// GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
How to draw on an Excel sheet while presenting on a Mac
Excel for Mac has a Draw tab with pens and a highlighter, but the ink becomes part of the workbook. To circle numbers during a meeting without changing the file, draw on the screen with an annotation app like Overlaid instead.
Walking someone through a spreadsheet is mostly pointing. This cell, that column, the total at the bottom.
Excel can draw, but it draws inside the file. That's useful when you want the marks saved, and awkward when you just want to point and move on.
METHOD 01
Excel's Draw tab
Included with Microsoft 365 and Office 2019 for Mac
Pens and a highlighter on the Draw tab. The ink belongs to the sheet and is saved with the workbook.
- 1Open the Draw tab. If you don't see it, add it from Excel's ribbon settings.
- 2Pick a pen or the highlighter and draw on the sheet.
- 3To hide ink without deleting it, use Ink > Hide Ink on the Review tab.
GOOD
- +Marks can be saved with the file
- +Lasso Select works on ink only, so it won't grab shapes or pictures
NOT SO GOOD
- −Ink changes your workbook
- −Easy to forget it's there when you send the file on
METHOD 02THAT'S US
Overlaid
$11.99 once, 7-day free trial
Draws on the screen, not in the workbook, so there is nothing to clean up afterwards.
- 1Open your sheet and press ⌃⌥D to start drawing.
- 2Circle the cells you mean, or draw a ruler line along a column.
- 3Turn on fading ink so marks disappear after a few seconds.
- 4Press ⌃⌥D again to go back to clicking cells.
GOOD
- +Never touches the file
- +Works the same in Numbers, Google Sheets and the browser
- +Zoom in on small figures and keep drawing
NOT SO GOOD
- −Marks aren't saved with the workbook
// WORTH KNOWING
THREE TIPS.
Decide whether the marks should be saved
If you want them in the file, use the Draw tab. If it's just for the meeting, draw on the screen.
Zoom before you circle
Tiny cells are hard to circle. Zoom the screen in first, then draw.
Hide ink before you send the file
If you used the Draw tab, check the Review tab to hide or delete the ink first.
// FAQ
QUICK QUESTIONS.
Yes, with the Draw tab in Microsoft 365 and Office 2019 for Mac. The ink is saved with the sheet.
No. It draws on the screen above the app, so the file is untouched.
Use Ink > Hide Ink on the Review tab. It hides the ink without deleting it.
// COMPARE
// GUIDES
// YOUR NEXT CALL
Draw on your screen in the next five minutes.
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