Where Is the Laser Pointer in Zoom?

You have likely used Zoom so many times for school or work meetings that you might think you know all there is to the conference call software.

However, how many times have you presented and missed having a little laser pointer?

Have you ever wished there was a laser pointer in Zoom?

Well, your wish has come true because Zoom has a laser pointer you can use to enhance your presentations.

This blog post will help you find the laser pointer and give you a few tips to help you understand how to manage the settings.

Below are the answers to basic questions most people ask themselves. 

Is There a Laser Pointer in Zoom?

Yes, a laser pointer is embedded in the Zoom application, and you can use it during your presentations.

However, the laser pointer is only accessible when you share your screen with people in the meeting; hence, you need to click on the ‘Share Screen’ option in the tab at the bottom to access it.

How Do You Show a Laser Pointer in Zoom?

Accessing the laser pointer in Zoom is simple. You need to go through the following steps:

1. Open the Zoom application and start/join a meeting.
2. Open your presentation in the background on either Microsoft PowerPoint or Keynote.
3. Go to Zoom again and share your screen. 
4. Once screen share starts, hover your mouse at the top; this will cause a tab to appear.
5. Click on ‘Annotate’ (second from the right), and another tab will appear below.
6. On the second tab, click the ‘Spotlight’ button (sixth from the left).
7. From the drop-down, click on the left-most option.
8. Go back to your presentation and start the slideshow. 

Once you start the slideshow, you will see a laser pointer-like beam on the screen instead of the cursor that you can shift around using your mousepad.

If you are confused about the process, you can also refer to the YouTube link below for a step-by-step tutorial on using a laser pointer in Zoom.

What are the Benefits of Using a Laser Pointer in Zoom?

As was the case with physical presentations, the laser pointer or spotlight in Zoom helps enhance your presentation skills in several ways.

Below are some of the most prominent benefits of using a laser pointer while presenting in Zoom:

Redirects attention to what you want to focus on

Unlike physical presentations, you can no longer use your body language to engage the audience when presenting on Zoom.

You also use screen share to show them the presentation, which means that they cannot see your face or expressions while you convey your data, research, and thoughts.

What Happens Without a Laser Pointer

Usually, you can change your tone to emphasize your point, but a problem arises when you need to point to a specific part of the slide when explaining.

Without a laser pointer, meeting attendees will end up searching for the information and miss out on what you are saying until they find what they are looking for and refocus their attention on you.

How Laser Pointer Helps

However, when using a laser pointer, you can shift it to indicate the position on the slide where the necessary information is before you start the explanation.

This way, your audience will not miss out on what you’re saying, and you will successfully deliver your pitch.

Keeps Audience from Getting Bored

No matter how professional people are, repeatedly looking at slides passing through will become boring, and they will start losing interest.

Such boredom is more likely to occur for people who attend such meetings and presentations repeatedly, numbing them to the process.

Using a laser pointer keeps the audience from losing interest and stops listening because it will keep the screen lively.

You can also use it as a source of engagement by pointing to a question and asking the people in the meeting to answer before you reveal it to them.

This method is effective because the targeted stimuli will maintain their attention.

Gives You Time to Articulate

Lastly, using the laser pointer can also give you a few seconds to articulate your point while using the pointer to direct audience attention to a visual cue.

It will also give you a break from speaking, breaking a sense of monotony that may have started to develop during the presentation.

Hence, above are the three main ways using laser pointers during a Zoom presentation can help you make your presentation more impactful and effective.

How do I get my cursor back in Zoom?

Getting the normal cursor back is a simple process as well. While you are still sharing your screen, you can see a cursor icon on the left-most corner of the tab on top of the screen. Click that icon, and your cursor will return to its normal form.

You can use the directions mentioned above from step 4 to use the laser pointer again.

Is Zoom’s laser pointer feature compatible with all operating systems and platforms?

Yes, Zoom’s laser pointer feature is compatible with Windows, iOS, Linux, etc. The laser pointer option is essentially a part of the Zoom application. Hence, if the OS supports Zoom, you can use the laser pointer as well.

Can I use other forms of annotations on Zoom during my presentation?

Yes, you can use a few other annotations aside from laser pointers on Zoom.

When you click ‘Annotate’ on the tab after sharing your screen, you will see a range of options. You can write text using the ‘Text option or draw shapes to elaborate a mechanism.

Under the ‘spotlight’ option, you can also select a pen and use it to underline a statistic or sentence on your screen to emphasize it and make it easier for your audience to find. 

Wrapping Up

In short, you can use a laser pointer in Zoom to improve your presentation in addition to several other annotations.

The application is generally extremely useful for digital meetings, and the developers continue to improve features to make it easier to use.

We hope you found this blog informative and invite you to check out our other blogs for more information about related topics.