How to draw on screen during a Teams or Zoom meeting
Teams and Zoom each have an annotation tool, with their own rules. This page shows how to use them, how to fix a pointer viewers can’t see, and the one overlay that draws the same way in every call app on Windows.
How do you draw on screen during a Teams meeting?
In a Teams meeting, share your screen, move to the top of it and select Annotate in the presenter toolbar. Microsoft documents it for meetings, not 1:1 calls. Zoom has Annotate while you share. To use one pen in every app, run a Windows overlay such as SHARA and share your entire screen.
The meeting doesn’t fail on content. It fails on “which one?”
Your 1440p screen is squeezed into a laptop window or a phone. The Windows arrow becomes a few pixels. You say “top right, no, the second tab” while the client scrolls to find it. And Monday’s Teams pen is a different pen in Tuesday’s Zoom, with different rules about who may draw. In a sales demo, pointing with words looks unsure.
Drawing on screen in Teams, Zoom and Google Meet
The built-in way first, from each vendor’s support pages, then the SHARA way. Teams and Zoom checked October 17, 2026; Meet September 28, 2026.
Microsoft Teams
- Start or join a meeting and share your screen.
- Move to the top of the shared screen to show the presenter toolbar.
- Select Annotate. In settings, choose “Everyone can annotate” or “Only I can annotate”.
Uses Microsoft Whiteboard tools.
Microsoft’s page describes meetings only, and doesn’t mention 1:1 calls.
Zoom
- Share your screen.
- Use the annotation controls that appear, or select Annotate (pencil icon) in the sharing controls.
- Use spotlight/arrow, vanishing pen, draw, text, stamp and eraser.
Viewers can annotate too, unless the host selects Disable Annotation for Others under More.
On iOS you can’t annotate while sharing your entire screen.
Google Meet
- Use Chrome M124 or later on a computer.
- Present a window, tab or entire screen, and pin your presentation.
- Open annotations: pens, shapes, text boxes, sticky notes, stickers, eraser.
Listed Business, Enterprise, Education and some other Workspace editions only.
Built-in annotation does one thing SHARA doesn’t: attendees can draw on your screen from their side. For collaborative markup, keep using it. SHARA is for the presenter who wants their own pointer and ink to work the same in every app.
Mouse pointer not visible when sharing your screen in Teams?
Work down the list, most common first.
- Viewers see your screen but never your pointerYou’re pointing on a different monitor, or you shared one window.Share the entire screen you point on. With two displays, share the one you’ll present from and keep the mouse there.
- Pointer too small for viewers, and a bigger Windows pointer doesn’t helpYour 4K screen is scaled down for laptops and tablets.Try Teams on the web. A Microsoft Q&A answer reports that Windows pointer size changes didn’t reach viewers from the Teams desktop app, and suggests sharing from teams.microsoft.com in Edge or Chrome instead.Microsoft Q&A, “Microsoft Teams screen share size of mouse pointer”, December 2020.
- Pointer vanishes when you present from a Remote Desktop sessionTeams is sharing a screen inside a remote session.Update Teams and Remote Desktop, then share from the PC you’re sitting at where you can. A Microsoft Q&A support agent called it a known Teams screen-sharing issue.Microsoft Q&A, “Mouse pointer not visible during MS Teams screen sharing when using MS Remote Desktop”, September 2024.
- Viewers still can’t follow youThe pointer is visible but easy to lose.Add a halo that is part of the picture. SHARA draws a Circle, Squircle or Rhombus halo around your cursor, sized and coloured as you choose, with a flash on every click. It’s free, and captured as part of your screen when you share the whole screen.
Your next call, before and after
- Turn on Presenter Mode.The Wheel stays off the capture, so attendees see ink appear, never the menu.
- Pick a halo colour that contrasts with your slides.A bright green or amber halo reads on white spreadsheets and dark dashboards.
- Share your entire screen.In Zoom or Teams, share your entire screen: a single-window share doesn’t capture SHARA’s overlay. With two monitors, share the one you’ll point at.
- Present, then press Esc.The first Esc puts your ink in idle, so it stays on screen while you use your apps normally. A second Esc erases all ink and shapes.
