Picture this: you’re in the middle of a presentation, teaching a class, or walking a colleague through a design, and you need to point out something on your screen—fast. Enter Annotate, a free, open-source macOS tool that transforms your screen into a canvas for instant markups.

With a tap of a hotkey, you can draw arrows, highlight text, or drop numbered steps, all without breaking your flow. Built for speed and simplicity, this lightweight app is keyboard-driven, fully customizable, and packed with just the right tools to make your ideas pop.

Whether you’re a teacher circling key points, a designer sketching feedback, or a remote worker guiding a team, Annotate slips seamlessly into your workflow. It’s not bloated software—it’s a nimble, native Mac app that stays out of your way until you need it, then delivers with precision.

Why You’ll Love It

• Draw Anything, Anywhere: Grab tools like pens, arrows, or highlighters to mark up your screen in seconds.
• Keyboard Magic: Switch tools with shortcuts (e.g., ‘p’ for pen, ‘h’ for highlight) for a smooth, mouse-free experience.
• Fade or Stay: Pick fade mode to let annotations vanish after a moment, or persist mode to keep them until you’re done.
• Your Style, Your Way: Customize shortcuts and colors to match how you work—red arrows today, blue circles tomorrow.
• Always Ready: Launch it from the menu bar or a global hotkey, no matter what app you’re in.

What It Offers

• Toolbox Variety: Freehand pens, arrows, rectangles, circles, text, numbered counters—everything you need to explain visually.
• Smart Modes: Fade mode for temporary notes (great for live demos) or persist mode for detailed breakdowns.
• Light & Fast: Built natively for macOS, it runs smoothly without hogging resources.
• Open-Source Perks: Free under the MIT License, with a community keeping it fresh and bug-free.

Perfect For

• Presentations: Point out key details during Zoom calls or live demos.
• Tutorials: Add clear, step-by-step visuals to screencasts or lessons.
• Feedback: Sketch notes on designs or UI mockups for your team.
• Support: Guide users by highlighting exactly what to click.

Tools at a Glance

• Pen (p): Scribble freehand with precision.
• Arrow (a): Direct attention with clean, bold arrows.
• Highlighter (h): Emphasize text or areas with a subtle glow.
• Rectangle (r) & Circle (o): Frame or spotlight key sections.
• Text (t): Drop editable notes anywhere.
• Counter (n): Add numbered steps for guides.

Get Started

1. Download: Grab it from GitHub.
2. Install: Unzip and drag Annotate.app to your Applications folder.
3. Set Up: Open it, pick your global hotkey, and tweak shortcuts if you like.
4. Go: Hit your hotkey and start annotating!

System Requirements

• macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or higher
• 4GB RAM minimum
• Works on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs