How to annotate a screenshot
To annotate a screenshot for free, open it in Preview on Mac (press Shift ⌘ A for the markup toolbar), or in Photos/Markup on iPhone. On Windows, open the image in the Snipping Tool or Paint and use the shape and text tools. To collect annotations from a client, share a link they can mark up in their browser — no file download, no account needed.
On Mac with Preview
Open the screenshot in Preview (double-click the file — it's the default on macOS). Press Shift ⌘ A to reveal the Markup Toolbar, or go to View → Show Markup Toolbar. You'll get arrows, shapes, a text tool, a highlight pen, and a magnifier loupe. Click the spot you want to call out, pick a tool, and add the annotation. Save with ⌘ S. If you want crisp arrows that don't look hand-drawn, use the Shape tool's arrow option — drag from tail to tip. One gotcha: if you close Preview before saving, annotations are lost on some macOS versions. Save before you close.
On Windows with Snipping Tool or Paint
Press Windows + Shift + S to take a screenshot with Snipping Tool — it copies straight to your clipboard and opens a small editor where you can draw, add text, and crop before saving. For a screenshot you already have, open it in Paint: click the Shapes tool, pick a rectangle or arrow, draw it on the image, and add a text box via the Text tool. Save as PNG. For more options — numbered call-outs, blurred sections, highlight boxes — free tools like ShareX (Windows-only, open source) add those in a few clicks without a subscription.
On iPhone or Android
On iPhone: take the screenshot (Power + Volume Up), then tap the thumbnail that appears in the bottom-left corner before it disappears. This opens the Markup editor immediately — you get a pen, highlighter, text box, arrows, and shapes. Tap Done to save or share directly. On Android, the screenshot goes to your Gallery; open it, tap Edit, and look for a Markup or Draw option (the icon varies by manufacturer). For either platform, if you need something more structured — numbered steps, blur boxes — a free browser-based annotator like Annotely handles the rest without installing anything.
In your browser (any platform, no install)
If you'd rather not use a desktop app, browser-based annotators work on any OS. Upload the screenshot, add arrows, shapes, and text, then download the annotated image or copy a share link. Free options include Annotely (no signup) and Markup Hero. The workflow: open the tool, drag in the screenshot, annotate, download. The limitation is one-directional — you annotate and send an image file. If the client needs to annotate it back, they get a static file and have to repeat the process, and you end up with two annotated copies to reconcile.
When a client needs to annotate it back
The standard flow — annotate, export as PNG, email the file — breaks down when you want the client's feedback on top of yours. They open the image in whatever viewer they have, screenshot that, draw their own arrows, and email back a third-generation JPEG. By round three, you're reading blurry red circles and trying to match them to the original. A cleaner approach: share a link they can annotate directly in their browser. Their note pins to the exact pixel they mean. No file bouncing, no version confusion — every comment lands in one place.
If the point is getting your client's feedback — not annotating for docs — skip the export step. Drop the screenshot (or the live design) into Drafty, share the link, and your client clicks the exact spot they mean and pins a note right there. No download, no account. You see their comment anchored to the element, reply in the thread, and share a revised version on the same link. The back-and-forth that used to be three emailed PNGs becomes one URL.
Open a live demoQuestions
- How do I annotate a screenshot on a Mac for free?
- Open the screenshot in Preview (macOS default), then press Shift ⌘ A to show the Markup Toolbar. Add arrows, shapes, and text notes — all free, nothing to install. Save with ⌘ S before closing.
- How do I annotate a screenshot on Windows for free?
- Open the image in Paint and use the Shapes and Text tools. Or press Windows + Shift + S to take a screenshot directly in Snipping Tool, which has a built-in pen and text editor. For numbered call-outs and blur tools, the free open-source app ShareX adds those on Windows.
- How do I annotate a screenshot on my phone?
- On iPhone: tap the screenshot thumbnail right after taking it — this opens Markup before it saves to Photos. On Android: open the screenshot in your Gallery app, tap Edit, and look for a Draw or Markup option. Both give you pens, text, and shapes built in.
- What is the best free tool to annotate screenshots online?
- For quick one-off annotation with no account, Annotely and Markup Hero both work in the browser — upload a screenshot, add annotations, download. If you also need to share the result so someone else can annotate it back, a collaborative link-based tool is more practical than emailing image files.
- How do I share an annotated screenshot with a client?
- Export as PNG and email it, or share a link they can open in a browser. Email works for simple cases; a shared link is better when you want their annotations back on the same image without creating separate files.
- Can my client annotate a screenshot without downloading any software?
- Yes — if you share a browser-based review link rather than a file. They open the URL, click the spot they mean, and leave a note pinned to it. No download, no account. This avoids the file-bouncing problem where everyone ends up with a different annotated copy.
Keep exploring
Stop emailing files back and forth.
Share one link. They comment on the exact spot — no account, always the current version.