Annotate

A lightweight, keyboard-driven screen annotation tool for macOS that allows you to quickly draw, highlight, and annotate anything on your screen.

❓ Why?

Sometimes you need to emphasize a part of your screen or share ideas visually, and Annotate fills that gap with a simple, efficient interface. It enables real-time screen annotations using tools like pen, arrow, highlighter, rectangle, circle, counter, and text—perfect for highlighting and explaining concepts during presentations, live demos, or teaching sessions where visual annotations enhance understanding and clarity.

✨ Features

• 🎨 Drawing Tools:
  • ✒️ Pen tool for freehand drawing.
  • ➡️ Arrow tool for directional indicators.
  • 📏 Line tool for straight lines.
  • 🟨 Highlighter for emphasizing content.
  • 🔲 Rectangle shapes for boxing content.
  • ⭕ Circle shapes for highlighting areas.
  • 🕶️ Redact rectangles that hide confidential content with a solid, pixelated, or blurred fill. Use Solid for passwords and other secrets.
  • 🔢 Counter tool for adding sequential numbered circles.
  • 📝 Text annotations with drag & edit support, live resizing, and an optional background pill.
  • 👆 Select tool for moving and managing objects.
  • 🧹 Eraser tool for removing annotations.
• ✨ Fade/Persist Mode: Control whether annotations fade out after a duration or persist on the screen.
• 📌 Always-On Mode: Display annotations persistently without user interaction.
• 🌈 Quick Color Picker: Press C to open a glass swatch picker right on the overlay. Your choice persists across sessions.
• ↕️ Quick Size Picker: Press W for an in-overlay size ladder that adapts to the active tool, or step it with [ and ].
• ⬛ Board: Toggle whiteboard or blackboard based on system appearance.
• 👆 Cursor Highlight: Visual spotlight that follows your cursor for better visibility during presentations.
• 🎯 Active Cursor Indicator: Custom cursor styles to visually indicate when Annotate is active.
• 🧰 Floating Toolbar: Live overlay bar for tools, color, width, and quick actions, toggled with Option + Command + T. Drag it anywhere on screen; its position is remembered per display.
• 🔊 Sounds: Optional feedback cues for overlay on, overlay off, and clear all, with five themes to choose from.
• 🖥️ Fullscreen Support: Works seamlessly over fullscreen applications.
• 🎛️ Menu Bar Integration: Quick access via a status icon.
• 🧹 Auto-Clear Option: Automatically clear all drawings when toggling the overlay.
• ⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts: Switch between modes and toggle the overlay with customizable keyboard shortcuts.
• ⚡ Global Hotkey: Toggle Annotate with a global shortcut.
• 🔄 Auto-Updates: Automatic update checking with secure, cryptographically signed updates.

📦 Installation

Download Release

1. Download the Application:

   • Go to latest release page.
   • Download the Annotate-x.x.x.dmg file for easy installation, or Annotate-x.x.x.zip for manual installation.

2. Install the Application:

   Using DMG (Recommended):

   • Open the downloaded Annotate-x.x.x.dmg file.
   • Drag the Annotate.app into your Applications folder.

   Using ZIP:

   • Unzip the downloaded Annotate-x.x.x.zip file.
   • Drag the Annotate.app file into your Applications folder.

3. Run the Application:

   • Open your Applications folder and double-click Annotate.app to launch it.

Note

Requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later. Supports both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

The app is code-signed and notarized for macOS Gatekeeper compatibility.

Homebrew

Install via Homebrew Cask:

brew install --cask annotate

Build from Source

1. Clone the Repository:

   git clone https://github.com/epilande/Annotate

2. Open the Project in Xcode:

   cd Annotate
   open Annotate.xcodeproj

3. Build and Run:

   • Ensure you have the latest version of Xcode installed.
   • Select your target macOS version, then build and run the project in Xcode.

🚀 Quick Start

1. Launch Annotate.
2. Press the global hotkey (configurable in Settings) to toggle the overlay.
3. Start annotating with the pen tool (Annotate remembers your last-used tool, or set a fixed default in Settings).
4. Press Esc to exit the overlay.

Tip

The application provides a menu bar item that lets you select tools, open the color and size pickers on the active overlay, and perform actions like undo and redo. It also shows the application's active state, current color selection, tool, and mode.

🎮 Usage

Keyboard Shortcuts

Tip

All tool shortcuts can be customized in Settings.

🎨 Drawing Tools

Key	Tool	Description
P	Pen	Freehand drawing
L	Line	Draw straight lines
H	Highlighter	Highlight areas with semi-transparent brush
R	Rectangle	Draw rectangles (Option: center, Shift: square)
O	Circle	Draw circles (Option: center, Shift: perfect circle)
X	Redact	Hide content behind a solid, pixelated, or blurred rectangle
A	Arrow	Draw directional arrows
N	Counter	Add sequential numbered circles (1, 2, 3...)
T	Text	Add text annotations
E	Eraser	Remove annotations by dragging over them

🎯 Tool Settings & Selection

Key	Tool	Description
C	Color Picker	Open the in-overlay color quick picker
W	Line Width	Open the in-overlay size quick picker
V	Select	Select, move, and manage objects
B	Board	Toggle whiteboard/blackboard
K	Cursor Highlight	Toggle cursor highlight and click effects
Not set	Background Dimming	Toggle background dimming

⚡ Quick Actions

Fade mode, toolbar visibility, size stepping, and Clear All can be rebound in Settings → Shortcuts, using a single key or a modifier combination. The table shows their defaults.

Shortcut	Action	Description
Space	Toggle Fade Mode	Switch between fade and persist modes
Option + Command + T	Toggle Toolbar	Show or hide the floating overlay toolbar
Delete	Delete	Remove selected objects or most recent annotation
Option + Delete	Clear All	Remove all annotations
Command + Z	Undo	Undo the last action
Command + Shift + Z	Redo	Redo the last undone action
Mouse Backward Button	Undo	Undo the last action (mouse button 3)
Mouse Forward Button	Redo	Redo the last undone action (mouse button 4)
Command + Scroll	Adjust Width	Quickly change line width
[	Decrease Size	Step stroke width, text size, or counter size down
]	Increase Size	Step stroke width, text size, or counter size up
Shift (while drawing)	Constrain	Lines/Arrows: 45° angles; Pen/Highlighter: straight; Shapes: square/circle
Command + R	Reset Counter	Reset counter number to 1 (Counter tool only)

📋 Copy/Paste (Select Mode Only)

Shortcut	Action	Description
Command + A	Select All	Select all objects on the canvas
Command + C	Copy	Copy selected objects to clipboard
Command + X	Cut	Cut selected objects (copy + delete)
Command + V	Paste	Paste objects at mouse cursor position
Command + D	Duplicate	Duplicate selected objects with offset

🔤 Text Editing (While Typing a Label)

Shortcut	Action	Description
Command + +	Increase Size	Step the label font size up one notch
Command + -	Decrease Size	Step the label font size down one notch
Command + B	Label Background	Toggle the rounded background pill behind the text

Command + B also works with the Text tool selected, so you can set the background on or off before you place a label.

🪟 Overlay Controls

Shortcut	Action	Description
Custom (Settings)	Toggle Overlay	Show or hide the annotation overlay
Custom (Settings)	Always-On Mode	Persistent, non-interactive display
Esc or Command + W	Close	Closes the annotation overlay
Shift + Esc	Switch Mode	Close interactive → enable always-on
Enter (in text)	Commit Text	Place the label, switching to Select if that setting is on
Command + Enter (in text)	Commit Text	Place the label, same as Enter
Esc (in text)	Commit or Cancel Text	Place the label if it has text, otherwise discard the empty field

Drawing Tools

Pen & Highlighter

• Click and drag to draw freehand lines
• Pen creates solid lines while highlighter creates semi-transparent, thicker strokes
• Hold Shift while drawing to constrain to a perfectly straight line at 45° angle increments (0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270°, 315°)
• Adjust line thickness with the size picker (W), step it with [ and ], or hold Command and scroll

Quick Pickers

Color and size live in glass pickers that open right on the overlay, so you never leave what you are annotating:

• Color Picker: Press C to open the swatch picker
• Size Picker: Press W to open the size ladder. It adapts to the active tool: stroke widths from 1 to 24 px for drawing tools, font sizes from 12 to 120 pt for Text, and badge sizes for Counter
• Choosing: Tap the key, then click a swatch or type its digit. Or hold the key, move over your choice, and release. Press the same key or Esc to dismiss without changing anything
• Size Stepping: Press [ or ] by default (customizable in Settings → Shortcuts) to step the active ladder without opening the picker. They do nothing while a picker is open, and while typing in a label they insert text; use Command + + and Command + - there instead
• Command + Scroll: Hold Command and scroll to fine-tune the active size, stroke width from 0.5 to 24 px for drawing tools or the text and counter size for those tools, with a preview at the bottom center of the screen
• Smart Scaling: Arrowhead sizes scale with line width for better visual balance

Tip

Color and size persist across sessions and apply to every drawing tool. The menu bar's Color and Line Width items open the same pickers on the active overlay.

