How to annotate a PNG
To annotate a PNG, open it in Preview on Mac and use the markup toolbar — or drag it into a free browser-based tool like Annotely or Vidocu and add arrows, text, and shapes in one click. On Windows, open it in the Snipping Tool or Paint 3D. To have a client annotate it, share a link they can mark up in their browser with no software installed.
On Mac with Preview (built-in, free)
Open the PNG in Preview — double-click it from Finder, or right-click and choose Open With → Preview. Click View → Show Markup Toolbar (or press Shift ⌘ A). You get a text box, arrow tool, shapes, a highlighter, and a magnifier loupe. Click the area you want to mark, pick a tool, and type your note. When you're done, export with File → Export (not Save) to write the annotations into a new PNG — if you use Save, Preview merges them into the file permanently and they can't be moved later. Preview is free, ships with every Mac, and handles most PNGs without any conversion step.
In your browser — any platform, nothing to install
Drag your PNG into a free browser annotator — Vidocu, Annotely, or Annotation.com all work without an account. Click to add a text label, arrow, rectangle, or callout on the exact spot. When you're done, download the result as a PNG. The catch with all of these is the same: you get a flat, baked-in image back. Every revision means re-uploading, re-annotating, and re-exporting — fine for a one-shot markup, awkward if the client asks for changes. None of these tools store a feedback trail: the annotations live inside the image file, not in a thread someone can reply to.
On Windows with Snipping Tool or Paint
Snipping Tool (Windows 10+) has a built-in markup layer: open the PNG, switch to the Edit tab, and use the pen or highlighter to draw directly on the image. Save the annotated copy as a new PNG. Alternatively, open the file in Paint 3D → use the Text or 3D Shapes tools → Save a copy. The Snipping Tool is the faster path; its annotations are non-destructive until you save. One gotcha: neither tool has an arrow tool by default — if you need directional pointers, use the line tool and draw your own.
When a client needs to annotate it — not you
This is where emailing the PNG breaks down. You send the file; they open it in Preview or Paint, draw on it with a thick red ellipse, re-save, and email it back. Now you have two copies of the image, their markup is baked in, and their comment 'make this bigger' is attached to a red blob with no thread to reply to. The cleaner approach: share a link where they pin notes on the exact spot — no file to download, no version to reconcile, every note lands in one place with a timestamp and a thread you can reply to and resolve.
If a client is the one annotating — not you — drop the PNG into Drafty and share the link. They click the exact element they mean and leave a pinned note right there. No account, no downloaded file bouncing back over email. Every note is threaded, anchored to the spot they clicked, and lands in one place for you to read, reply to, and resolve.
Open a live demoQuestions
- Can I annotate a PNG for free?
- Yes — Preview on Mac, Snipping Tool on Windows, and browser-based tools like Vidocu and Annotely all annotate PNG images at no cost, with no signup required.
- How do I annotate a PNG image online without software?
- Drag the PNG into a free browser annotator — Vidocu, Annotely, or Annotation.com. Pick an arrow, text, or shape tool, click the spot, add your note, and download the result. No account needed on any of them.
- How do I annotate a JPEG the same way?
- Exactly the same: Preview, Snipping Tool, and the browser annotators above all work identically on JPEG files. The only difference is the file format you download at the end — export as JPEG or PNG as needed.
- How do I let a client annotate a PNG without asking them to install anything?
- Share a link they can open in their browser and click to leave notes — no download, no account. The alternative (emailing the file) means getting back a re-saved copy with baked-in red circles and no way to reply to the individual notes.
- What's the difference between annotating a PNG and editing it?
- Annotating adds comments, arrows, and highlights on top of the image without changing the original pixels. Editing changes the actual image — cropping, retouching, or recoloring. Most free tools annotate; to change the underlying image, you'd need a tool like Photoshop or Figma.
- How do I add arrows and text to a PNG?
- On Mac: open in Preview, show the Markup Toolbar (Shift ⌘ A), and use the arrow and text tools. In a browser: drag the PNG into Annotely or Vidocu and click the arrow or text button. On Windows: use Snipping Tool's pen tool, or open in Paint 3D for a text layer.
Keep exploring
Stop emailing files back and forth.
Share one link. They comment on the exact spot — no account, always the current version.