Hybrid and remote work situations have flourished in recent years and are now a staple of the corporate environment. That means that companies have had to rethink collaboration and develop new ways to digitally replicate those in-person standup meetings. One such mechanism is digital whiteboarding. While there are many whiteboard apps out there, I prefer Microsoft Whiteboard, partly because it's free and also because it integrates with Microsoft Teams for real-time collaboration. I also appreciate how my scribblings and digital post-its are saved for posterity, because I have a habit of losing any physical notebooks that I jot my thoughts down in. It's not a perfect tool, but it's useful for gathering ideas during brainstorming sessions.

Microsoft Whiteboard is a blank canvas

Being able to use multiple productivity features at once is a lifesaver

I need to use productivity apps daily, but finding one that is flexible enough for my work style has been a challenge. The usual names, like Trello or Airtable, are great for organization but fall short when I want to add annotations, quick notes, or sketches for later use. The reverse is also often true, with note-taking apps not being powerful enough for me to organize those thoughts afterward. It turns into me juggling several apps to keep up, and that's more complicated than it should be.

Then I started using Microsoft Whiteboard, and while it's not quite perfect, it does many things right and offers the flexibility I need. The whiteboard is great for quick notes, either using handwriting or text boxes. Usually, I'll write down a prompt or a rough headline with some context notes and then work on refining the idea later. The refined ideas get put into a dedicated grid of digital post-it notes, ready for action. I like seeing my rough work next to my other tasks, so I'm not flipping between multiple apps. Plus, it can "beautify" my scribbled arrows, shapes, and words, so they're recognizable when I look over my notes.

It's still not quite perfect for my needs, though. While I can set up Kanban boards, there's no way to set reminders for deadlines or show me that older tasks are falling behind. That still requires me to use a second app for reminders, but that's a compromise I can live with. Seeing every stage of my creative process at a glance is more important to me.

The mobile app experience is seamless with the desktop app

The Microsoft Whiteboard mobile app has every tool I'm used to using on my desktop, which is great when I get random thoughts while I'm out of the house. Before using Whiteboard, I would jot things down in Apple Notes and then transfer them over to the planning apps I used. Now, I can skip that step, as Whiteboard includes my brainstorming sections and Kanban board, so I don't have to juggle multiple apps. That's important because anything I can do to simplify my planning stages to reduce cognitive load is a big help.

It's pretty great for collaboration too

Multiple sharing and co-working options, including Teams support

While I mostly use Microsoft Whiteboard for my own thoughts, it was designed for collaborative use. Sharing a Whiteboard link with other users lets you all write, sketch, and add digital post-its, with collaborative cursors that show which person is adding what elements. It's worth noting that the collaborative cursors are currently limited to OneDrive for Business users and don't show up in personal accounts. You can still collaborate, but it won't automatically show who was responsible for which edits. Business users can also bring up a Whiteboard anytime during Microsoft Teams calls, and everyone on the call can work on the Whiteboard together. You can also import things like PowerPoint presentations to make annotations in real-time.

Microsoft Whiteboard can help you organize your thoughts for later use

When I first started using Microsoft Whiteboard, I didn't expect it to replace my other productivity apps. Now, I can't go back to the way I used to work because I have every stage of my creative process, from brainstorming through refining and pitching, all in one place. I can't say that it will fit your workflow in the same way, but it's worth taking a look.