When you are reviewing a digital document or attempting to give feedback on a photograph, simply typing out an email description is rarely enough. You often need to explicitly point to a specific section of the image or highlight a flawed paragraph. You do not need to purchase an expensive Adobe Photoshop license to annotate files. The built-in macOS Preview application contains a highly robust set of Markup tools that allow you to draw shapes, arrows, and text boxes directly onto PDFs and images.
How to Access the Markup Toolbar
The Markup tools are hidden by default to keep the Preview interface clean for casual reading.
- Double-click the PDF or image file to open it in Preview.
- Look at the top right corner of the Preview window. Click the Show Markup Toolbar button (it looks like a small pencil tip inside a circle).
A new, dense horizontal toolbar will instantly slide down from the top of the window, exposing all of the annotation tools.
How to Add Shapes and Arrows
If you need to draw a red circle around a specific error in a document:
- On the Markup Toolbar, click the Shapes icon (it looks like a small square overlapping a circle).
- A drop-down menu will appear containing standard shapes (squares, circles, speech bubbles, and arrows). Click the circle icon.
- A small circle will instantly drop directly into the center of your document.
You can now use your mouse to drag the circle over the error. Click the blue handles on the corners of the shape to stretch it or resize it perfectly. To change the color of the circle from default black to bright red, ensure the shape is selected and click the Border Color icon on the right side of the toolbar (it looks like a hollow square outline).
How to Add Text Boxes
If you need to type a comment next to the red circle you just drew:
- Click the Text button on the Markup Toolbar (it is a square icon with a capital ‘T’ inside).
- A small text box containing the word “Text” will appear in the center of the document.
- Double-click the word “Text” to highlight it, and type your actual comment.
To change the font size or style, ensure your cursor is inside the text box and click the Text Style icon on the far right of the toolbar (it looks like an italic ‘A’). From this drop-down menu, you can instantly change the font color, make the text bold, or dramatically increase the font size so your comment is highly visible.
When you are completely finished annotating the document, press Command + S to flatten the layers and permanently save the shapes directly onto the file.