How to Use HoverBoard — A Complete Guide
On this page
HoverBoard is a native macOS menu bar app that puts a presentation layer over whatever you are already sharing — slides, a browser, an IDE, or a video call. It is not a slide deck app and not a cloud whiteboard. You summon tools with a hotkey, teach, then dismiss with Esc.
This guide covers install, every mode, whiteboard collage tools, keyboard shortcuts, free vs Pro, Stream Deck URLs, and troubleshooting. Download from the HoverBoard page if you have not already.
See it in action
A quick tour of the overlay in a real presenting flow:
Demo updated for recent builds — landing screenshots for whiteboard, keystroke, and sessions match the current UI.
What HoverBoard does (and does not do)
HoverBoard does:
- Draw and annotate over any screen while you share
- Spotlight a soft hole around the cursor
- Freeze a frame and explain at your own pace
- Open an infinite local whiteboard (mindmap, sticky notes, checklists, polaroids, and more)
- Run a break timer overlay
- Highlight the cursor and show live keystrokes
- Capture frames into Sessions and export PNG / PDF (Pro)
HoverBoard does not:
- Replace Keynote, PowerPoint, or Google Slides
- Upload your screen or boards to our servers — everything stays on your Mac
- Require a subscription — Free covers core tools forever; Pro is a one-time purchase
flowchart LR Share[Whatever you share] --> Overlay[HoverBoard overlay] Overlay --> Draw[Draw / Spotlight] Overlay --> Freeze[Freeze and Explain] Overlay --> Board[Whiteboard] Overlay --> Extra[Timer / Halo / Keys] Board --> Export[PNG SVG Excalidraw] Freeze --> Sessions[Sessions Pro]
Requirements
- macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later
- Enough disk for a lightweight native app (not Electron)
- Accessibility permission for global hotkeys and Keystroke Display (macOS will prompt when needed)
- Screen Recording permission for Freeze (and related capture flows)
Install and first launch
- Download HoverBoard and unzip the archive.
- Drag HoverBoard.app into Applications (or run it from the folder).
- On first open, macOS may ask you to confirm — choose Open.
- HoverBoard lives in the menu bar (top-right). There is no persistent Dock icon after launch.
Opened HoverBoard and nothing happened? Click the HoverBoard icon in the menu bar. If you do not see it, check the menu bar overflow (» or Control Center extras).
Tip: On Pro, enable Launch at login in Settings so overlays are ready after every reboot.
Modes walkthrough
Open any mode from the menu bar or with the ⌃⌥ leader key (Control + Option) plus a letter. Press Esc to close the current mode.
Draw — free forever
Annotate live over whatever is on screen: pen, arrow, rectangle, number markers, eraser, pan, colors, optional auto-fade, undo/clear.
Default hotkey: ⌃⌥D
Spotlight — free forever
Dim the screen and put a soft spotlight around the cursor. Click-through stays enabled so you can keep presenting.
Default hotkey: ⌃⌥S
Freeze & Explain — 60s Pro trial
Snapshot the screen, then annotate the frozen frame. Ideal when the UI is about to change under you. Save frames to Sessions on Pro.
Default hotkey: ⌃⌥F
Whiteboard — 60s Pro trial
Private infinite canvas with shapes, freehand, text, connectors, mindmaps, teaching widgets (sticky, checklist, polaroid, media links), and architecture stencils for system-design diagrams. Export PNG, SVG, or Excalidraw.
Default hotkey: ⌃⌥W
Break Timer — free forever
Countdown overlay for breaks. Fullscreen or minimal, custom message, optional chime, pause / +1 minute.
Default hotkey: ⌃⌥T
Cursor Halo — 60s Pro trial
Animated halo and click feedback so viewers can follow your pointer.
Default hotkey: ⌃⌥H
Keystroke Display — 60s Pro trial
Show live keystrokes on screen while you present or record. The first time you enable it, HoverBoard asks for a privacy confirmation. Esc closes the overlay.
Default hotkey: ⌃⌥K
Sessions — Pro
Save frames from Draw, Freeze, or Whiteboard into a local library. Reorder, rename, export PNG set or multi-page PDF.
Whiteboard deep dive
Mindmap
- Tab — add a child node
- Return — add a sibling
- ⌘⇧L — arrange the tree (tree or radial)
- Collapse a branch when the board gets busy; drag a collapsed subtree as one unit
- New children inherit the parent’s color and style
- Start from Lesson Outline or Concept Map templates when available
Teaching widgets
Drop these from the toolbar / Annotation menu — they sit on the same infinite canvas as shapes and mindmaps.
- Paper — background color plus patterns (dots, grid, lines, graph, isometric).
- Sticky note — pastel note for a question or reminder.
- Callout — speech-style card for a shout-out.
- Checklist — interactive todos with an Add row (great for agendas).
- Frame — titled region to group related content.
- Quote — attributed quote card.
- Polaroid — photo with an editable caption under the frame.
- Media link — paste or drop a YouTube / video / audio URL; the card shows a poster and plays inline on the board (you can move and resize while it plays).
- Highlight box / Redaction / Step badge — call out a region, redact a strip, or mark a numbered step on a screenshot.
