Do you want to restore the contents of a whiteboard after a Microsoft Teams meeting? Did the software stop working correctly or perhaps update unexpectedly, making you wish you could get an earlier version? Both situations are pretty common. Unless you turn them off, which you shouldn’t, you’ll often experience what feels like forced updates on Windows 10 and 11. Plus, the popularity of collaboration in video conferencing and team meeting software makes it almost essential to revisit what was on the canvas during the conference. For better or worse, most related events are automatic and beyond your control. Let’s show you how to recover Microsoft Whiteboard contents and software.
1. Instructions to find Microsoft Whiteboard content via OneDrive
Are you looking for content of a Microsoft Whiteboard created on the web, on Windows, Android, iOS, or Surface Hub?? If so, you can find the content of all the Microsoft Whiteboards you created by following these instructions:
- Open the Microsoft Whiteboard website and check if any are present in the Board Gallery tab.
- Explanation. Because Microsoft bundles products in the Microsoft 365 suite of software, a previously created whiteboard from any platform may have been synced to the web.
- If you only see “New Whiteboard” or unrelated content, do one of the following:
- Click the App Launcher icon in the top left corner, then select OneDrive
- Go to the OneDrive website in a new tab
- Sign in with the Microsoft account that created the whiteboard. The account can be Microsoft 365, Xbox, Outlook, Hotmail, or Live, as long as it fits.
- Browse the folders and look for one named Whiteboard.
- Open the Whiteboard folder to find the files (with a .whiteboard extension) corresponding to the whiteboards the account started or shared with others.
2. How to recover Whiteboard from Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Whiteboard only integrates with Microsoft Teams and is becoming a staple of collaboration in recent years. It’s both free and allows users to store whiteboards, something that’s missing from other video conferencing software or web apps.
To remind you, you can share a Microsoft Whiteboard by:
- Opening Microsoft Teams.
- Tapping or clicking the Share icon in the top right corner.
- Selecting Microsoft Whiteboard from the list of options.
- Selecting a prepared board or creating a new one.
But what happens to whiteboards after the meeting ends? We will tell you.
Can I restore the whiteboards I shared in Microsoft Teams?
Yes, you can restore the whiteboards you shared in Microsoft Teams. If you’re a regular user with a Microsoft account that shared a whiteboard, you can use methods 1 or 2 to find it. It will be synced to your account storage and visible on the Whiteboard web app home page and stored in your OneDrive account in the Whiteboard folder.
Is it possible to recover a whiteboard for an organization in Microsoft Teams?
Yes, it is possible to recover a whiteboard for a Microsoft Teams organization, as long as Microsoft Whiteboard access was provided and one was used during a conference.
Anyone that is attending a Teams meeting has access to all whiteboard files shared during a meeting in the meeting chat, precisely within a tab entitled Whiteboard. Users whose accounts aren’t part of your organization can see the whiteboard during, but not after the meeting concludes.
Where do I find Microsoft 365 organization whiteboard files from Microsoft Teams?
Don’t waste time trying to recover Microsoft Teams files because whiteboards aren’t part of the recording. Microsoft stated they will update the customers once this becomes possible. If you want to recover whiteboards for past Microsoft 365 tenant meetings, you can find them in one of two places:
1. Microsoft OneDrive for Business
The vast majority of whiteboards created in an organization belonging to a Microsoft 365 tenant are located in the root or Whiteboard folder of the OneDrive for Business account of the person who started the whiteboard. This applies to whiteboards shared using the standalone desktop, mobile, and web application and Microsoft Teams.
2. Azure storage
Azure secure storage is the place where whiteboards started via Microsoft Teams Rooms and the Surface Hub device are stored. There is no definite folder for whiteboards inside the Azure storage, however. After all, the cloud storage product preserves whiteboards based on the country of the user and the time users enabled the feature.
If the Azure account belonging to the organization or user who created the dashboard is deleted, all whiteboards are erased, too. Microsoft also plans to migrate all Azure whiteboard data to OneDrive for Business. Thus, if you can’t find anything there, refer to the location above.
3. How to restore the Microsoft Whiteboard software
If you encountered problems with the Microsoft Whiteboard software, whether the installed one or the Microsoft Teams integration, the first step would be to check the web version mentioned in the beginning.
If that doesn’t pan out, don’t fret. Since your whiteboards will be stored safely in OnePlus storage as long as you had an Internet connection for a bit, you can freely reinstall Microsoft Whiteboard and let it sync files again in two steps:
1. Delete Whiteboard from a desktop or mobile device
If you want to erase the Microsoft Whiteboard software for Windows or Surface Hub, do this:
- Right-click the Start button and select Settings.
- Go to Apps. The option is entitled Surface Hub on Surface Hub devices.
- Select Apps & features.
- Click or tap Uninstall under “Microsoft Whiteboard”.
- Confirm the decision.
Advanced users can consider this PowerShell script for Whiteboard removal: Get-AppxPackage -Name "Microsoft.WhiteBoard" -AllUsers|Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers
For Android and iOS devices, tap and long-press the Microsoft Whiteboard icon, then drag it to Uninstall (Android) or tap the X icon (iOS). Confirm the decision and the application will be erased.
2. Use app repositories to redownload and install Whiteboard
Now that the software or app is gone, you can download Microsoft Whiteboard on Microsoft Store for Windows 10, 11, and Surface Hub. If you’re struggling as a Windows user, especially if you’re looking for an older version of the software, you can:
- Use reputable software distribution platforms such as FileHorse, Softpedia, and FileHippo with file history features
- Use Microsoft Store direct download link generation websites and check URLs for older versions
For mobile devices, visit the Whiteboard app page on Google Play to download it, or get the Microsoft Whiteboard iOS app.
