Accessibility Note: Attendees who are blind or have low vision will not be able to see any annotations, so important information needs to be narrated verbally, and those who need to use keyboard shortcuts because of impaired mobility will not be able to utilize annotations. Keep that in mind when asking students to participate. 



When sharing your screen in Zoom, you can annotate the screen using Zoom’s annotation tools. Depending on the host’s settings, all participants can annotate or annotations can be restricted to the person sharing. 

Annotation Settings in Zoom

Your annotations should be turned on by default, but if you want to check or change the settings, go to “Settings” in your Zoom portal and look under “In Meeting (Basic)”. Make sure the toggle switch is blue. If you want only the presenter to be able to make annotations, check the box for “Only the user who is sharing can annotate”. 

Zoom's portal with Settings, In Meeting (Basic), and the Annotation options highlighted.

Using Annotations During a Meeting

When you share your screen during a meeting, go to the controls and click “Annotate” to open your annotations.

The in-meeting controls when sharing your screen with the Annotate button highlighted.

A box should open with the following annotation controls:


  • The mouse icon looks like an arrowhead.Mouse - This button allows you to use your mouse normally.
  • The select tool looks like to lines crossed with arrows at the end of each line.Select - Select and move your annotations. Click and drag to highlight and move several annotations at once.
  • The Text tool looks like a capital letter T.Text box - Add a typed annotation.
  • The draw icon looks different depending on which option you've chosen but the default is a pencil.Draw - Draw freehand annotations with the pen or draw customizable arrows, circles, and rectangles. You can also use the “Vanishing Pen” if you want to draw attention to items but want the annotation to fade so as not to be in the way.
  • The stamp icon looks different depending on which option you've chosen but the default is a checkmark.Stamp - Use the stamp to quickly apply checkmarks, Xs, arrows, stars, or question marks.
  • The spotlight icon looks different depending on the option you've chose but the default is a solid circle surrounded by another circle surrounded by a broken circle. Spotlight - This button has two functions. You can spotlight your mouse so that your audience can easily follow what you are doing or you can choose the arrow which will stamp an arrow with your name on it so that if you have multiple participants annotating, you know who added the arrow.
  • The eraser tool looks like a diagonal rectangle with a line separating most of the rectangle from a smaller portion.Eraser - Click and drag the eraser over annotations to erase them.
  • The color icon is a circle of color that reflects the color you've chose. Color - Change the color of your “Draw” annotations. You have to have “Draw” engaged to change the color.
  • The trash icon looks like a trashcan.Trash - Clear all drawings, your own drawings, or viewers drawings.
  • The save icon looks like an arrow pointed downward at a solid line. Save - You can save a screenshot that includes your annotations as a PNG or PDF.