// GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
How to draw on your screen in Keynote while presenting
Keynote on a Mac can't draw from the Mac itself. You can draw on your slides from an iPhone or iPad running Keynote as a remote, or use a screen annotation app like Overlaid to draw straight from your Mac with a mouse or trackpad.
Keynote is lovely for building slides, but once you press Play on a Mac there's no pen in the menu. That surprises a lot of people the first time they try to circle something mid-talk.
Apple's answer is to draw from a second device. That works well if you have one nearby. If you don't, an overlay app does the same job from the Mac you're already using.
METHOD 01
Keynote Remote on iPhone or iPad
Free, built in
Control the slideshow from your phone or iPad and draw on it with your finger. The drawing shows up on the Mac that's presenting.
- 1Set up your iPhone or iPad as a Keynote remote (Keynote on the device, then Keynote Remote).
- 2Press Play on your Mac.
- 3On the remote, tap the Illustrator button, pick a colour and draw on the slide. Or tap the laser pointer and move your finger.
GOOD
- +Free
- +Drawing with a finger feels natural
- +Also gives you a laser pointer
NOT SO GOOD
- −Needs a second device, set up before the talk
- −Only works inside the Keynote slideshow
- −Can't draw from the Mac's own mouse or trackpad
METHOD 02
Apple Pencil on an iPad as a second display
Free, needs an iPad and Pencil
With your iPad connected to your Mac as a second display, Apple Pencil works as a laser pointer on your slides.
- 1Connect your iPad as a display with Sidecar.
- 2Play the presentation.
- 3Use Apple Pencil on the iPad to point.
GOOD
- +Precise pointing
NOT SO GOOD
- −A pointer, not a pen
- −Needs specific hardware
METHOD 03THAT'S US
Overlaid
$11.99 once, 7-day free trial
Draws on a transparent layer above Keynote, so you can circle, underline and write from your Mac's own trackpad or mouse. Works the same in every other app.
- 1Press Play in Keynote as usual.
- 2Press ⌃⌥D to turn on draw mode.
- 3Press E for an ellipse, A for an arrow or P for the pen, and draw.
- 4Press ⌃⌥D again to hand the mouse back to Keynote and keep clicking through slides.
GOOD
- +No second device
- +Fading ink, so slides stay clean
- +Also works outside Keynote, in demos and on calls
NOT SO GOOD
- −Paid after the trial
- −Needs macOS 14 or later
// WORTH KNOWING
THREE TIPS.
Show the pointer
Press C during a Keynote slideshow to show or hide the pointer. Handy before you start drawing.
Practise the switch
Rehearse turning draw mode on and off once before the talk, so the audience doesn't watch you hunt for it.
Fade between slides
Set ink to fade after a few seconds and you never have to clear a slide before advancing.
// FAQ
QUICK QUESTIONS.
Not with Keynote itself. Drawing during a slideshow comes from an iPhone or iPad remote. To draw from the Mac, use a screen annotation app on top of Keynote.
Through the iPhone or iPad remote, yes. With an iPad as a second display, Apple Pencil works as one too. From the Mac alone, you can show the pointer with C, and overlay apps add spotlight or halo effects.
Neither method changes your file. Drawings are for the live presentation only.
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