How to Annotate Your Screen on Mac

Why annotate directly on your screen?

When the audience is already looking at an app or browser, a mark beside the relevant detail keeps the explanation in context. An arrow can identify a button; a rectangle can frame a group of controls; an underline can connect what you say to the line students should read.

Use screen annotation for temporary explanation during slides, website walkthroughs, code reviews and live software demos. If you need a lasting edit to a document, use the document’s own editing tools or a workflow that exports the annotated result. A mark over the screen is not an edit to the underlying file.

How to annotate your screen with TeacherPalette

TeacherPalette adds drawing tools over the Mac apps you already use. Set up a small rehearsal before your first live session.

1. Prepare the screen you will explain. Open your slides, browser or app. Increase the app’s text size if needed and choose the display your audience will see.
2. Open TeacherPalette and choose a drawing tool. Select Pen, Highlighter, Arrow, Rectangle or Text from the toolbar. Use a color that contrasts with the material underneath.
3. Make one purposeful mark. Point to the next control with an arrow or frame the area you are discussing. Pause so the audience can read it before adding more.
4. Correct or clear the annotation. Use Undo or Eraser to correct a mark. While drawing, ⌫ clears the screen; automatic clearing on release is useful for brief marks.
5. Return to the live app. Turn drawing mode off before interacting with the app again. Clear old marks before scrolling or changing slides so they do not point to the wrong content.
6. Check the audience view. Make a test mark while watching the projector or shared output. For an online session, confirm that your chosen screen-sharing mode includes the annotations you want learners to see.

Global keyboard shortcuts need Input Monitoring permission. Magnifier needs Screen Recording permission when you use it. Follow TeacherPalette’s permission prompts and the Help & Tips if a tool does not respond as expected.

During a screen share, TeacherPalette can keep its toolbar and private HUD out of the audience view. Check the shared output before the session so you know which controls and annotations learners will see.

Choose the tool that matches the point

• Pen: a quick handwritten label or a small sketch.
• Highlighter: a phrase or line that should stay readable.
• Arrow: the next control, a relationship, or a direction of movement.
• Rectangle: a whole area of an interface or diagram.
• Text: a label when handwriting would be hard to read.
• Eraser: remove a mark without restarting the explanation.

TeacherPalette’s custom palette lets you keep favorite tools and colors close. Shortcuts are remappable, so practice the setup you actually use rather than memorizing an unfamiliar sequence right before class.

Use Spotlight or Magnifier when ink is not the answer

If a busy screen makes the subject hard to find, use Spotlight to focus attention on an area. If the detail is too small, use Magnifier to enlarge it; underlining tiny text does not make it easier to read. Laser Pointer and cursor tools can guide movement during a walkthrough without leaving permanent marks.

Keep annotations brief and use one visual cue at a time. A clear screen between steps makes each new mark meaningful.

When to use Whiteboard instead

A screen overlay is ideal for a quick explanation of what is already visible. Move to Whiteboard when you need room for a diagram, a worked example, or an answer that will take several steps. Give each idea its own page instead of filling the current slide with writing.

TeacherPalette’s Whiteboard supports multiple pages and saved sessions. Import a PDF using Whiteboard’s PDF import feature if the document should stay with your notes, then export the annotated pages as a PDF. See the focused guides to presentation Whiteboard and annotating PDFs while presenting.

A 30-second rehearsal before you present

Draw an arrow, highlight one line, clear the marks and click the next control. Check contrast and line thickness from the audience’s view. If the marks disappear from the shared output, check the selected display and sharing mode before you begin.

Try this on a Mac with Apple Silicon running macOS 15 or later. Start with the tools you need for one explanation, then add Whiteboard or PDF workflows when the session calls for them.