Shapes (Rectangle, Circle)

• Click and drag to create shapes
• Hold Shift while drawing to constrain rectangles to squares and circles to perfect circles
• Hold Option while drawing to expand from the center point
• Combine Shift + Option for constrained shapes that expand from center

Redact

Hide confidential content before you take a screenshot or share your screen:

• Press X, then click and drag a rectangle over the content you want to hide. Shift and Option work the same as for other shapes
• Pick the fill in Settings → Tools → Redact Tool:
  • Solid (default): an opaque block (black, or dark gray on the blackboard)
  • Pixelate: a coarse mosaic of the pixels under the rectangle
  • Blur: a heavy blur of the pixels under the rectangle
• Use Solid for passwords and other secrets. Pixelate and Blur keep the rough shape of the content, which can sometimes be partly recovered
• A redaction hides whatever was drawn before it; annotations you add afterwards draw on top of it
• Redactions never fade, even in Fade Mode. Remove them with Delete, the Eraser, Clear All, or undo
• Click anywhere inside a redaction with the Select tool to move it; it resamples at its new spot

Note

Pixelate and Blur read the screen under the rectangle, which macOS gates behind Screen Recording permission. Annotate asks for it when you pick one of those styles in Settings → Tools (never from the overlay, where the system dialog would be hidden), and uses a solid fill until it is granted (macOS may ask you to relaunch Annotate). With a whiteboard or blackboard showing, redactions always draw solid.

Arrow & Line

• Click and drag to create directional arrows or straight lines
• Hold Shift while drawing to snap to 45° angle increments for perfectly horizontal, vertical, or diagonal lines
• Arrows automatically create arrowheads pointing in the direction of the drag
• Lines create simple straight connections between two points

Text Annotations

• Click to place a text annotation
• Type your text and press Enter or Esc to place it. Esc on an empty field discards it, and Esc while editing an existing label leaves that label untouched
• Double-click any text annotation to edit its content
• Click and drag to reposition text
• Press Command + + or Command + - while typing to resize the label
• Press Command + B to toggle a rounded background pill behind the text
• With the Text tool active and no label open, [ and ] step the size used for the next label

Counter Tool

• Click anywhere to add sequential numbered circles (1, 2, 3...)
• Numbers increment automatically with each click
• Press Command + R to reset the counter back to 1 (existing counters remain)
• Press [ or ] to step the badge size, or W to pick one

Select Tool

The Select tool allows you to manipulate existing annotations with precision:

• Select Objects: Press V to enter select mode

  • Click on objects to select them (lines, arrows, shapes, text, etc.)
  • Circles and rectangles must be clicked on their edges
  • A blue dashed bounding box appears around selected objects

• Multiple Selection:

  • Rectangle Selection: Click and drag on empty space to draw a selection rectangle
    • All objects inside or touching the rectangle are selected
  • Shift+Click: Hold Shift and click objects to add/remove them from selection
  • Shift+Rectangle: Hold Shift while drawing a rectangle to add to existing selection

• Move Objects:

  • Click anywhere inside the blue bounding box and drag to move selected objects
  • Multiple selected objects move together, maintaining their relative positions

• Copy/Paste/Cut/Duplicate:

  • Select All (Command+A): Select all objects on the canvas
  • Copy (Command+C): Copy selected objects to clipboard
  • Cut (Command+X): Cut selected objects (copy and delete)
  • Paste (Command+V): Paste objects at mouse cursor position
    • Automatically switches to select mode with pasted objects selected
  • Duplicate (Command+D): Duplicate selected objects with a small offset
    • Keeps you in select mode with duplicated objects selected

• Delete Selected:

  • Press Delete to remove all selected objects
  • Use Command + Z to undo deletions

• Clear Selection: Click on empty space (without Shift) to deselect all objects

Tip

The select tool makes it easy to correct mistakes, reposition elements, and build complex diagrams by moving groups of objects together.

Eraser Tool

The Eraser tool allows you to remove specific annotations by dragging over them:

• Activate Eraser: Press E to enter eraser mode
• Erase Annotations: Click and drag over any annotation to remove it
  • Works with all annotation types (pen, arrows, lines, highlighters, shapes, redactions, text, counters)
  • Annotations are removed instantly as you drag over them
  • Supports undo (Command + Z) to restore erased items

Drawing Modes

Toggle between modes with Space by default, or rebind Toggle Fade Mode in Settings → Shortcuts.

Fade Mode

In fade mode, annotations gradually disappear after a few seconds, keeping your screen clean while allowing for temporary emphasis.

Persist Mode

In persist mode, annotations remain on screen until manually cleared, allowing you to build up complex annotations over time.

Always-On Mode

Always-On Mode displays your annotations persistently without any user interaction capability. This mode is ideal for presentations where you need important information visible without accidental modifications, reference displays with static guides or markers, and multi-screen setups where annotations remain on secondary monitors.

How to use:

1. Create your annotations in normal interactive mode
2. Toggle always-on mode via the global hotkey (configurable in Settings) or menu bar
3. Annotations become persistent and non-interactive
4. Use the same hotkey or menu option to exit always-on mode and resume editing

Deletion Controls

• Delete: Removes the most recently added annotation.
• Option + Delete: Clear all annotations from the screen.

