hub, have either an Microsoft 365 Business, Microsoft 365 Enterprise, or Microsoft 365 Education plan with OneDrive for Business deployed, and that your tenant is not located in a currently unsupported environment, such as Microsoft 365 operated by 21Vianet or Microsoft 365 Germany. Currently, only individuals within the same organization or tenant can participate in a Whiteboard collaborative session. See Microsoft Surface Hub admin guide for more information about the requirements for Whiteboard to Whiteboard collaboration.

My OneDrive for Business continues to sync the Whiteboard App Data folder. How do I stop it?

When you start a collaboration session, Whiteboard creates a folder in your OneDrive for Business named Whiteboard App Data to store your shared whiteboards. After some collaboration sessions, this folder may continue to sync or process changes indefinitely. You can fix this by choosing to not sync the Whiteboard App Data folder to your device. Disabling sync for this folder won't limit your ability to use Whiteboard for collaboration sessions.

How do I use the on-screen Ruler?

The on-screen ruler can help you draw precise, straight lines or align a set of objects on your whiteboard. To use the ruler, do the following:

1. Open the whiteboard where you want to use the ruler.

2. Tap the Ruler icon to make the ruler appear on the canvas.

3. Position the ruler at the angle you want:

   • Use one finger to move the ruler up/down or left/right.

   • Use two fingers to rotate the ruler to the angle you want.

   • Use three fingers to rotate the ruler by five-degree increments.

4. To draw a straight line, tap to select a pen or highlighter, and then begin drawing along the edge of the ruler.

How do I use Ink to Shape?

If you want your hand-drawn shapes to change to precise shapes, you can use the optional Ink to Shape feature by enabling it in Settings. When Ink to Shape is active, drawing a shape — such as a circle or square — will automatically change the hand-drawn ink strokes to a precise shape on your whiteboard.

Whiteboard's shape conversion currently works for squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, hexagons, pentagons, and parallelograms.

Tip: You can use the Undo command if you want to revert to your original ink strokes for the last shape you drew. To remove a shape from your Whiteboard, use the Eraser tool. To stop automatically converting shapes from ink, turn off the Ink to Shape feature in Settings.

Why isn't Whiteboard recognizing shapes that I draw?

Whiteboard's ability to recognize your shapes hasn't been perfected yet. We'll keep improving this feature in future updates.

Currently, Ink to Shape works best when you:

• Use a single line to draw your shape

• Draw a shape that doesn't overlap with other shapes or other ink

• Don't get too close to other shapes or other ink strokes

• Don't draw inside an existing shape or ink

• Make sure you close shapes and don't leave gaps when forming them

How do I use Ink to Table?

• Whiteboard allows you to create organized and clean tables on the fly with just a few ink strokes. You can highlight cells and add or remove columns or rows. To begin a table, first draw a square on the canvas. Once it is recognized by Whiteboard, bisect the shape with a vertical or horizontal line to create columns and rows, respectively.

• You can add or remove columns and rows using the + and – symbols. Using the highlighter on specific cells also lets you highlight them for easier reference.

• Erasing over a table erases the content in the table before it erases the table itself so you won't accidentally erase the table itself.

How do I use Bing Search in Whiteboard?

• Tap on the magnifying glass in the corner to bring up the Bing Search dialog. From here, you can write a search term that will return images and interactive content that you can place on the whiteboard. Tap the Insert button to insert any content on your Whiteboard.

  Within Whiteboard, Bing's SafeSearch is set to Strict.

Note: If you change your computer or Surface Hub's default keyboard to another language, you will need to restart Whiteboard for it to begin recognizing handwriting in a different language.

I don't see Bing Search, Sign in, or Sharing options. Is something wrong?

• Administrators have the ability to change the default settings and capabilities of Whiteboard using device management tools like MDM or InTune. Please check with your Administrator about enabling these features or see the Microsoft Surface Hub admin guide for more information about settings that can be configured.

I've got a suggestion or I've found a bug. What should I do?

• You can send feedback directly to the Whiteboard team by tapping the gear icon in the lower right-hand corner and choosing Send Feedback. This will open the Microsoft Feedback hub where you can enter information about the issue you're encountering and even provide a screenshot.

Note: The information in this article applies to the most current functionality available in Whiteboard. Like most modern software, Whiteboard is frequently updated to add new functionality and to improve existing features. Please check back periodically for new and recently updated questions and answers.