Set it up before your next call. The halo, Laser and Pen are free forever, and every install starts with a 14-day Pro trial.
Which tool, at which point in the call
| Moment in the call | SHARA tool | Key | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Can everyone see my mouse?” | Cursor halo and click flash | Ctrl+Win+H | FREE |
| Walking through a dashboard | Laser with a fading trail | Ctrl+Win+X | FREE |
| Calling out one number | Pen or Arrow; Highlighter, Line, Rectangle and Circle in Pro | Ctrl+Win+X, Ctrl+Win+W | FREE |
| Small print in a product demo | Magnifier lens or Live Zoom | Hold Ctrl+Win+G | PRO |
| One row among fifty | Spotlight dim | Ctrl+Win+G in Spotlight mode | PRO |
| Showing a shortcut | Smart Keystroke Pill | Ctrl+Win+T | PRO |
| Back to questions | Erase a stroke, or clear all ink | Esc twice, or Ctrl+Win+B | FREE |
| Labelling a step | Text label | Ctrl+Win+I | FREE |
| Sketching on a blank board | Whiteboard: white, black or grid | Ctrl+Win+K | PRO |
| Sending a recap | Screenshot | Wheel or docked toolbar | FREE |
Built-in annotation vs SHARA
Where each option stands. Vendor details from Microsoft Support, Microsoft Q&A, Zoom Support and Google Meet Help. Teams and Zoom checked October 17, 2026; Meet September 28, 2026.
| Teams annotation | Zoom annotation | Meet annotations | SHARA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where it works | Teams meetings | Zoom meetings | Meet in Chrome, eligible Workspace editions | Any call app, when you share the entire screen |
| Attendees can draw too | ✓ | ✓ unless the host turns it off | ✓ | ✕ presenter only |
| Pointer halo with click flash | ✕ | Spotlight/arrow tool | ✕ | ✓ free |
| Magnify part of the screen | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ Pro |
| Show your keystrokes | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ Pro |
| Same tools in every app | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Cost | Included with Teams | Included with Zoom | Included in eligible editions | Free tier; Pro $19.99 once |
Show the click the buyer needs to see
- Every click registers. Each click flashes, so the buyer sees it; Pro adds separate left and right click colours.
- The setting is readable. The Magnifier lens enlarges a small toggle or field.
- Sign-ins stay private. The Keystroke Pill switches to Privacy Mode the moment a password or PIN field has focus.
- No hunting for tools. Hold Ctrl+Space to open every tool at your cursor, or dock the toolbar at a screen edge; the Wheel is hidden from the capture in Presenter Mode.
“This helped greatly, resulting in faster responses and more accurate actions!”
Microsoft Store review, U.S.A
The objections, answered
Is it safe on a managed PC?
SHARA runs on your PC with no telemetry and no account, online or offline; the network is used only to buy or restore Pro. It installs from the Microsoft Store.
The host turned annotation off.
SHARA doesn’t use the app’s annotation feature; you draw on your own desktop. If it was disabled on purpose, respect that.
Will it lag during video?
GPU-rendered with 1000 Hz input response. Lightweight background process running on your GPU, with no telemetry.
Cost: Free forever tier. SHARA Pro is a $19.99 one-time lifetime license with a 14-day money-back guarantee, usable across your personal Windows devices via the Microsoft Store.
Presenting in Zoom, Teams and Meet: common questions
Why is my mouse pointer not visible when I share my screen in Teams?
Can I annotate in a Teams 1:1 call?
Do attendees need to install anything?
Will attendees see the SHARA Wheel when I open it?
Does SHARA work in Google Meet in the browser?
Present the same way in every call
Install before your next meeting. Share your entire screen, press Ctrl+Space, and the room sees exactly what you point at.
Disclosure: Mashyo makes SHARA. Teams and Zoom behaviour comes from their support pages, checked October 17, 2026; Google Meet behaviour and the Microsoft Q&A threads were checked September 28, 2026. These apps change often, so check their current help too. Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Google Meet are trademarks of their owners; SHARA is not affiliated with them. Last updated: October 17, 2026.