// GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
How to draw on your screen in VS Code while demoing code
VS Code can show your keystrokes and mouse clicks with Screencast Mode and zoom the whole editor, but it has no drawing tool. To circle or underline code while you talk, run a screen annotation app like Overlaid on top of it.
Most of what makes a code demo easy to follow is already inside VS Code. Zoom the editor, turn on Screencast Mode, and your audience can read what you type.
What's missing is pointing. A circle around the line you mean, or an arrow to the panel you're about to click, is what stops people asking where you are.
METHOD 01
VS Code's own presenting tools
Free
Screencast Mode, editor zoom and Zen Mode make the code readable. None of them draw.
- 1Open the Command Palette and run Toggle Screencast Mode. Mouse clicks get a red circle and your keystrokes appear on screen.
- 2Zoom the editor from View > Appearance until the code is readable from the back of the room.
- 3Switch on Zen Mode to hide the sidebar and status bar.
GOOD
- +Free and built in
- +Screencast Mode can limit the overlay to keyboard shortcuts
NOT SO GOOD
- −No pen, arrow or highlighter
- −Screencast Mode only works inside VS Code, not in your terminal app or browser
METHOD 02THAT'S US
Overlaid
$11.99 once, 7-day free trial
Draws over VS Code and every other app, so one tool covers your editor, your browser and your terminal.
- 1Zoom the editor first, then press ⌃⌥D to start drawing.
- 2Circle the line, draw an arrow, or underline a function name.
- 3Set ink to fade so marks clear themselves before you move on.
- 4Press ⌃⌥K for keystrokes that also work outside VS Code.
GOOD
- +Works in every app, not just the editor
- +Fading ink and a ruler for straight underlines
- +Keeps its own drawings on each full-screen Space
NOT SO GOOD
- −A separate paid app after the trial
// WORTH KNOWING
THREE TIPS.
Zoom the editor before you draw
A bigger font means a bigger target for your circle, and your audience can read the code underneath.
Pick one keystroke display
If you use Overlaid's keystrokes, turn Screencast Mode off so shortcuts don't show twice.
Full-screen VS Code keeps its own drawings
If you demo in full screen and swipe to a browser, each Space remembers its own marks, so nothing leaks across.
// FAQ
QUICK QUESTIONS.
No. It has Screencast Mode for clicks and keystrokes, and zoom, but no drawing tool.
Open the Command Palette and run Toggle Screencast Mode. There is also a setting to show only keyboard shortcuts.
Yes, if you share your entire screen. A single-window share leaves them out.
// COMPARE
// GUIDES
// YOUR NEXT CALL
Draw on your screen in the next five minutes.
7 days free with every feature. Then a one-time purchase. No account, no subscription.