⚙️ Settings

Access the Settings panel from the menu bar icon or by pressing Command + ,.

Settings are organized into a sidebar with five panes: General, Tools, Board, Cursor, and Shortcuts.

General

• Activation Shortcut: Set a global keyboard shortcut to activate Annotate (requires modifier keys).
• Always-On Mode: Set a global keyboard shortcut to keep Annotate active without auto-hide (requires modifier keys).
• Clear Drawings on Toggle: Automatically clear all drawings when toggling the overlay off.
• Hide Tool Feedback: Disable visual feedback when switching tools.
• Show toolbar: Display the floating shortcut toolbar on annotation overlays. Drag the bar to reposition it; each display remembers where you left it.
• Play sounds: Play feedback sounds for overlay and clear actions. Off by default.
• Sound Theme: Choose between Chalk (default), Paper, Marker, Pencil, and Typewriter feedback sounds.
• Show in Dock: Display Annotate icon in the Dock.
• Switch to Select after placing text: After committing a label, switch to the Select tool with that label selected. Off by default so text mode stays selected.
• Default Tool: Choose which tool is selected each time the overlay is activated (defaults to last used).

Tools

• Default Text Size: Adjust the default font size for text annotations.
• Label background: Draw new text annotations on a rounded background pill for contrast.
• Default Counter Size: Adjust the default size for counter annotations.
• Redact Tool: Pick the Style (Solid, Pixelate, or Blur) for new redactions. Solid is the one to use for passwords and other secrets. Pixelate and Blur show the Screen Recording permission status with a shortcut to System Settings.

Board

• Enable Board: Show whiteboard or blackboard background.
• Board Opacity: Adjust board background transparency (10-100%).

Cursor

• Cursor Style: Choose how the cursor appears while annotating (None, Outline, Circle, Crosshair).
• Cursor Size: Adjust the size of circle or crosshair cursor indicators (8-24px).
• Enable Cursor Spotlight: Show a visual spotlight following your cursor.
• Spotlight Size: Adjust the size of the cursor spotlight (30-100).
• Dim Background: Darken the screen except a clear area around the cursor. Off each time the spotlight is enabled unless Dim Automatically is on.
• Dimming Amount: Adjust how dark the background gets (20-90%).
• Dim Automatically: Turn on background dimming whenever the spotlight is enabled.
• Only Show While Annotating: Show the spotlight only while the overlay is active.
• Enable Click Effect: Show a ripple on click and a highlight while holding.
• Click Effect Size: Adjust the size of the click ripple and hold highlight (30-100).
• Effect Color: Choose the color used for the spotlight and click effects from the color palette.
• Hide Cursor Effects In: Suppress spotlight and click effects while one of these apps is focused (e.g. UTM, games, or remote desktop clients).

Cursor effects hide while the macOS screenshot selection (Shift + Command + 4 or 5) is on screen, so they stay out of the capture. They still show in screen recordings.

Shortcuts

Customize keys and modifier combinations for tools and utilities, organized into categories, with a Reset All to Default action:

• Drawing Tools: Pen, Arrow, Line, Highlighter
• Shapes: Rectangle, Circle
• Advanced Tools: Counter, Text, Select, Eraser
• Utilities: Color Picker, Line Width, Toggle Board, Toggle Cursor Highlight, Toggle Background Dimming, Toggle Fade Mode, Toggle Toolbar, Decrease Size, Increase Size, Clear All

The Built-in Shortcuts reference lists the fixed keys: Delete, Undo (Command + Z), Redo (Shift + Command + Z), and Escape. Editable bindings cannot conflict with another assigned action or a fixed editing command. Escape cancels recording without changing the binding.

Each row can clear its shortcut (Not Set) or restore that row's default; Reset All to Default restores default keys and modifier combinations and leaves dimming unset. Bindings cannot reuse the Activation or Always-On shortcuts in General Settings; changing either global shortcut also checks for conflicts with tool and utility bindings. Defaults already used by a global shortcut stay Not Set when resetting. Existing custom bindings and cleared shortcuts are preserved on upgrade; if a new action’s default is already assigned, the new action starts as Not Set.

Toggle Background Dimming is unassigned by default. Assign a key to use it while annotating. Turning dimming on also enables the spotlight if needed; turning it off leaves the spotlight enabled. This shortcut does not change click effects or the Dim Automatically preference.

🔄 Auto-Updates

Annotate includes automatic update checking powered by Sparkle:

• Automatic Checks: The app checks for updates once per day.
• Manual Check: Select Check for Updates... from the menu bar or use the About window.
• Secure Updates: All updates are cryptographically signed and verified before installation.

Updates are downloaded and installed seamlessly in the background. You'll be notified when a new version is available, with release notes and the option to install immediately or later.