// GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
How to draw on your screen while recording on a Mac
QuickTime and the built-in screen recorder (⌘⇧5) can't draw, but they record everything on screen. Turn on an annotation app like Overlaid, draw while you record, and it ends up in the video with nothing to add in the edit.
Adding arrows and circles in the edit takes ages. Drawing them live while you record takes seconds, and it looks more natural too.
The trick is that your Mac's recorder captures whatever is on the display. So anything that draws on the display gets recorded.
METHOD 01
Show clicks in the built-in recorder
Free, built in
Before anything else: the macOS screenshot toolbar can show your mouse clicks in recordings.
- 1Press ⌘⇧5.
- 2Open Options and turn on Show Mouse Clicks.
- 3Record the entire screen or a portion of it.
GOOD
- +Free
- +Viewers see where you clicked
NOT SO GOOD
- −No drawing, no keystrokes
METHOD 02THAT'S US
Draw with Overlaid while you record
$11.99 once, 7-day free trial
Draw, zoom and show keystrokes on screen while QuickTime or ⌘⇧5 records. It all lands in the video.
- 1Start recording with ⌘⇧5 (or File, New Screen Recording in QuickTime).
- 2Press ⌃⌥K to show keystrokes, if you want them.
- 3Press ⌃⌥D and draw. Set ink to fade so marks don't pile up.
- 4Stop recording. Nothing to add in the edit.
GOOD
- +Keystrokes, zoom and emphasis recorded in
- +Fading ink means nothing to cut
- +No watermark
NOT SO GOOD
- −Paid after the trial
// WORTH KNOWING
THREE TIPS.
Record the display
Both full screen and a selected portion include overlays. If you crop later, keep drawings inside the crop.
Thicker lines for video
Compression eats thin lines. Press ] once or twice in Overlaid to thicken strokes.
Plan one zoom
A single well-timed zoom into a small detail beats constant zooming in and out.
// FAQ
QUICK QUESTIONS.
No. QuickTime records the screen but has no drawing tools. Anything drawn by another app is recorded though.
Yes, as long as you record the display, which is what QuickTime and ⌘⇧5 do.
// COMPARE
// GUIDES
// YOUR NEXT CALL
Draw on your screen in the next five minutes.
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