In every session
F6Format DAX, SQL, or KQL
F2Edit the text container
Alt+LLaser pointer
F11Full screen
Ctrl+F11Canvas only
SpacePan while held
Ctrl+ZUndo
Double-clickFit to the view
Ctrl+SSave the board
Pen
Pen tipCurrent tool. Pen is selected at startup.
Pen hoverShow the small red pointer dot and hide the arrow.
Pen contactHide both the pointer dot and the arrow.
Pen eraserErase complete strokes. The upper side button erases too, because Windows reports it the same way as a pen turned round.
Barrel buttonHold for Laser, or hold before starting a stroke for Straight line, as set in Preferences. Releasing ends the action; a mid-stroke press cannot start Straight line.
Straight lineHold Shift, or the barrel button when assigned to Straight line, before starting a stroke to constrain it to horizontal or vertical at a uniform width. Releasing ends the constraint; a mid-stroke press is ignored.
Mouse
MovementA physical mouse shows the normal arrow.
Left buttonSelect, move, or resize a container. Release returns to the previous drawing tool. With Mouse drawing on, uses the current tool instead.
Ctrl+Left buttonWith Mouse drawing on, select, move, or resize a container. Double-click with Ctrl frames one.
Mouse drawingNew installs default to When there is no pen or touchscreen in Preferences. On shows Eraser and Pan on the toolbar.
Drag on empty canvasWith Select, take everything inside a rectangle, or inside a freehand outline when Lasso is the armed area tool. Ink is taken too.
Ctrl+Click or dragAdd what you tap, or what the area takes, to the selection instead of replacing it.
Resize handleDrag the circular bottom-right handle. Aspect ratio is preserved; a shape resizes freely, and Shift keeps its aspect.
WheelZoom at the pointer. Hold Shift for a slower zoom.
Middle buttonPan.
Right buttonPan while held on the canvas. Release returns to Pen. Right-click the palette to hide or show it.
Language chipOn a selected text container, choose its text type or language: Plain text, Prompt, Markdown, DAX, SQL Server, KQL, or one of the eleven highlighted languages. Does not enter edit. Double-click still frames the container.
Touch
One fingerPan. Suspended while the pen is in contact. With Finger drawing on, uses the current tool instead.
Two fingersPan and pinch zoom. With Finger drawing on, also cancels the in-progress finger stroke.
Finger drawingNew installs default to When no pen is detected in Preferences. On shows Eraser and Pan on the toolbar.
Keyboard
SpacePan while held.
Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+YUndo / redo.
Ctrl+VPaste prefers an image, including a file on the clipboard, over text. A formatted answer pastes as Markdown, with its headings, lists, and tables.
Ctrl+CCopy the selection. Copying a LiveView copies its last frame as a bitmap.
Ctrl+S / Ctrl+OSave / open a board.
Shift+F12Save As. Commits an active text edit first.
Ctrl+EExport the board to PowerPoint or PDF. Commits an active text edit first.
DeleteDelete the selected container and its linked strokes.
Ctrl+A / Ctrl+Shift+ASelect everything an area could take, or the ink strokes only.
Ctrl+DDuplicate the selection a little down and to the right, and select the copy. Press it again to stack the next one.
F2Edit the selected text container or label, put words inside the selected shape, or rename the selected frame. Typing a printable character with one shape selected starts its text too.
F6Format DAX, SQL Server, or KQL on the selected text container; DAX wraps to the container's columns. In F2, formats in place; Ctrl+Enter then commits. On a language that is only highlighted, it opens that language's issue on GitHub instead.
Shift+Drag handleChange a text container's width in columns and reflow it; the handle shows the count. Dragging the container's right edge does the same. A plain drag of the corner scales it.
Ctrl+EnterCommit the F2 edit, including an F6 format done in that session, and return to display mode.
EscapeCancel the F2 edit (including an uncommitted F6), clear the selection, put down an Insert tool, close the command strip, or leave full screen or canvas only.
Alt+LLaser pointer.
