Learn two shortcuts
Nobody hunts through menus mid-presentation. Know the shortcut that opens the pen and the one that clears everything: E in both PowerPoint and Sincron.
Guide · presentations and meetings
How to draw on screen during a presentation.
Every tool has its own pen, and each pen only works on its own turf. Here is what to use in each case: a full-screen slide show, a Teams, Zoom or Meet call, and any other app.
Sales dashboard · 2026
Sales by region — September
Monthly revenue compared with August
Total
$1.25M
+4.2% vs. August
$412K
East
$296K
South
$262K
West
$198K
Central
$77K
North
down 41% here
Draw here
Hold Shift for a straight line, Ctrl for a rectangle and Ctrl + Shift for an arrow.
Guide · presentations and meetings
How do you draw on screen during a presentation?
In PowerPoint, start the slide show with F5 and press Ctrl + P for the pen or Ctrl + L for the laser pointer; E erases the ink on the slide. When you exit, PowerPoint asks whether to keep your annotations on the slides. This pen only works on slides, in slide show.
In a meeting, each platform has its own tool. In Teams, PowerPoint Live gives you a laser pointer, pen and highlighter, and the Annotate button works when you share your screen. In Zoom, Annotate sits on the screen-sharing toolbar. In Google Meet, annotation is available on specific Google Workspace editions, in Chrome.
To mark up anything else, such as a spreadsheet, internal system, browser or PDF, use a drawing layer on top of the screen: Sincron Screen Tools opens one with Ctrl + Shift + D, and Microsoft's ZoomIt with Ctrl + 2. Share your entire screen so others can see the strokes.
Reviewed on October 3, 2026
Step by step
How to draw on screen in each situation
Pick the one that matches where you are presenting. Shortcuts are for PowerPoint for Windows and the desktop meeting apps.
PowerPoint slide show: Ctrl + P and Ctrl + L
Start with F5. With Presenter View on, the buttons in the lower-left corner include the pen. From the keyboard, Ctrl + P switches to the pen, Ctrl + L to the laser pointer, Ctrl + E to the eraser, E erases the slide's annotations and Ctrl + M shows or hides ink. B blanks the screen to black and W to white. When you exit, choose Keep to save the ink on the slides, or Discard.
Teams with PowerPoint Live: laser and pen on the slide
Share the file through PowerPoint Live. The presenter picks the laser pointer, pen or highlighter and a color; laser marks fade on their own and pen marks last for the whole meeting. The eraser removes one mark, Erase all ink on slide clears everything, and Esc returns to the cursor.
Teams screen sharing: Annotate
Move your cursor to the top of the screen you are sharing to bring up the presenter toolbar and select Annotate. Annotation runs on Microsoft Whiteboard, and you choose whether everyone can annotate or only you. A snapshot saves the annotations to a Whiteboard file.
Zoom: Annotate on the sharing toolbar
After you share your screen, click Annotate. Draw gives you lines, arrows and shapes; there is also Text, Spotlight for your pointer, an eraser and Save, which stores the annotated screen as a PNG or PDF. The host can stop participants from annotating.
Google Meet: Annotate while presenting
When you click Present now, the Annotate button appears at the bottom right of the share preview. You get a pen, disappearing ink, text boxes, sticky notes, lines and shapes. It is available on specific Google Workspace editions listed in Meet Help and needs Chrome 124 or later.
Any app: a drawing layer
To mark up a spreadsheet, internal system, browser, PDF or video, open a layer on top of the screen. In Sincron, Ctrl + Shift + D opens a pen, highlighter, text, shapes and a whiteboard (W) on every monitor, and Esc closes it. In ZoomIt, Ctrl + 2 draws without zooming. In the meeting, share your entire screen, not a single window.
