To use an online whiteboard in Google Meet today, open the Online Whiteboard tool in a second browser tab, then share that tab's window through Google Meet's screen-share menu so participants see your strokes in real time. Google Meet's built-in whiteboard was Jamboard, a separate Google app that synced drawings to Drive, and Google began winding Jamboard down in 2024. That shutdown leaves many meeting hosts searching for a drop-in alternative that needs no account, no install, and no invitation. A lightweight browser whiteboard fills that gap: pick a pen color and brush size, draw with a mouse, trackpad, stylus, or touch screen, undo or clear as needed, and download a 1000 by 600 PNG before anyone leaves the call. The whole setup takes about a minute, and because nothing leaves your browser, the whiteboard stays private to your screen share even on shared computers. Try the Online Whiteboard to do this in your browser.
Why the Google Meet Whiteboard Has Gotten Harder
Jamboard was designed as a permanent cloud whiteboard: each session was a separate "jam" stored in Google Drive, and participants needed a Google account to edit. Google announced the wind-down in 2024, and availability has been uneven since. The whiteboard button that used to appear inside Meet now depends on the meeting type, the device, and the account that scheduled the call. When the option still shows up, it behaves more like a cloud document than a quick sketch pad, prompting participants, creating files in Drive, and producing a multi-page jam rather than a flat image you can paste into a follow-up email.
A browser whiteboard sidesteps that whole layer. The Online Whiteboard runs entirely inside your tab, asks for no sign-in, and does not interact with Meet at all. You open it, draw, and download a clean PNG when you are done. Participants only see your strokes when you share the tab through Meet's normal screen share, so the workflow feels familiar even though the underlying tool has changed. If you want a deeper walkthrough of the no-account side of this, see how to use an online whiteboard without an account.
Open the Whiteboard Next to Your Meet Tab
The cleanest layout is two browser tabs side by side: your Google Meet call in one window and the Online Whiteboard in another. Both tabs run in the same browser, so you can switch to the whiteboard to draw and then jump back to Meet to talk over the sketch without losing audio. A second monitor makes this easier, but it is not required. Many laptops handle a Meet call at fifty percent width with a drawing tab at the other fifty percent.
Before the call starts, get the whiteboard ready in its own tab. The page is lightweight, loads quickly, and asks for no permission. You will see a white canvas that scales to the available tab width while keeping a fixed 1000 by 600 pixel working resolution, so pointer positions stay aligned on both desktop and mobile layouts. The Online Whiteboard works without an account, which is useful for guest presenters who only need to sketch during a call.
Run the Whiteboard Inside a Google Meet Call
Once the Meet call is live, switch to the Online Whiteboard tab and follow these steps to drive the visual side of the conversation:
- Start or join the Google Meet call, then open the Online Whiteboard in a second browser tab so audio and video keep running while you sketch.
- Choose a pen color and brush size for the next stroke before you begin drawing; this sets the line weight of the first mark and avoids mid-sketch switching.
- In Meet, click "Present now" and choose the browser window that contains the Online Whiteboard tab so participants see your canvas in real time.
- Draw on the white canvas with a pointer, touch input, or stylus while you talk. Single taps create visible dots rather than disappearing marks, so quick taps work for callouts and arrows. Use Undo to remove the most recent stroke without touching earlier work, or Clear to reset the entire board if the sketch needs a fresh start.
- Select Download PNG before you stop presenting or close the tab to keep a 1000 by 600 pixel copy of the final sketch on your computer.
Keep a small visual rhythm while you draw: sketch broad shapes first (boxes, arrows, a rough timeline), then label them with a stylus or careful pointer movement. Undo catches the last mark you regret, while Clear is reserved for when the whole board needs to start over.
Share the Whiteboard Through Screen Share
Screen share is the bridge between your browser whiteboard and the other people on the call. In Google Meet, click "Present now" and choose "A window" rather than your full screen. Pick the browser window that contains the Online Whiteboard tab, and Meet will mirror only that window to participants. Choose "A tab" instead and Meet will share a single tab, but a single tab can shrink or hide your drawing controls; sharing the window keeps the toolbar visible alongside the canvas.
When you stop presenting, Meet stops mirroring your whiteboard. That is the moment to download the PNG before the next person takes the screen or before you close the tab. If you plan to hand control to another presenter, ask them to open their own Online Whiteboard tab and to share that window when it is their turn, since the whiteboard does not sync between tabs or users.
Save the Sketch Before Anyone Closes the Tab
The Online Whiteboard stores everything in the current browser tab. Nothing is uploaded, synced, or saved to an account. That privacy is useful for sensitive brainstorms and one-off diagrams, but it also means there is no cloud recovery if the tab refreshes. The downloaded image is always 1000 by 600 pixels on a white background, which matches the working resolution of the canvas, so labels and proportions stay consistent with what you saw on screen.
For a reliable workflow, treat Download PNG as a checkpoint. Save a snapshot before making major changes, before ending the call, and before navigating away from the tab. If your meeting produced several versions, download after each one and rename the file so the iteration history survives outside the browser. The PNG is easy to attach to a recap email, drop into a slide deck, or store in a project folder.
Sketching Tips That Read on a Shared Screen
What looks fine on a thirteen-inch laptop can look cramped on a projector or a 4K monitor. A few habits keep your strokes readable during a shared screen:
- Pick a darker pen color first. Black, dark blue, and dark green hold up better than light colors when Meet compresses video.
- Sketch broad shapes before labels. Boxes, arrows, and timelines give participants structure before text arrives.
- Use Undo instead of overwriting. If a label sits in the wrong place, remove the latest stroke and redraw it rather than crossing it out.
- Download a checkpoint before any major change. A snapshot is cheap insurance if a refresh wipes the board.
- Reserve Clear for full resets. Once you clear, every earlier stroke is gone, so download first if you might want it back.
These habits also help when the meeting has chatty participants: the whiteboard holds the visual story while voices fill in the details. Try narrating each stroke as you draw it, since the other people on the call cannot see your cursor the way a co-presenter in the same room could.
Built-In Meet Whiteboard vs Browser Whiteboard in a Second Tab
Both approaches put strokes in front of your participants, but they differ in setup, output, and what survives after the call. The table below compares the two side by side.
| Feature | Google Meet's built-in whiteboard | Browser whiteboard in a second tab |
|---|---|---|
| Account required | Yes, tied to the Meet host's Google account | No sign-in, no account, no invitation |
| Where drawings live | Synced to Google Drive as a Jamboard file | Stored only in the current browser tab |
| Output for follow-up | Multi-page cloud jam, not a flat image by default | 1000 by 600 pixel PNG download with a white background |
| Survives a browser refresh | Yes, because the file lives in Drive | No, unless a PNG was downloaded first |
| Works after Google winds the feature down further | Availability depends on Meet's current support | Independent of Meet's roadmap |
| Setup before a call | None beyond joining Meet | Open a second tab and pick a brush |
For long-lived projects, multi-person editing, vector objects, or structured diagrams, use a dedicated design or collaboration application instead of either option. The Online Whiteboard is deliberately focused on freehand marks: it does not add accounts, remote cursors, embedded files, or background uploads, which keeps startup fast and the interaction predictable.
If your meeting is more about talking through a single diagram than producing a polished artifact, the second-tab approach tends to feel lighter. There is nothing to invite participants into, nothing to clean up in Drive afterward, and the PNG you download is already the right size to paste into chat or email. Treat it as a sketch pad you happen to be sharing through Meet rather than a separate piece of meeting software.