Penslide
Free for Windows and Mac. No account needed.

Draw, highlight, and explain anything on your screen.

PenSlide is available for Windows and macOS. Use it to draw on screen, highlight, annotate, explain, and present clearly during live work.

Windows 10 and 11 macOS 11 or later
Free. Mac version available now. No account needed.
  • Works over any app
  • Built for presentations
  • Screenshot capture included
Features

Everything you need to explain faster.

This free screen annotation tool gives you the essential pens, shapes, and capture tools to mark your screen clearly without slowing down your work.

Draw anywhere

Use the pen tool to write directly over any app, website, or presentation.

Highlight important areas

Mark text, buttons, diagrams, and slides while presenting live.

Pointer & arrow tools

Guide attention with cursor, arrows, and simple shapes.

Screenshot capture

Capture marked screens and save visual notes quickly.

Undo and clear

Fix mistakes instantly or wipe the screen with one click.

Color & thickness control

Pick the right color and pen size for every explanation.

Presentation friendly

Designed for teachers, trainers, webinars, and product demos.

Lightweight & fast

Opens quickly, uses very little memory, and stays out of the way.

Who it's for

Built for people who explain things on screen.

Whether you teach, train, record tutorials, or help users remotely, Penslide keeps your explanation clear and visual.

Teachers

Mark up lessons live and walk students through key ideas.

Online tutors

Highlight every step on screen during one-on-one sessions.

IT support

Mark buttons, errors, and settings while guiding users through fixes.

YouTubers

Add clean overlays and pointers to every tutorial recording.

Product trainers

Run live demos with clear callouts on every feature.

Remote teams

Annotate shared screens during standups and reviews.

Students

Take visual notes on lectures, readings, and study materials.

Webinar hosts

Keep your audience focused on exactly the right spot.

App preview

A simple toolbar that stays where you need it.

Penslide keeps the tools close without covering your work. Pick a pen, draw an arrow, highlight a detail, capture the screen, and continue.

Current PenslideFree toolbar with drawing, capture, clipboard, reset, pen size, and color buttons

Desktop mode

Click through Penslide and use your desktop normally.

Pen P

Freehand drawing on top of any window.

Highlighter H

A transparent marker for emphasis.

Rectangle R

Drag to draw a clean box around a region.

Laser pointer L

A red dot follows your cursor.

Eraser E

Remove individual strokes.

Undo Ctrl+Z

Roll back the last stroke.

Clipboard

Copy the marked screen ready to paste.

Current PenslideFree.exe button list

These labels match the current toolbar buttons and tooltips.

PenSlide logoOpen penslide.com
Collapse / expandCollapse / Expand toolbar
CloseClose PenSlide
Desktop / mouse modeDesktop mode - click through to desktop
PenPen - freehand drawing P
HighlighterHighlighter - transparent marker H
RectangleRectangle - drag to draw a box R
CircleCircle - drag to draw an oval or circle C
ArrowArrow - drag to draw an arrow A
Laser pointerLaser Pointer - red dot follows cursor L
EraserEraser - remove strokes E
UndoUndo last stroke Ctrl+Z
ClearClear all drawings from screen
Screenshot with drawingsScreenshot with drawings - save to Desktop S
Save drawings onlySave drawings only as transparent PNG
Copy to clipboardCopy screen with drawings to clipboard
Delete / resetDelete everything and reset canvas
Thin penThin pen 1
Medium penMedium pen 2
Thick penThick pen 3
Blue colorBlue
Red colorRed
Emerald colorEmerald
Amber colorAmber
White colorWhite
Light Gray colorLight Gray
Custom colorPick a custom color
Why Penslide

Simple by design.

Penslide shouldn't feel like a heavy whiteboard suite. It's a small tool that does one job well, turning your screen into a clear, calm canvas.

  • No account needed
  • No complicated setup
  • No bloated interface
  • Works over your existing screen
  • Designed for live explanation
  • Clean, modern toolbar
Opens in under a second
A small executable, ready when you need it.
Sits on top, gets out of the way
Toggle the overlay anytime, your apps keep running.
Tools you actually use
Pen, highlight, arrow, shapes, screenshot. Nothing extra.
Free, forever
No paywalls, no upsells, no signup.
Chrome extension

Use PenSlide directly inside Chrome web pages.

PenSlide Browser Annotator lets you draw, highlight, erase, add arrows and shapes, write notes, and save annotated screenshots directly from Chrome.

Add PenSlide Browser Annotator
Chrome Web Store Version 1.0.1 187KiB English (UK)
Use the Chrome extension for browser pages. Use the desktop app when you need annotation across Windows and macOS apps.
Get started

Start drawing on your screen today.

Download Penslide free and make presentations, tutorials, and support sessions easier.

Download Penslide Free
Windows 10 Windows 11 macOS 11+ Portable Lightweight
Free. Portable on Windows. DMG for macOS 11 or later.
Compare

Why use Penslide instead of heavy whiteboard apps?

Most screen-drawing apps are bloated whiteboard suites. Penslide is a small floating toolbar that gets out of the way.

No account required

Download, run, draw. Nothing to sign up for.

Opens fast

A small portable app that's ready in under a second.

Works over your current screen

Annotate browsers, slides, IDEs, and anything on your desktop.

Simple floating toolbar

One slim panel. No tabs, no canvases, no complicated menus.

Built for live explanation

Designed for presenting, teaching, and walking someone through.

Free to use

No paywalls, no upsells. Penslide is free to use.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Everything you might be wondering before you download.

What is Penslide?
Penslide is a free screen annotation tool, screen annotator, and desktop annotation tool for Windows and Mac. It runs as a small floating toolbar that sits on top of your screen, so you can draw, highlight, and mark anything on your desktop.
Is Penslide screen annotation software?
Yes. Penslide is screen annotation software for live desktop work. It includes pen, highlighter, rectangle, circle, arrow, laser pointer, eraser, undo, clear, screenshot, clipboard, color, and pen thickness tools.
Is Penslide free?
Yes. Penslide is available as a free tool, with no paid tiers or in-app purchases.
Do I need an account?
No. Penslide works without account creation. Download, run, and start drawing.
Can I use it during presentations?
Yes. Penslide is designed for slides, tutorials, webinars, and live screen explanations. It overlays your existing slideshow without interrupting it.
Can I take screenshots?
Yes. Penslide includes screenshot and clipboard tools so you can save or paste your marked screens instantly.
Does it work over any app?
Penslide runs as a screen overlay, so it works over websites, documents, slides, and desktop software.
Is there a portable version?
Yes for Windows. The Windows version is a portable EXE with no installer. The Mac version is provided as a DMG for macOS 11 or later.