// GUIDE · UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026
How to draw on your Mac screen while presenting
macOS can't draw on the live screen by itself. Markup only works on screenshots. To draw over any app while you talk, use your call app's annotation tools (Zoom, Teams, Meet) or install a screen annotation app like ZoomIt for Mac (free) or Overlaid.
Pointing at things with your cursor works right up until someone asks 'which one?'. Drawing a quick circle or arrow on screen is faster and clearer, but your Mac doesn't have a built-in way to do it on the live screen.
Here's every option we know of, starting with the free ones.
METHOD 01
Screenshot Markup
Free, built in
Take a screenshot, then draw on it. Good for something you'll send afterwards, not for live presenting.
- 1Press ⌘⇧4 and drag over the area you want.
- 2Click the thumbnail that appears in the bottom corner.
- 3Use the Markup toolbar to draw, add shapes and text, then share or save.
GOOD
- +Already on every Mac
- +Fine for async feedback
NOT SO GOOD
- −Not live: you draw on a picture, not the screen
- −Breaks the flow of a call
METHOD 02
Your call app's annotation
Free with Zoom, Teams or Meet
Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet all have some form of annotation on a shared screen.
- 1Start sharing your screen.
- 2In Zoom, click Annotate on the share toolbar. In Teams, select Annotate from the presenter toolbar. In Meet, annotation is available to paid Google Workspace users.
- 3Pick a pen and draw.
GOOD
- +No install
- +Viewers can draw too, if you allow it
NOT SO GOOD
- −Only works inside that one app
- −Not in recordings made with other tools
- −No keystrokes or zoom
METHOD 03
ZoomIt for Mac
Free, open source
Microsoft's official Mac version of the classic presentation tool. Freezes the screen, then lets you draw on it.
- 1Install with Homebrew: brew install --cask zoomit
- 2Grant Screen Recording when asked.
- 3Use its shortcut to enter draw mode, then draw on the frozen screen.
GOOD
- +Free
- +Also records, snips and has a break timer
NOT SO GOOD
- −Draws on a frozen capture, so you can't keep using the app underneath
- −Needs Homebrew to install
METHOD 04THAT'S US
Overlaid
$11.99 once, 7-day free trial
Draws on a transparent layer over your live apps, so marks stay while you keep working. Adds keystrokes, zoom and cursor effects.
- 1Download Overlaid and open it. Drawing needs no permissions.
- 2Press ⌃⌥D to turn on draw mode.
- 3Pick a tool with one key: P pen, A arrow, E ellipse, R rectangle, T text.
- 4Draw. Press ⌃⌥D again to go back to using your apps. Your marks stay.
GOOD
- +Works in every app and every call
- +Fading ink cleans up after itself
- +Keystrokes and zoom built in
NOT SO GOOD
- −Paid after the trial
- −Needs macOS 14 or later
- −No whiteboard mode
// WHICHEVER YOU PICK
THREE TIPS.
Share your whole screen
Annotation apps draw in their own transparent window. A single-window share won't include it, so viewers see nothing. Share the entire screen.
Use fading ink on calls
If your app supports it, set marks to fade after a few seconds. You'll never have to stop and clear the screen.
Go thicker than you think
Video calls compress hard. A thin line that looks fine on your screen can vanish for viewers.
// FAQ
QUICK QUESTIONS.
Only on screenshots, with Markup. For the live screen you need either your call app's annotation tools or a screen annotation app.
Yes, as long as you share your entire screen. Drawings from annotation apps are a separate layer, and single-window shares don't include it.
Yes, with Sidecar. Use your iPad as a second display and the Pencil works as a pointer, so any screen annotation app, Overlaid included, can be drawn on with it.
// COMPARE
- Overlaid vs PresentifyThe best-known Mac screen annotation app: drawing, cursor highlight, spotlight, zoom and a whiteboard.
- Overlaid vs ZoomIt for MacMicrosoft's free, open-source Mac port of the classic Windows presentation tool: zoom, draw, snip, record.
- Overlaid vs Zoom's built-in annotationThe annotation toolbar inside Zoom's screen share. Free, collaborative, and only inside Zoom.
// 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.