Screen sharing in Microsoft Teams is something most teams use every day. But did you know you can draw, highlight, and annotate directly on your shared screen during a meeting?
This feature is incredibly useful and surprisingly unknown. Let’s break down how it works, when to use it, and why it can instantly improve your meetings.
What Are Screen Annotations in Teams?
Annotations let you draw over shared content in real time during a Teams meeting. Think of it as a digital whiteboard layered on top of your screen.
You can:
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Circle important information
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Underline key numbers or text
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Draw arrows to guide attention
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Collaborate visually instead of saying “top left… no, the other box…”
It’s simple, visual, and very effective.
How to Use Annotations During a Teams Meeting
Here’s how to enable and use annotations step by step:
1. Start sharing your screen
In a Teams meeting, click Share and choose:
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Your entire screen
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A specific window
2. Open the annotation tools
Once sharing:
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Look at the top of your screen
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Click Annotate (or the pen icon)
3. Use the annotation toolbar
You’ll now see tools such as:
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Pen or highlighter
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Eraser
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Laser pointer
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Color selection
You can draw directly on what you’re presenting.
4. Let others annotate (optional)
You can allow participants to annotate as well, which is great for:
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Brainstorming
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Reviewing documents
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Training sessions
Pro Tip: Remember to clear annotations when moving to a new topic to avoid clutter.
Like many powerful tools in Microsoft Teams, annotations are easy once you know they exist. Give them a try!
