The Microsoft Whiteboard app allows you to share your ideas naturally on the digital canvas of a Surface Hub. The canvas expands along with your creations so that you never run out of space. However, to use it, you need to enable Whiteboard via Admin Portal. Also, a newer version of Whiteboard is available that will eventually look to replace the existing Whiteboard app on Surface Hub. The latter can be found pinned to the Welcome screen.
Surface Hub customers can stay on the current Whiteboard app or install the new version alongside the existing app. This post gives you a peek at how to enable the more recent version of Microsoft Office Whiteboard for Windows 11/10.
First things first, if you are planning to use Microsoft Whiteboard on Windows 11 and Windows 10 then, you’ll need to have an Office 365 or Microsoft Account. Why? All the whiteboard sessions are stored in the cloud. So, it is essential to have either a Microsoft account or Office 365 account.
Enable Microsoft Whiteboard for Office 365
If you are not aware, Microsoft Whiteboard comes automatically enabled for applicable Office 365 tenants. The users can download the app for their preferred platform (Windows 11/10 and iOS users) and sign in unless they’ve chosen to disable the service.
To enable or disable Whiteboard, do the following:
Go to the Office 365 Admin Center ( the center lets you manage all aspects of Office 365, including setup, configuration, etc.). There, open the Admin Center home page and navigate to Settings.
Next, move to Services & add-ins.
Upon landing on the Service & add-ins page, scroll down, and look for the Whiteboard option. When visible, select it.
Now, on the Whiteboard panel, toggle Turn Whiteboard on or off for your entire organization to On.
Click Save.
The Microsoft Whiteboard app has one shortcoming. Since it can be enabled through the Admin portal, you cannot use the app for Office 365 Personal and Home.
That apart, the app offers an infinite canvas where imagination has room to grow and share your ideas naturally. It is also optimized for pen, touch, and keyboard inputs.
For additional information, visit office.com.
Download Microsoft Whiteboard from Microsoft Store
If I can recall correctly, Whiteboard first came to Surface Pro devices and was then rolled out for Windows 11/10. However, now, it has hit the general availability for both iOS and web versions. You can now download it from the Microsoft Store and use it on any PC.
You can choose between different pens, shapes, markers. It also offers an Active pen, Ink to shape, Ink to the table, and object snapping. To save the current board, you can choose to save it as a PDF.
Is Microsoft Whiteboard free?
Whiteboard is available for free for Windows and iOS to anyone who has a Microsoft account. Earlier it was limited to Office 365 users. There is a web version, then you have the Windows app and then the iOS.
How do I use a mouse and keyboard in Whiteboard?
You need to select a pen from the toolbar and then use the mouse to draw on the canvas. The process repeats for erasing except that you need to select the eraser. If you want to insert an object or text, right-click on it and choose to add it from the options menu. By enabling the Enhance inked shapes automatically feature in Settings, you can automatically turn your hand-drawn shapes into precise shapes.
Related read: How to enable Microsoft Whiteboard to Whiteboard collaboration in Surface Hub.
