Microsoft Whiteboard is a great application for brainstorming ideas in the workplace, classroom, and at home. You can use digital post-it notes, draw diagrams, and more.
You can use Whiteboard on almost every device — whether you use a mouse and keyboard, screen reader, touchscreen, or a pen.
Whiteboard is a free-to-use application. Please use your school login credentials.
Installation and How to Use Whiteboard
Whiteboard can be used on the web, but there is also a desktop version available.
You can find how to install the desktop version in the following article:
The following links contain overviews of how to use Whiteboard features:
Accessibility Support
- Font sizes for sticky notes and text boxes can be automatically resized by making the sticky note or text box larger or using pinch-to-zoom on the whiteboard to zoom in on individual objects.
- For users who prefer to use screen magnification tools such as Zoom or Windows Magnifier, use the Lens view to examine individual whiteboard items or the full-screen view to explore the entire board. Pinch-to-zoom or browser zoom supports up to 500% magnification
- Another option for making Microsoft Whiteboard easier to read is to mirror the web application or Android app to a wireless display, such as with the Google Chromecast or Apple AirPlay from an iPhone or IPAD, casting the display on a TV or another monitor.
Keyboard Shortcuts
The following link contains keyboard shortcuts for users who use keyboard only and to help users work more efficiently:
Screen Reader Support
Microsoft Whiteboard supports popular screen reader software like NVDA and Jaws. The following link contains instructions on performing basic tasks using a screen reader with Whiteboard.
-
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Whiteboard
- As long as the author adds alt text for all content, Microsoft Whiteboard files can be navigated with a screen reader or keyboard access- all areas can be navigated with Tab and Enter. Items can be rearranged with the arrow keys. When creating a whiteboard with screen reader users in mind, use note grids to make it easier for people to read content in a logical order.
- For the authoring process, sticky notes are not automatically aligned to a grid. They are sometimes inserted on top of each other, so users will need to rearrange notes to ensure that items are not covered, though there are options to align notes when moving them and resize notes using gestures.
There are a few differences with using the Whiteboard app in Microsoft Teams and a screen reader:
How To Make Your Whiteboards More Accessible
When creating a Whiteboard to be shared with others, it is vital to ensure the Whiteboard is accessible for all to use. Here are some tips on how to make your Whiteboards more accessible:
- Make sure to add alt text when you insert an image or document. Select the image and then Edit the alt text. Write a brief sentence or two describing the image.
- It's also helpful to add alt text when using shapes or lines to explain meaning. For example, using a flow chart or writing a physics problem.
- Make sure there is a high contrast between the text and background color. For example, use black text on a white background or light text on a black background.
- To change a whiteboard's background, select Settings and then Format Background.
- To change text color, select the text box and select Text color picker from the Context menu.
- Using text boxes, shapes, or sticky notes is more accessible for screen readers than using ink for handwriting and diagrams.
- If you are using an animated GIF, please include alt text.
- Microsoft Whiteboard supports adding alt text for all content, including ink drawings, text boxes/sticky notes, images, and shapes.
- Alt text is a short text-based description that describes visual information for people who use screen readers- without alt text, users would have no idea that an object or image exists.
- Alt text can be added by selecting an item on the whiteboard and selecting the Add Alt Text icon next to the More Options icon with three dots for ink and images. For text and sticky notes, alt text is automatically added but can be edited by selecting Edit Alt Text, which is in more options.