How to get comments pinned to a screenshot
To get comments pinned to a screenshot, you need a tool that treats annotations as positioned objects rather than pixels — not a drawing app that flattens everything into the file. On Mac, Preview lets you add a sticky note at a specific spot. For collecting someone else's comments on the exact element they mean, share a review link they can open in their browser and click to pin a note right there — no downloading, no re-emailing a marked-up copy.
On Mac with Preview (sticky notes, not drawings)
Open your screenshot in Preview and press Shift ⌘ A to reveal the Markup Toolbar. Click the speech-bubble icon to add a Note — it places a yellow sticky pinned to that spot, not burned into the pixels. The catch: notes are only visible inside Preview and disappear when you export to JPG or PNG. To send the annotated file, export as PDF (File → Export as PDF) and the notes survive as proper PDF annotations the recipient can open and read. If your client is on Windows, they'll need Adobe Reader to see the notes; Preview-format annotations don't render in all apps.
On Windows with Snipping Tool + Word (embedded comments)
Snipping Tool (Win + Shift + S) captures your screen but its built-in editor only draws — it has no pinned-comment layer. For positioned comments, paste the screenshot into a Word document, then use Insert → Comment to add a margin note. Word pins the comment to the selection you made on the image, so whoever opens the file can see which area each note refers to. Export as a PDF to share it. Limitation: the other person needs Word or a PDF reader that supports comment markup to interact with them.
In Figma (if the screenshot is a design asset)
If your screenshot lives in Figma — a mockup, a frame, or an imported PNG — anyone with view access can hover any element and press C to drop a comment pinned to that exact spot. Comments live in a sidebar thread, they're resolvable, and anyone with the Figma link can read them. The constraint is the reviewer needs a Figma account. Clients who've never used Figma often create an account just to comment, then forget their login by the next review round. For one-off external reviewers, that friction adds up.
In a browser-based annotation tool (no install)
Tools like Annotely, Pastel, and similar web annotators let you upload a screenshot, draw arrows and shapes on it, and add text labels. The result is a flat image with markup baked in — good when you're the one marking things up and sending the result to someone. Less good when you want someone else to add their own pinned comment and have you see it in context. For that, you'd need both people in the same tool at the same time, or the reviewer to download, mark up, and re-upload their own copy. Most people fall back to circling things in iPhone markup and emailing the photo back.
Via a shared review link (the cleanest path for client feedback)
The problem with every file-based approach: your client gets a copy. They open it in whatever app they happen to have, draw on it or type next to it, and send a new file back. Now you have two versions of the screenshot, vague positional references like "the thing on the right side," and no easy way to track what's been addressed. The cleaner path is a shareable link that opens in a browser — the client clicks the spot they mean and the comment pins right there, on the original, and you see every note in one place. No file versions, no re-emailing, no "which arrow did you mean?"
If the goal is getting a client's comment pinned to the exact pixel they mean — not a forwarded JPEG with circles drawn in iPhone Markup — drop the screenshot into Drafty and share the link. They click the element, type their note, and it pins there. No account, no install. Every comment lands in a thread on the same link, and you can mark each one resolved as you go.
Open a live demoQuestions
- How do I get a client to comment on the exact spot on a screenshot?
- Share a review link rather than a file. When you send a file, the client marks it up in whatever app they have and sends a new version back — you end up with positional guesses like "the part near the top." A review link lets them click the exact element in their browser and pin a note there, with no app to download and no copy of the file to manage.
- Can I add pinned comments to a screenshot for free?
- Yes. Preview on Mac adds sticky notes pinned to a spot and exports them in PDFs at no cost. On Windows, pasting a screenshot into Word and using Insert → Comment pins margin notes for free. Browser-based tools like Annotely are also free for basic markup, though annotations are baked flat into the image.
- How is a pinned comment different from drawing an arrow on a screenshot?
- An arrow drawn on a screenshot is a pixel — it's part of the image and can't be replied to, resolved, or moved. A pinned comment is a positioned object with its own text, author, and thread. The recipient can reply to it, mark it done, and see at a glance which comments are still open. Most screenshot tools only draw; review tools pin.
- What is the easiest way for a non-technical client to comment on a screenshot?
- A browser link they can open without installing anything. The biggest friction point with Figma comments, PDF annotations, and markup tools is that the client needs an account or an app. A public review link sidesteps that — they click, type, and the note lands on the spot they clicked.
- How do I collect all my client's screenshot comments in one place?
- The file-based methods scatter feedback across inboxes and file versions. A single review link keeps every comment on one artifact — the client adds notes, you see them in the same thread, and nothing gets lost between email attachments. When a new version is ready, the notes from the previous round are still visible for reference.
- Do pinned comments survive when I export a screenshot as a PDF?
- It depends on the tool. Preview on Mac preserves sticky notes in PDF exports — they show as proper PDF annotations in most readers. Drawing-based annotations (arrows, shapes drawn in Paint or Snipping Tool) are burned into the image pixels and don't survive as interactive comments. Figma comments don't export with the PDF at all.
Keep exploring
Stop emailing files back and forth.
Share one link. They comment on the exact spot — no account, always the current version.