How to annotate a screenshot on Mac
Right after a screenshot, click the thumbnail that appears in the corner of the screen: it opens Markup, where you can draw, add shapes and arrows, type text and crop. For a screenshot you took earlier, open it in Preview and click the Markup button. For numbered steps, a highlighter that follows the text and blur, use an editor such as SimpleShot.
Updated
Mark up a screenshot with the tools built into macOS
- Take the screenshot with ⇧⌘4 and click the thumbnail before it slides away. For an older file, open it in Preview and click the Markup button (the pen tip).
- Choose a tool: Sketch or Draw for freehand, Shapes for boxes, circles and arrows, Text for words, Highlight for a marker.
- Pick colours and line widths from the toolbar.
- Click Done to save, or drag the thumbnail into a message.
Annotate faster with SimpleShot
SimpleShot, a free capture app for Mac, opens its editor from the thumbnail with a double-click. Labelled tools sit on the left, their settings on the right, and every tool has a one-letter key:
| Key | Tool | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| A | Arrow | Straight, curved or double. Hold Shift for clean angles. |
| R, O | Box, ellipse | Outline a detail, or fill it to cover it. |
| T | Text | Typed right on the image; double-click to change it later. |
| N | Numbered steps | 1, 2, 3 that renumber themselves when you delete one. |
| H | Highlighter | Snaps to the line of text under it. Hold ⌥ to draw freely. |
| K | Strike out | Cross out a word and write the right one above it. |
| S, M | Spotlight, magnifier | Dim everything but what matters, or enlarge a small detail. |
| B, X, D | Blur, pixelate, Secure Redact | Soften a busy area, or cover a secret with solid pixels. |
Every step can be undone. Open a capture again from the Library later and every mark can still be moved and changed. Before you send it, Hide Sensitive Data covers the e-mail addresses, phone and card numbers, IBANs and keys it finds, and Beautify puts the capture on a background of its own colours.
No app at hand? Try the same editor in your browser: annotate a screenshot online, nothing uploaded.
For step-by-step guides and bug reports
- Capture each screen with ⇧⌘4, or the same area again with ⌥⇧⌘L.
- Press N and click to number the places to click, A for arrows, T for a short note.
- Press Hide Sensitive Data to cover e-mails, numbers and keys, and S for a spotlight on what matters.
- Copy it into the guide or the ticket, or press Link to share it.
For a sequence that only makes sense moving, record a short GIF instead: how to record a GIF on Mac.
Questions
How do I draw on a screenshot on a Mac?
Click the thumbnail right after taking it, or open the file in Preview and click Markup. Choose Sketch or Draw and draw with the trackpad or mouse.
How do I add an arrow to a screenshot on a Mac?
In Markup, open Shapes and choose the arrow, then drag it into place. In SimpleShot press A and drag; hold Shift for straight angles.
How do I add text to a screenshot on a Mac?
In Markup, click the Text tool (the T) and type in the box that appears. In SimpleShot press T and click where the text should go.
Can I edit my annotations later?
Not after Markup saves the file. In SimpleShot, captures opened again from the Library keep every mark editable.
Related
- How to blur part of a screenshot on Mac
- How to crop a screenshot on Mac
- How to keep a screenshot on top of every window
Make your point,
in a few keys.
Free · macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon