OBJECTIVE: to analyse the effectiveness of a virtual educational intervention for family caregivers on the burden and ability to care for elderly people after stroke. METHOD: randomized pragmatic trial with 58 caregivers of elderly survivors of stroke. The intervention group received access to an online course for caregiver education. Caregiver training was assessed using the Scale of Capabilities of Informal Caregivers for Dependent Elderly People due to Stroke and burden through the Caregiver Burden Scale before and three months after hospital discharge, both adapted and validated for use in Brazil. The Generalized Estimating Equations model complemented by the Least Significant Difference was adopted. RESULTS: the sample was homogeneous and the groups differed statistically only in relation to kinship (p=0.034), with a higher proportion of children observed in the control group. There was an effect of the intervention on improving medication administration (p=0.006) and reducing disappointment (p=0.011) in the intervention group. CONCLUSION: the intervention benefited the caregivers who received it in terms of improving medication administration and reducing disappointment. This is the first study in Brazil that proposes the use of digital educational technologies for this group, representing an important advance in Nursing. Clinicaltrial.gov registration: NCT05553340. BACKGROUND: (1)First study in Brazil that proposes a MOOC for caregivers of elderly people after stroke. (2)Advances in Nursing in the construction of digital educational technologies. (3)E-share helped caregivers improve medication administration. (4)E-share helped caregivers reduce overload in the disappointment domain. (5)Digital tools contribute to the use of nurses' work.