F11Fill the current monitor and hide the title and tabs. Press again or Escape to leave.
Ctrl+F11Canvas only: hide the title and tabs, keep this window’s size and place. Press again or Escape to leave.
Alt+F / E / V / I / HOpen or switch the File, Edit, View, Insert, or Help strip. Alt always selects a tab. With a strip open, letters without Alt run a command. File: N New, O Open, S Save, A Save As, I Import, E Export. Edit: Z Undo, Y Redo, C Copy, V Paste. View: F Full screen, C Canvas only, G Grid, B Bring to front, W Bring forward, K Send backward, S Send to back, A Frame, H Show frames, L LiveView, Z Freeze, D Disconnect, R Reconnect. Insert: T Text, P Palette. Help: P Preferences, A About. Left, right, Home, and End move between commands.
Double-click
On a containerCenter it and fit it to the canvas.
On empty canvasCenter and fit all content, or reset an empty board.
Palette and commands
PenPressure-aware ink. Selected at startup.
HighlighterTranslucent stroke. Marks a line without covering it.
CalligraphyA nib that responds to direction, for labels and arrows.
Laser pointerPointer for the projector. Does not write to the file. Alt+L, or hold the pen barrel button while it is assigned to Laser.
Eraser / PanOn the toolbar when Finger drawing is On. The rear eraser still removes whole strokes.
Insert → ShapesRectangle, Rounded, Ellipse, Triangle, Pentagon, Arrow, Parallelogram, Diamond, and Stadium, drawn by dragging. Hold Shift for a square. Type into a selected shape for words inside it. The tool returns to Select after one shape unless After inserting an object says to keep it. Alt+I opens the row.
Insert → Line / Arrow / CurvedDrag from one point to another. Drop an end anywhere on a shape to bind it there, so it follows. Hold Ctrl at release to bind anywhere on the border, or set Anchors → Auto for an end that moves to the side facing the other end.
Insert → TextClick on the board and type a label: font, size, color, bold, italic, underline, and any angle from its handle. Letter T when the Insert strip is open.
Hold SelectSwitch the area tool between Rectangle and Lasso. Hold the Select button for 600 ms, or tap it again while Select is already in hand; its glyph and tooltip say which one is armed.
Insert → PalettePin the Insert row into a floating palette that drags anywhere in the window and comes back where it was left. Letter P when the Insert strip is open.
Rotation handleThe circle above a selected shape or label turns it to any angle. Shift snaps to 15°, and the property bar's two buttons step by 45°.
Connector arrowsDrag one of the four arrows on a selected shape to draw an arrow already bound to that side, and drop it on another shape to bind the far end.
… on the property barDelete, Copy, Duplicate, and the four depth commands, for whatever is selected.
View → GridShow or hide the background grid, in the style set in Preferences → Board. Letter G when the View strip is open.
View → DesignTurn the design tools on, or put them away and go back to the mode you came from. Letter E when the View strip is open.
File → NewStart an empty board. Letter N when the File strip is open.
View → Full screenFill the current monitor and hide the title and tabs. F11.
View → Canvas onlyHide the title and tabs, keep this window’s size and place. Ctrl+F11.
View → Bring to front / Send to backPut the selection, with its linked strokes, above or behind everything else. Letters B and S when the View strip is open. Strokes cannot be reordered on their own.
View → Bring forward / Send backwardMove the selection one step past the object it meets next. Letters W and K when the View strip is open.
Help → PreferencesSearchable settings: startup monitor, full screen at startup or when idle, finger drawing, snippet format order, laser trail timing and weight, toolbar, update checks (not on a Microsoft Store install).
View → LiveViewCapture an application window or display as a container.
View → FreezeFreeze or resume the selected live feed. Resume uses a play icon.
View → DisconnectRelease the capture target. The last frame stays. Reconnect is then the only way back to a live feed.
View → ReconnectPick a new capture target for the existing container.
Import (toolbar)Add a
.wimport recipe or an image at the top-left of the view.No command matches that filter.