Comparison
Which pen to use when
| Situation | Tool | Who sees the drawing | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-screen slides on a projector | PowerPoint slide show pen | Anyone watching the projector or your shared screen | Slides only; you can keep the ink in the file |
| Slides in a Teams meeting | PowerPoint Live | Everyone in the meeting | Only the presenter can draw |
| Screen shared in Teams | Annotate (Whiteboard) | Everyone in the meeting | You decide whether others can annotate too |
| Screen shared in Zoom | Annotate | Everyone in the meeting | Saves the annotated screen as PNG or PDF |
| Presenting in Google Meet | Annotate | Everyone in the meeting | Some Workspace editions only, in Chrome |
| Any app, on any platform | Sincron (Ctrl + Shift + D) or ZoomIt (Ctrl + 2) | Everyone, if you share the entire screen | In Sincron, ghost mode hides your strokes from the share |
Shortcuts and features checked on Microsoft, Zoom and Google help pages on October 3, 2026.
Try it
Strokes that keep up with what you say
The panel below uses the same drawing toolbar as the app. Draw a circle and an arrow the way you would on a slide or a spreadsheet in a meeting.
Sales dashboard · 2026
Sales by region — September
Monthly revenue compared with August
Total
$1.25M
+4.2% vs. August
$412K
East
$296K
South
$262K
West
$198K
Central
$77K
North
down 41% here
Draw here
Hold Shift for a straight line, Ctrl for a rectangle and Ctrl + Shift for an arrow.
Tips
Make the drawing help the talk
Use shapes instead of scribbles
A straight arrow and a rectangle read better from the back of the room than a freehand circle. In Sincron, hold Ctrl + Shift for an arrow and Ctrl for a rectangle.
Clear before moving on
Old marks on screen muddle the next point. Erase when you change slides, or open a whiteboard (W) to explain from scratch.
Real limits
What can go wrong live
Sharing a single window hides the layer
Teams, Zoom and Meet let you share just one window. In that mode, tools that draw on top of the screen, such as Sincron, ZoomIt and Epic Pen, are left out of the stream. Share your entire screen.
Platform pens stay inside the platform
PowerPoint's pen only exists in slide show, and Annotate in Teams, Zoom and Meet only exists inside the call. If you jump between slides, a spreadsheet and the browser, only a drawing layer follows you.
Meet's Annotate button may be missing
Google Meet annotation depends on your Google Workspace edition and on Chrome. If the button does not appear, check your edition in Meet Help or use a drawing layer instead.
Sincron does not zoom or record
To magnify a detail live, ZoomIt zooms and is free. To record the presentation, use the platform's own recorder or OBS.
Common questions about drawing on screen while presenting
How do I use the pen in PowerPoint during a presentation?
Start with F5 and press Ctrl + P. For the laser pointer, press Ctrl + L; to erase everything on the slide, press E. At the end, PowerPoint asks whether to keep your annotations; choose Keep to save them on the slides.
How do I draw on screen during a Teams meeting?
For slides, use PowerPoint Live, which has a laser pointer, pen and highlighter. When sharing your screen, select Annotate on the presenter toolbar. To mark up another app, use a drawing layer such as Sincron (Ctrl + Shift + D) and share your entire screen.
Can I draw on screen in Google Meet?
Yes, with the Annotate button that appears when you present, on specific Google Workspace editions and in Chrome. Otherwise, a drawing layer works with any account, as long as you share your entire screen.
Can participants see what I draw with Sincron?
Yes. By default your drawings appear when you share your screen in Teams, Meet or OBS. If you want to annotate only for yourself, turn on ghost mode in Settings.
What free app lets me draw on screen during a presentation?
Microsoft's ZoomIt is free and also zooms. Sincron Screen Tools is free and unlimited for drawing and capturing, with an on-screen toolbar. Epic Pen has a free version with a pen, shapes, text and a whiteboard.
Can I show my webcam while I present?
Yes. Sincron Screen Tools has Present live (Ctrl + Shift + P): pick an area or a window, turn on your webcam in a corner or a side panel and share the window “Screen Tools — Apresentação” in Teams, Zoom or Meet. It does not record or use the microphone.
See also
Draw on screen on Windows
Pen, shapes and a whiteboard over any app, with Ctrl + Shift + D.
ZoomIt alternative
What ZoomIt does better, what it does not do, and when to run another app next to it.
Present live with your webcam
Pick a screen area or a window, add your webcam and share one clean window in Teams, Zoom or Meet.
Draw during any presentation, in any app.
Install Sincron Screen Tools: Ctrl + Shift + D opens a pen, shapes, text and a whiteboard over any window, on every monitor. Drawing is free and unlimited.