# How to annotate screenshots on a Mac

With Lasso, you can draw on a live Mac app before taking a screenshot. Press Option–Shift–A to draw, then S to capture the display or Shift–S to capture an area. Click the screenshot card to crop it or add more annotations before you send it.

By Nika Sakandelidze. Updated 2026-11-07.

Canonical page: https://www.trylasso.online/guides/annotate-screenshots-mac

![Lasso screenshot editor showing a red circle around a dashboard metric and an arrow pointing to a spike on a chart](https://www.trylasso.online/images/lasso-screenshot-annotation.jpg)

Click a capture in Lasso to crop it or add marks before you copy or save it.

## Capture your live screen annotations

The capture includes your marks and leaves out the drawing toolbar. Allow Lasso in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording if macOS asks for permission to capture the screen.

1. Open the app, document or browser tab you want to show. Press Option–Shift–A (⌥⇧A) to open Lasso’s drawing overlay.
2. Press A for an arrow, H for a highlight or C for numbered steps. Click once per step to number a sequence of buttons or fields.
3. Press S to capture the display, or Shift–S (⇧S) and drag around the part you want to keep. Include the ends of your arrows and enough of the app to orient the reader.

## Crop, label and send the screenshot

Click the screenshot card in the corner to open Lasso’s editor. Use Crop to keep the relevant part of the image, then add an arrow or a short label. Copy the result to paste into a bug report or chat, or use Save to keep a copy on your Mac.

For a link someone can open in a browser, choose Share Link. Lasso encrypts the image on your Mac before uploading it. Anyone with the full link can open it for up to 24 hours.

## Example for a bug report

If a save button is hidden on a settings page, include the page heading and the panel where you expected to find the button. Draw one arrow toward the empty space, then put the steps to reproduce the issue in the ticket so they stay searchable.

When the screen contains personal information, crop it out before copying or sharing. Open the final image and check what will be visible to the recipient.

## Related guides

- [How to draw on your Mac screen with Lasso](https://www.trylasso.online/guides/draw-on-screen-mac)
- [Annotate a Mac screen share in Zoom, Meet or Teams](https://www.trylasso.online/guides/annotate-screen-sharing)
- [Lasso MCP server: screen annotation for AI agents](https://www.trylasso.online/guides/mcp-screen-annotation)

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