// GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
How to draw on a screenshot on a Mac
Take the screenshot with ⌘⇧4, click the thumbnail that appears in the corner, and draw on it with Markup. Or draw on the live screen first with an app like Overlaid, then take the screenshot, so your marks are already in it.
Most screenshots get marked up before they're sent: an arrow to the button, a circle round the error, a box over the part that matters.
Your Mac can do that after the fact with Markup. You can also flip the order and draw first, which skips the editing step entirely.
METHOD 01
The screenshot thumbnail and Markup
Free, built into macOS
Right after you take a screenshot, a thumbnail appears in the corner. Click it to open Markup and draw on the picture.
- 1Press ⌘⇧4 and drag over the area you want, or ⌘⇧3 for the whole screen.
- 2Click the thumbnail in the bottom-right corner before it slides away.
- 3Use the pen, shapes and text tools at the top, then click Done.
GOOD
- +Free and always there
- +Shapes, text and a pen in one place
NOT SO GOOD
- −An extra editing step every time
- −Works on the picture, not the live screen
METHOD 02
Preview's Markup toolbar
Free, built into macOS
For a screenshot you already saved, open it in Preview and use the same Markup tools.
- 1Double-click the screenshot to open it in Preview.
- 2Choose View > Show Markup Toolbar.
- 3Draw, add shapes or text, then save.
GOOD
- +Works on older screenshots and any image
NOT SO GOOD
- −Still a separate editing step
METHOD 03THAT'S US
Overlaid: draw first, then screenshot
$4.99 once, 7-day free trial
Draw on the live screen, then take the screenshot as usual. Your marks are already in it.
- 1Press ⌃⌥D and draw your arrows, circles or a highlight on the live screen.
- 2Press ⌘⇧4 (or ⌘⇧3). The screenshot includes your marks.
- 3Press ⌃⌥⌫ to clear, or let fading ink clear itself.
GOOD
- +No editing step afterwards
- +The same marks work live on calls
- +Zoom in first for small details
NOT SO GOOD
- −Paid after the trial
// WORTH KNOWING
THREE TIPS.
Bring the thumbnail back
If no thumbnail appears, press ⌘⇧5, open Options and turn on Show Floating Thumbnail.
Copy instead of saving
Hold Control as well (⌃⌘⇧4) to put the screenshot on the clipboard, ready to paste into a chat.
Drag the thumbnail straight into an app
You can drag the corner thumbnail into Mail, Slack or a document without saving a file first.
// FAQ
QUICK QUESTIONS.
Click the thumbnail that appears after you take it, then use Markup's pen, shapes and text tools.
Open the image in Preview and choose View > Show Markup Toolbar.
Not with macOS alone. A screen annotation app like Overlaid lets you draw on the live screen, and a normal screenshot picks the marks up.
// 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.