annotator

Draw on your screen as you explain.

For demos, reviews and lessons. Every mark stays editable.

Get Annotator

Free · macOS 14+ · Apple Silicon and Intel · Windows 11

See how each tool works.

Each clip is a recording of the real app.

Circle

Choose Ellipse and circle a number. The Sketchy style keeps it hand-drawn.

Arrow

Click to place points and press Return (Enter on Windows). Drag a point to bend the arrow.

Highlight

Drag the highlighter across a line of text.

Smart Draw

Sketch a box or an arrow, and Smart Draw makes it neat. Then type a label.

Shapes

The tool library has shapes, diagram icons, rulers and more. Pick one and drag to draw it.

Spotlight

Turn on the cursor halo and Spotlight. The light follows your pointer.

Zoom

Screen zoom follows your pointer. Use + and − to change how close it gets.

Blur

Drag over a busy picture to blur it. Blur isn’t secure redaction.

And much more.

Annotator has more than 40 tools. Open the tool library with ⌘L/Ctrl+L or its toolbar button.

Draw

  • Select
  • Line
  • Laser pointer
  • Eraser

Shapes

  • Rectangle
  • Diamond
  • Triangle
  • Hexagon
  • Star
  • Person
  • Cylinder
  • Queue
  • Grid
  • Axes

Diagram icons

  • Server
  • Database
  • Messaging
  • Web
  • Mobile phone
  • Desktop
  • Laptop
  • Document
  • Configuration
  • Load balancer
  • API gateway
  • Envelope
  • Cart
  • Bell

Focus

  • Pointer lens
  • Pixelate
  • Distort
  • Solid cover

Extras

  • Pixel ruler
  • Numbered counter
  • Paste image
  • Insert image
  • My shapes

Style

  • Fill
  • Gradients
  • Dashed lines
  • Sketchy lines
  • Whiteboard
  • Blackboard
Read about the tools in Help
How these videos were made

Real Annotator footage with scripted input and sample content. We changed the speed of the clips and added zooms, titles, drawn marks, music and the sounds of the clicks and keys.

The reel starts muted. Its music is “Product Launch Advertising Commercial Music” by lNPLUSMUSIC, from Pixabay.

The tool clips were recorded the same way, on 27 September 2026. They zoom in on each action and play at up to 1.5× speed. Each clip fades back to its start before it repeats.

The Settings clips show real clicks, drags and typing in Annotator’s Settings. The pointer clip was recorded on 24 September 2026 and the toolbar clip on 30 September 2026. Both play at 1.25× speed.

The region-sharing clip shows the real chooser on 12 October 2026, at recorded speed. Its pointer and preset clicks follow a script. It captures only recorder-owned windows, not a meeting or anyone else's desktop.

The toolbar, drawings and effects are recorded from the real Mac app. The pointer follows a script, and the apps under the drawings are made-up samples. The Windows app has the same tools and looks the same.

Change the pointer, keys and toolbar.

Pointer. Choose a shape, color and glow.

Toolbar. Drag tools in and change keys.

Switch between drawing and your app.

Draw
CtrlShift2
Use apps
esc

Default keys. Esc finishes an edit first. Drawings stay visible.

Share your ultrawide clearly.

Show half, a third or any area, so text stays readable.

How to share

Open Configure region from Annotator's menu. Choose a preset, or draw a rectangle on your desktop. The outline shows what you chose.

Start region sharing, then choose Share > Window > Annotator - Shared Region in your meeting app. Move apps into that area. Hiding the toolbar keeps the region on.

Needs screen access. Anything inside the region can appear, including notifications. Remove private details and ask someone on the call to check their view.

Region-sharing guide

Region presets.

All tools are free and open source.

Make your first mark.

Download for Mac

Needs macOS 14 or later, on an Apple Silicon or Intel Mac.

Version 0.3.2 · Release notes

Or use Homebrew

brew install --cask dorlugasigal/annotator/annotator
Get it for Windows

Microsoft Store · Windows 11, version 22H2 or later · x64 and ARM64

winget install --id 9NMZ345ZJ6JK --source msstore
  1. Download and open the disk image.
  2. Drag Annotator to Applications.
  3. Open it. Pick a tool. Draw. It runs from the menu bar.
  1. Get it from the Microsoft Store or with winget.
  2. Open Annotator from Start.
  3. Pick a tool. Draw. It runs from the system tray.
Screen sharing and updates

Drawing needs no permissions. Zoom and live effects ask for screen access.

App or window sharing may miss overlays, so ask someone on the call what they see. Hiding or quitting Annotator removes covers, and blur isn’t secure redaction. Remove private details before you share.

Updating? Save your board and quit Annotator first. With Homebrew, run brew update, then brew upgrade --cask dorlugasigal/annotator/annotator.

Not sure which Mac you have? Choose Apple menu > About This Mac.

On Windows, updates come from the Microsoft Store. To check your version of Windows, open Settings > System > About.

Download details & compatibility
See a longer walkthrough

Desktop diagram walkthrough

The longer walkthrough. Sound is optional.

Chapters & recording details

Music: “Chrome Funk” by Punch Deck, CC BY 4.0. Edited excerpt.

Sketch an API and cache using Smart Draw. Place labels inside their shapes. Open the resizable shape library, choose a person and database, then style and connect them. The dashed curve marks a cache miss. Highlight the API, move an annotation and Undo. In a separate browser window, native Blur softens a sample contact card.

This earlier app recording uses the display’s native pixel resolution. A scripted pointer drives it, and the camera follows the pointer’s recorded positions, with the tool choices kept in frame and a short motion trail during camera moves. The footage is sped up; it is not a human recording. The browser and notes contain fictional data. Only controlled windows are captured; no unrelated desktop content is included. Blur is produced by Annotator, not video editing, and is not secure redaction.