Enabling or disabling annotation tools for meetings

Enabling annotation tools allows meeting participants to collaborate, brainstorm, and draw over shared content. Before using annotation tools, they must be enabled in the Zoom web portal.

How to enable annotation for meetings

Account

To enable annotation for all users in the account:

  1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal 
  2. In the navigation panel, click Account Management then Account Settings.
  3. Click the Meeting tab.
  4. Under In Meeting (Basic), verify that Annotation is enabled.
  5. If the setting is disabled, click the toggle to enable it. If a verification dialog displays, click Turn On to verify the change.
  6. (Optional) Click the check box to allow saving of shared screens with annotations. 
  7. (Optional) Click the check box to restrict annotation to only the user sharing content.
  8. (Optional) If you want to make this setting mandatory for all users in your account, click the lock  icon, and then click Lock to confirm the setting.

Group

Note: If you signed up for a new Zoom account after August 21, 2021; or the New Admin Experience is enabled on your account, the Group Management page has been renamed to Groups.

To enable annotation for a group of users:

  1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
  2. In the navigation panel, click User Management then Group Management.
  3. Click the applicable group name from the list, then click the Settings tab.
  4. Click the Meeting tab.
  5. Under In Meeting (Basic), verify that Annotation is enabled.
  6. If the setting is disabled, click the toggle to enable it. If a verification dialog displays, click Turn On to verify the change.
    Note: If the option is grayed out, it has been locked at the account level, and needs to be changed at that level.
  7. (Optional) Click the check box to allow saving of shared screens with annotations. 
  8. (Optional) Click the check box to restrict annotation to only the user sharing content.
  9. (Optional) If you want to make this setting mandatory for all users in your account, click the lock  icon, and then click Lock to confirm the setting.

User

To enable annotation for your own use:

  1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
  2. In the navigation panel, click Settings.
  3. Click the Meeting tab.
  4. Under In Meeting (Basic), verify that Annotation is enabled.
  5. If the setting is disabled, click the toggle to enable it. If a verification dialog displays, click Turn On to verify the change.
    Note: If the option is grayed out, it has been locked at either the group or account level. You need to contact your Zoom admin.
  6. (Optional) Click the check box to allow saving of shared screens with annotations. 
  7. (Optional) Click the check box to restrict annotation to only the user sharing content.