How to annotate your screen during a presentation on Mac
Pointing with words is slow. Here's how to circle, underline and highlight on your Mac's screen while you present slides, give a demo or walk through code.
Install JellyDraw (free), press ⌃⌥⌘Space during your presentation and draw with the pen or highlighter right on top of your slides, app or browser. Present in a window so you can switch apps and your marks stay with each window.
Step by step
- Open your slides or demo in a window. In Keynote, choose Play › In Window, then Play › Play Slideshow. In PowerPoint, Slide Show › Set Up Slide Show › Browsed by an individual (window). For a live demo, just use your app or browser as normal.
- Bring up JellyDraw. Press ⌃⌥⌘Space over the slide or app.
- Point things out. Circle the number that matters, underline the key line, or highlight a sentence so it stays readable.
- Switch apps without losing your marks. Jump to a browser or another document. Your drawings stay with the window they were drawn on, so they're still there when you switch back.
- Erase before the next slide. JellyDraw follows the window, not the slide inside it. When you advance, erase the old marks and draw on the new slide.
Why present in a window?
Full-screen slideshows hide everything else. In a window, you can step out to a live demo, a web page or a spreadsheet and come back. Because JellyDraw anchors each drawing to its window, the notes you made on the browser stay on the browser and the notes on the slides stay on the slides.
Demos, code reviews and design feedback
- Product demos: circle the button before you click it, so people know where to look.
- Code reviews: draw a box around the function and an arrow to the line with the bug in your editor, then switch to the browser to show the result. The editor keeps its marks.
- Design feedback: highlight spacing problems or circle a total that doesn't add up on a mockup. Drag the mockup to the side and the notes go with it.
Boxes, arrows and straight lines are Pro tools. The free pen and highlighter cover most pointing out.
Presenting on a call or a projector
On a projector or second display, your drawings show up on that screen like anything else. On Zoom, Meet or Teams, share your entire screen, not a single window, or viewers won't see the drawings. Full guide to drawing during video calls.
Free or Pro for presenting?
Pen, highlighter, eraser, whiteboard mode and window anchoring.
Adds shapes, lines, text, export and accent colors. One-time purchase through Lemon Squeezy, no subscription. One license covers up to 5 of your Macs, with a 14-day refund.
Make your next presentation easier to follow
Free download, no account. Draw over Keynote, PowerPoint, your browser or any app.
Free download from jellydraw.app · Notarized by Apple · macOS 26.2 or later on Apple Silicon
Questions
Can I draw on my slides during a Keynote or PowerPoint presentation on Mac?
Yes. With a screen drawing app like JellyDraw you can draw over the slideshow while you present. Playing the slideshow in a window makes it easy to switch apps during the talk.
Do my drawings disappear when I change slides?
No, and that's worth knowing. JellyDraw keeps drawings attached to the window, not to an individual slide, so erase them before you move on.
Can people on Zoom see what I draw?
Yes, if you share your entire screen. Sharing a single window leaves the drawing layer out.
Do I need Pro to present?
No. The free pen, highlighter, eraser and whiteboard mode cover most presentations. Pro adds shapes, lines, text, export and accent colors for $9.99 once.