Architecture stencils (system design)
From the stencil menu, drop ready-made blocks for architecture diagrams — connect them with arrows like any other shape:
- Compute — Web App, Service, Auth Service, Client/User, Worker
- Data — Database, PostgreSQL, Cache, Redis, Object Storage
- Messaging — Queue, Event Stream
- Network — Load Balancer, API Gateway, External API, CDN
- Infrastructure — Cloud, Region/VPC, Kubernetes/Cluster
Use these when you sketch a backend or product topology mid-call instead of drawing boxes from scratch.
The properties panel only shows controls that apply to the current selection. Multi-select drag moves the whole selection without grouping first.
Export
Export the board to PNG, SVG, or Excalidraw when you want the artifact in slides or another editor.
Keyboard shortcuts
Leader key (global)
Default leader is ⌃⌥ (remappable modifiers in Settings) + letter:
| Key | Mode |
|---|---|
| D | Draw |
| S | Spotlight |
| F | Freeze |
| W | Whiteboard |
| T | Break Timer |
| H | Cursor Halo |
| K | Keystroke Display |
| Esc | Close current mode |
In Draw / Freeze
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Shift+P | Pan |
| B | Pen |
| Shift+A | Arrow |
| Shift+R | Rectangle |
| N | Number marker |
| E | Eraser |
| 1–4 | Colors |
| U / Shift+U | Undo / redo |
| X | Clear |
| C | Copy |
| Shift+S | Save |
| R | Reset viewport |
Break Timer
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| P | Pause / resume |
| M | Add one minute |
Free vs Pro
| Free forever | 60s trial / Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Draw | Yes | — |
| Spotlight | Yes | — |
| Break Timer | Yes | — |
| Freeze | — | Trial, then Pro |
| Whiteboard | — | Trial, then Pro |
| Cursor Halo | — | Trial, then Pro |
| Keystroke Display | — | Trial, then Pro |
| Sessions, unlimited overlays, export/copy, command URLs, launch at login | — | Pro |
While a Pro trial is running, a countdown pill shows remaining seconds (for example Pro trial · 60s). When it ends, reopen for another preview or buy a license from Settings / the pricing section.
Pro is a one-time purchase (launch pricing on the product page), not a subscription. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Stream Deck and command URLs
HoverBoard registers the hoverboard:// URL scheme for automation (Stream Deck, Alfred, shortcuts):
open "hoverboard://activate/draw"
open "hoverboard://activate/spotlight"
open "hoverboard://activate/freeze"
open "hoverboard://activate/whiteboard"
open "hoverboard://activate/timer"
open "hoverboard://activate/halo"
open "hoverboard://activate/keys"
open "hoverboard://stop"Tool and color actions also exist (hoverboard://action/tool/pen, …/color/red, undo, clear, timer-pause, and more). Full list: see the app’s COMMANDS docs or Settings. Command URLs are a Pro capability.
HoverBoard vs Presentify-class tools
Apps like Presentify are excellent at annotate, cursor highlight, spotlight, and often screen zoom. HoverBoard overlaps on draw / cursor / spotlight, then adds:
- Freeze & Explain
- Break Timer
- Live Keystroke Display
- Teaching whiteboard (mindmap + collage widgets) with Excalidraw export
- Sessions capture and PDF export
- Draw, Spotlight, and Break Timer free forever
We do not claim competitor pricing (it changes). For a side-by-side matrix, see the comparison table on the product page.
Privacy
- No account and no backend for your screen contents
- Boards, sessions, and drawings stay on your Mac until you export
- Keystroke Display shows keys on screen — confirm the privacy prompt before first use, and avoid enabling it when typing passwords
Troubleshooting
Hotkeys do nothing
- Grant Accessibility to HoverBoard in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
- Check Settings that the leader key and mode shortcuts are enabled.
- Another app may own the same combo — remapping usually fixes it.
Freeze asks for Screen Recording
Allow Screen Recording for HoverBoard, then try Freeze again.
Menu bar icon missing
Look in the overflow menu. Quit and relaunch from Applications. Confirm you are on macOS 14+.
Trial ended mid-demo
Reopen the Pro tool for another 60-second preview, or unlock Pro. Draw / Spotlight / Timer never start a trial.
Keystroke HUD not showing
Confirm you accepted the privacy alert, Accessibility is granted, and you used ⌃⌥K (or your custom shortcut).
Recommended teaching workflow
- Install and learn ⌃⌥D (Draw) and ⌃⌥S (Spotlight) — both free.
- Use ⌃⌥F to freeze when a live UI is about to move.
- Keep ⌃⌥T ready for workshop breaks.
- Open Whiteboard for digressions; Tab / Return for mindmaps; collage widgets for checklists and photos.
- Enable Keystroke Display only when demoing shortcuts.
- On Pro, Save to Session as you teach, then export a PDF after class.
- Optionally wire Stream Deck to
hoverboard://activate/….
Get help
- HoverBoard product page — download, pricing, FAQ, compare
- Origin story — why the app exists
- Email [email protected]
Present like a pro — without the mid-call app shuffle.