📝Premium feature: this activity is reserved for Premium users. See our pricing.
Add a Whiteboard activity
Click "Add a slide" at the top left of your screen.
Select the Whiteboard activity.
Unlike other activities in Live mode of slide scrolling, this activity does not "start": your participants cannot access it from the Activities tab, available from the banner on the right of the session page.
The activity is integrated into your presentation; it is saved automatically and appears as a slide in the navigation bar on the left. An editing panel appears automatically on the right-hand side of your screen to change the title.
Add content to your Whiteboard
Once on your Whiteboard activity slide, create and add all the elements you want. Everyone connected to your session, regardless of their role (owner, facilitator, participant), can add elements and edit them.
By selecting an element (drawing, text, shape, or note), you get access to its editing options:
choose the color from the proposed palette;
choose from the available line widths (drawing, shape) or the text alignment (text, note);
lock the element (owner or collaborator);
via the three dots: duplicate, move to background or foreground, or delete the element.
These options vary slightly depending on the element type — the specifics for each are detailed below.
1. The Pointer
The Pointer lets you select elements already on your board.
Once an element is selected, several actions/functions become available at the top of it, depending on the selected element.
Selecting an element is also how you adjust its size and tilt (rotation).
2. Free Design
Click and drag your cursor to trace the shape of your choice; release to finish your drawing.
Once your drawing is finished, click the Pointer button in your Whiteboard activity's toolbox, then double-click your drawing element; you can then extend, via the red dots, the different segments of your drawing to form a new one.
3. Text
This feature lets you add text of any length at the point where you click with your mouse.
You can choose the text color, as well as its alignment.
Once your text is written, select the text element to position it wherever you want on the Whiteboard.
To add already-written text to a Sticky Note: create a Sticky Note (see the "Add a note" section), select your text, copy it (right-click, then "copy"), then paste it (right-click, then "paste") into the note you created.
4. Shapes
Click the Shapes function in your toolbox, then select the shape of your choice from those offered.
Draw the shape with your mouse; once you release the mouse, the shape is created.
By selecting your element's color, you can also manage that color's opacity to see what's behind the shape.
List of available shapes:
Rectangle
Ellipse
Triangle
Parallelogram
Line
Arrow: you can choose the shape of your arrow's tip as well as its direction by clicking the element and choosing the "Arrow" button.
You can also select a shape via the available shortcuts (see the "List of keyboard shortcuts" section).
With this feature, you can add dynamic links between your shape, image, or Sticky Note elements — a feature useful for creating dynamic diagrams. To do this:
Click Shapes in your toolbox.
Choose the arrow element.
Hover your cursor over a shape, image, or Sticky Note element on your Whiteboard: a shadow appears around the element.
Click from that shadow to the shadow of the element you want to attach it to.
As you move one of the elements, the arrow resizes and adapts to your cursor's movements.
5. Images
This feature lets you add images from your computer, a web link, or from Unsplash's integrated, royalty-free image bank.
In your toolbox, on the left of your Whiteboard activity slide, click the Image button, then choose the image to import.
Click "Save" once you've chosen the image.
💡Good to know
Depending on its size, the image may appear "too large" on your activity. Zoom out on your activity at the bottom right of the slide, then select your image to adjust its size.
Unlike other elements, the Image doesn't offer a color or line width option: selecting it, you can only lock the element (owner or collaborator), and via the three dots, duplicate it, move it to the background or foreground, or delete it.
6. Sticky Notes
The Sticky Notes feature lets you add text in the form of Sticky Notes, in the size of your choice, at the point where you click with your mouse.
Choose your note's color and the text alignment: the text automatically adjusts, based on its size, to the note's size.
Once your text is written, select the note element to reposition it wherever you want on the Whiteboard.
In addition to the common options, the three dots on the Note also let you turn it into an action or a decision.
Manage your Whiteboard
The display management features for your Whiteboard are located at the bottom right of the activity slide.
List of keyboard shortcuts: click the keyboard icon at the bottom right of your Whiteboard activity to access it. Click your Whiteboard once to select it before using a shortcut, then follow the indications next to the desired action. You have access to several sections: Shapes (to select an element to add), Display (to manage your Whiteboard's display), Editor (to manage your Whiteboard's content).
The "hand", to move around your Whiteboard activity.
The magnifying glass, to return to 100% zoom.
The zoom.
Import your Whiteboard into another session
You can import your entire Whiteboard, with all its content, into another session:
Go to the session you want to import your activity into.
Click "Add a slide" at the top left of the interface.
Click "Import from session" on the panel that opens.
Select the session, then the Whiteboard activity.
Click "Import".
You then get an identical copy of your Whiteboard, with all its content, in your new session. See our article on this topic here.
Manage the activity's options
At any time, you can:
Screenshot the slide.
Edit.
Duplicate.
Delete.
Alternatively, click the "Edit" button in the toolbar on the right side of the session.
💡Good to know
Deleting a slide is permanent.
⚠️Understand the Whiteboard's warning message
If your Whiteboard exceeds a certain size, due to elements added by your participants or by yourself, a banner with a message appears to warn you that slowdowns may occur on your activity.
It's recommended to reduce the size of images and elements, or to remove some.
To learn more about optimizing your Whiteboard, see this article.
❓FAQ
Who can add or edit elements on the Whiteboard?
Everyone connected to the session, regardless of their role (owner, facilitator, participant), can add elements and edit them.
How do I lock an element to prevent others from editing it?
Select the element, then use the lock option. Only the session owner and the collaborator can lock an element.
How do I add dynamic links between my elements?
Click Shapes in the toolbox, choose the arrow element, hover your cursor over a shape, image, or Sticky Note element until a shadow appears around it, then click from that shadow to the shadow of the element you want to attach it to.
What do I do if my image appears too large on the Whiteboard?
Zoom out on your activity at the bottom right of the slide, then select the image to adjust its size.
How do I import my Whiteboard into another session?
From the target session, click "Add a slide" at the top left, then "Import from session", select the session and the Whiteboard activity, then click "Import".
Why does a warning message appear on my Whiteboard?
It appears when the Whiteboard exceeds a certain size, which can cause slowdowns; reduce the size of images and elements, or remove some.
Is this activity available on all accounts?
No, it's reserved for Premium users.