This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.
Use Microsoft Whiteboard in a Microsoft Teams meeting with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to share a whiteboard and type collaboratively on a whiteboard. You'll also learn how to select and deselect whiteboard objects in the Microsoft Whiteboard app.
Notes:
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.
In this topic
Add text to a whiteboard in a Microsoft Teams meeting
As soon as the whiteboard canvas has been started, the meeting attendees can start typing collaboratively. The meeting attendees can open the whiteboard they’re editing also in the full-featured Microsoft Whiteboard apps for Windows or iOS to add other content types and use additional features. These changes will appear in the whiteboard being edited in the Microsoft Teams meeting.
You can add text as a sticky note or as a text box directly to the whiteboard you're editing.
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When the whiteboard has been shared in the meeting, swipe right or left until you hear "Create button, browse and select content you can insert to the whiteboard," and then double-tap the screen.
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Do one of the following:
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To insert a sticky note with text, swipe left or right until you hear "Note," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Empty yellow note."
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To insert a text box directly to the whiteboard, swipe right until you hear "Add text," and then double-tap the screen. You hear: "Empty text."
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Double-tap the screen, and then use the on-screen keyboard to type your text. When you're done, swipe left until you hear "Toolbar done," and then double-tap the screen.
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To save your note or text box and add it to the whiteboard, swipe left until you hear "Save button," and then double-tap the screen.
Select and deselect whiteboard objects
Select and deselect objects with an iPhone
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While working with your whiteboard on an iPhone, to select an object, swipe right or left until the focus is on the object, and then double-tap the screen.
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To deselect an object, swipe left until you hear "Create button," and then double-tap the screen.
Note: You can't deselect an object using the standard (two-finger Z) escape gesture. We plan to add this in a future update.
Select and deselect objects with an iPad
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While working with your whiteboard on an iPad, to select an object, swipe right or left until the focus is on the object, and then double-tap the screen.
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To deselect an object, swipe left until you hear "Select button," and then double-tap the screen.
Note: You can't deselect an object using the standard (two-finger Z) escape gesture. We plan to add this in a future update.
See also
Use a screen reader to join a meeting in Microsoft Teams
Use a screen reader to share your screen in Microsoft Teams
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Use Microsoft Whiteboard in Microsoft Teams on the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to add a whiteboard in a scheduled meeting or as a tab for a chat or channel. We have tested it with Narrator in Microsoft Edge and NVDA in Chrome, but it might work with other screen readers and web browsers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques.
The Whiteboard app is integrated with Microsoft Teams, so you do not need to add the app separately.
Notes:
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
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When you use Whiteboard for the web, we recommend that you use Microsoft Edge as your web browser. Because Whiteboard for the web runs in your web browser, the keyboard shortcuts are different from those in the desktop program. For example, common shortcuts like F1 (Help) and Ctrl+O (Open) apply to the web browser – not Whiteboard for the web.
In this topic
Add a whiteboard in a scheduled meeting
You can create a whiteboard during a scheduled Microsoft Teams meeting. With Whiteboard, meeting attendees can work together on a shared digital canvas.
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In your meeting, press Ctrl+Shift+E to open the Share menu.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Share Microsoft Whiteboard," and then press Enter. The whiteboard tab opens and you hear: "Add note or note grid."
All meeting attendees can now collaborate using the whiteboard. For instructions on how to add content to your whiteboard, go to Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Whiteboard.
Access the whiteboard later through the meeting chat
You can access the whiteboard through the meeting chat if you have navigated away from the whiteboard during a meeting, and even after the meeting has ended. This way meeting attendees can continue collaborating on the whiteboard long after the meeting.
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Navigate to the meeting chat that contains the whiteboard you want to open.
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Press the Tab key until you hear the chat name, followed by the currently selected tab, for example, "Chat tab."
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Press the Right arrow key until you hear "Whiteboard tab," and then press Enter to open the whiteboard.
Add a whiteboard as a tab for a chat or channel
You can add a whiteboard to your Microsoft Teams chat or channel messages. The whiteboard is created as a new tab.
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Navigate to the chat or channel where you want to add a whiteboard.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Add a tab," and then press Enter. The app list opens, and the focus is in the Search text field.
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Type Whiteboard as your search word. The search results are returned as you type.
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Press the Tab key until you hear "Tabs for your chat, Whiteboard" or “Tabs for your team, Whiteboard,” and then press Enter.
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The Whiteboard dialog box opens and you hear "Post to the chat about this tab, checkbox checked" or "Post to the channel about this tab, checkbox checked." If you do not want to start a conversation about the new tab in the chat or channel, press Spacebar to clear the checkbox.
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If you want to change the default tab name, press the Tab key until you hear "Name your whiteboard, edit," and then type the new name.
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To save your changes and add the new tab, press the Tab key until you hear "Save," and then press Enter. The whiteboard tab opens and you hear: "Add note or note grid."
Tip: To go back to the chat messages or channel posts, press Shift+Tab until with Narrator you hear the name of the currently selected tab. With NVDA, you hear "Tab control," followed by the name of the currently selected tab. Then press the Left arrow key until you hear "Chat tab" or "Posts tab," and then press Enter.
See also
Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Whiteboard
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.
