/
Microsoft Hubs Guide

Microsoft Hubs Guide

Nov 03, 2025

Overview

This guide explains how to use the Surface Hub 3 for meetings at USF. It covers connecting devices, sharing content, using the whiteboard, and managing calls for smooth, productive collaboration.


Table of Contents

Home screen

  1. QR Code
       Scan this code with your phone to connect to the Hub for collaboration.
  2. Currently set time, date, and the Hub's given name
  3. Meet now
       Shortcut to start a Teams meeting.
  4. Call
  5. Share
  6. Whiteboard
       Launches the built-in Whiteboard application taking notes with collaborative features.
  7. Join with an ID
  8. More

Back to top

Meet Now

  1. Select “Meet now” in the Teams pane to start an instant meeting.

  2. Add Participants: A text field will appear—start typing the names of the people you want to invite.

  3. Invite Participants: As you type, suggestions will appear. Tap each name to select and invite them.

  4. Start the Meeting: Once participants are selected, tap their names to send invitations and begin the meeting.

    This process lets you quickly start a spontaneous meeting directly from the Surface Hub’s Teams interface.

Back to top

Call

Wake up the Surface Hub, if necessary: Approach the device to wake it.

From the welcome screen, tap Call.

Choose one of the following options:

  • Meet Now: Type the name of an internal contact in the dropdown, select them, then tap Start Meeting.

  • Dial Pad: Enter an internal or external phone number, then tap the Call button.

To Add Someone to an Ongoing Call:

During an active call, tap Show participants.

In the Invite someone box, enter the person’s name or email address.

Alternatively, dial the person’s phone number to add them to the call.

Back to top

Share (Casting)

Sharing, also called Casting, can be done whether or not you’re in a meeting.


Before starting:

Enable Bluetooth on your Teams device.

Enable Automatically accept proximity-based meeting invitations for best results.


From a Windows PC:

Open the Teams app and sign in with your account.

In the top menu bar, select Settings and more next to your profile picture.

Choose Cast from the dropdown menu to search for nearby Teams Rooms.

Select a nearby Teams Room from the list. Rooms with a wireless icon under their name will automatically accept the session if casting is enabled.




  1.  Select Next.

  2. If you have a meeting scheduled in the room, you can choose to Just cast or Cast and join a scheduled meeting. If there are no meetings scheduled for the rest of the day, these options will not appear.



  3.  Select Next. 

  4. Choose the content you want to cast to the device, then select Cast.

From a mobile device

If you have the Microsoft Teams app on your mobile device, you can connect to the Surface Hub by scanning the QR code displayed on the screen. From the Teams app, select Cast content to share materials—such as a PowerPoint presentation—directly from your phone.

End Sharing

To end the cast session, select End meeting on your computer. This will end the meeting for both your computer and the room.

If you select Leave in Teams on your computer, you’ll also need to end the call on the device you were casting to.

Back to top

Whiteboard

Start a Whiteboard Session

From the Surface Hub Home screen, tap Whiteboard to begin. When not in a meeting, this creates a temporary session. To save your work, select Save and invite your Teams work account to ensure the whiteboard is saved to your OneDrive for Business.



Switch to Online Collaboration

Select Start meeting from the whiteboard screen to begin an ad-hoc meeting with a temporary whiteboard. The whiteboard is saved to the OneDrive of the first participant (in the same tenant) who is not using a Teams Rooms device. Participants receive an email from the whiteboard owner with a link, and can also access it under the Meeting Whiteboard tab in the meeting chat.

Start a Whiteboard During a Meeting

While in a meeting, select Share, then choose Microsoft Whiteboard. If the meeting is scheduled by a non–Teams Rooms user in the same tenant, the whiteboard saves to the organizer’s OneDrive if they are present when it’s started. If not, it saves to the OneDrive of another non–Teams Rooms participant present in the meeting.

Collaborate: Use the pen or sticky notes to add ideas. Other participants can see and interact with the whiteboard in real time.


Start a Meeting with Whiteboard Collaboration

When you select Start meeting, Teams Rooms users can invite others to join.

For the whiteboard to become collaborative, at least one participant not joining through a Teams Rooms device must be present.

Collaboration between two Teams Rooms devices alone is not supported.


Export Your Work: After your session, tap Settings > Export to email your whiteboard or save a copy in formats such as SVG or PNG.

Back to top

Join with an ID

  1. Locate and select the Join with an ID button 
  2. Enter the numeric Meeting ID: provided in your meeting invitation. 
  3. Enter the alpha-numeric Passcode: from the meeting invitation. 
  4. Select the Join Team meeting button: to enter the meeting.

Where to Find the Meeting ID and Passcode

  • The Meeting ID and Passcode can be located directly in your meeting invitation — either within the email or the corresponding calendar entry.
  • If you no longer have the invitation, contact the meeting host to obtain the ID and passcode .

Back to top

More

Here you can find settings for Accessibility and Language preferences.

Back to top




If you are unable to solve your issue with this knowledge base article, please contact the USF IT Service Desk by using Chat at itchat.usf.edu, calling (813) 974-HELP (4357) or emailing help@usf.edu. 

If you find any errors or omissions in any knowledge base article, please contact and inform the USF IT Service Desk by calling (813) 974-HELP (4357) or emailing help@usf.edu.