A Microsoft Whiteboard alternative
Microsoft's standalone Whiteboard app is deprecated on 14 September 2026, and Loop does not offer a visual canvas in its place. If you sketched, pinned images, and shared boards there, that surface is going away. Lattice is a free-form canvas with drawing, image and link cards, frames, and a presentation mode. A read-only link opens in any browser; the viewer needs no account, Microsoft or otherwise. Free during public beta.
The short version
Lattice is not a Microsoft product and does not try to be one. Whiteboard's advantage was being part of Microsoft's own tools, with sign-in already handled. Lattice has none of that: no Microsoft integration, no real-time multiplayer, and no native mobile apps. If your whole workflow is inside Microsoft's tools and you need several people editing at once in a call, look for something that plugs into that stack. What Lattice does replace is the board. You get a free-form canvas you can draw on, drop images, links, video, and PDFs onto, and organize with frames. AI groups and tags a busy board. Presentation walks frame by frame through the canvas. And the share link is the part that changes most: it is read-only, opens in any browser, and the viewer needs no Microsoft account or any account at all. Boards export to PDF, PNG, JPG, and SVG, so nothing is stuck inside the tool.
Side by side
| FEATURE | LATTICE | MICROSOFT WHITEBOARD |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Free during public beta | Standalone app deprecated 14 September 2026 |
| Free-form canvas | Yes | Yes, until the app is retired |
| Drawing on the canvas | Yes | Yes, until the app is retired |
| Successor after the shutdown | Keeps running | Loop, which has no visual canvas |
| Image, video, PDF, and link cards | Yes | No substitute in Loop |
| Frames and presentation mode | Yes | No substitute in Loop |
| AI organizing (tag, group, connect) | Yes | No substitute in Loop |
| Export | PDF, PNG, JPG, SVG | Export before 14 September 2026 |
Choose Lattice if
- You need a home for visual boards before 14 September 2026 and Loop does not cover it.
- You share boards with people outside your organization who have no Microsoft account.
- You draw on the board and pin images and links around the sketch.
- You present the board or hand over a PDF.
Choose Microsoft Whiteboard if
- Several people need to edit one board live during a call; Lattice has no real-time multiplayer.
- Everything else you use is inside Microsoft's tools and the board must stay there.
- You need native mobile apps.
Questions
- What is happening to Microsoft Whiteboard?
- The standalone app is deprecated on 14 September 2026. Loop does not include a visual canvas to replace it.
- Can I import Whiteboard boards into Lattice?
- There is no importer. Export images from your boards and drop them onto a Lattice board; links can be pasted and unfurl automatically.
- Do viewers need a Microsoft account?
- No. A Lattice read-only link opens in any browser with no account of any kind.
- Can I draw in Lattice?
- Yes. You can draw directly on the canvas alongside images, links, notes, and frames.
- Can several people edit a Lattice board at once?
- Not today. Lattice has no real-time multiplayer. One person builds the board; others view it through a read-only link.
- Is Lattice free?
- Yes, during public beta, no card. A $12 per month Studio tier is announced and waitlisted.