How to draw on your screen in Google Meet

Last updated 2026-11-03. Competitor details were checked on their official pages on that date.

There are two ways to draw while you present in Google Meet. Meet has a built-in Annotations feature, but only some Google Workspace accounts get it. A screen overlay app works with any account, because it draws on your computer's screen and Meet simply shares what you see.

Option 1: Google Meet's built-in Annotations

According to Google's Meet Help page, Annotations is available in these Google Workspace editions: Business Starter, Standard and Plus; Enterprise Starter, Standard and Plus; Essentials, Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus; Workspace Individual; Education Teaching and Learning Upgrade, Education Standard and Education Plus; and Frontline Starter and Standard. It requires Chrome version M124 or later.

If your account is on that list, start presenting and use the Annotate option from Meet's presenting controls. Everyone in the call can see your annotations. Google's help page has the current step-by-step instructions.

When Option 1 does not work for you:

• Your account is not in one of the editions above. Personal Google accounts are not listed.
• You present from a browser other than Chrome.
• You want the same drawing tools in Zoom, Teams, a recording or an in-person class as well.

Option 2: A screen overlay app (any account)

An overlay app draws on a transparent layer above all your windows. When you share your entire screen in Meet, participants see your slides, browser or app with your drawings on top. Here is how to set it up with TeachPen. Basic is free and includes the pen, highlighter, eraser, lines and arrows.

1. Download and install TeachPen (Windows 10 or later, or macOS 13 or later on Apple Silicon).
2. Join your Meet call and click Share screen (labeled Present now in some versions), then choose Entire screen. This step matters: if you share only a tab or a single window, Meet does not capture the overlay and participants will not see your drawings.
3. Open the app you want to present, such as slides or a browser.
4. Press Ctrl+T to leave click-through mode and start drawing. Press P for the pen and H for the highlighter.
5. Press Ctrl+T again to click and scroll in the app underneath. Ctrl+Alt+T toggles it even when another app has focus.
6. Before class, check once from a second device or ask a participant to confirm that your drawings are visible.

On a Mac, shortcuts use the same letters. The full list is on the shortcuts page. macOS asks for Screen Recording permission for Chrome or the Meet app the first time you share your screen.

Tips for teaching in Meet with an overlay

• Use two monitors if you can. Share the monitor with your material and keep Meet and your notes on the other.
• Fade ink (Pro) makes quick pointing marks disappear after a few seconds, so you do not have to keep erasing.
• Spotlight and cursor highlight (Pro) help students find your pointer on a busy screen.
• Blackboard or whiteboard (Pro) gives you a clean surface for a quick explanation without opening another app.