How to Use iPhone’s Markup to Draw on Screenshots and Photos
Your iPhone has a useful editing tool that can turn a screenshot or photo into a quick visual explanation. Markup lets you circle a setting, draw an arrow, highlight a detail, add a caption, sign a document, or enlarge part of an image without installing another app.
It is especially handy when a written explanation is too vague. You can mark the location of a button before helping a family member, point out damage in a product photo, or show a tradesperson exactly where a problem appears. The same tools work across screenshots, images in Photos, PDFs and some documents.
The process is similar on recent iPhone models, whether you use an iPhone SE, iPhone 13, iPhone 15 or a newer device. Some button names and available features can vary slightly with your version of iOS, but the main drawing and annotation controls remain familiar.
The guide below covers the quickest way to open Markup, how to make cleaner annotations, and how to save or share your finished image. It also includes a few privacy reminders, which matter when screenshots contain details from apps such as MyGov, Medicare or online banking.
| What you want to do | Where to start | Best Markup option |
|---|---|---|
| Draw on a new screenshot | Tap the screenshot preview | Pen, pencil or highlighter |
| Mark an existing image | Photos app, then Edit and Markup | Shapes, arrows or freehand drawing |
| Add an explanation | Markup toolbar | Text box |
| Sign a form | Markup toolbar | Signature |
| Hide or emphasise private details | Markup toolbar | Thick pen, shape or solid colour |
| Point to an exact location | Markup toolbar | Arrow or magnifier |
What Markup can do on an iPhone
Markup is Apple’s built-in annotation system. It does not function like a full digital painting app; its purpose is to add useful visual notes to an existing screenshot, photograph or document. You can draw freehand, change colours, adjust line thickness, insert text and place standard shapes.
The tool appears in several places throughout iOS. Screenshots offer the fastest route, while the Photos app is better when you want to work on an image already stored on your iPhone. Markup can also appear when viewing a PDF in Files, an attachment in Mail, or a document opened from another compatible app.
A useful distinction is that Markup edits the copy you are working on. With a screenshot, the annotated image can be saved as a new version. With a photo, you can usually return to Photos and use Revert to restore the original. This gives you room to experiment without permanently losing the unedited image.
Draw on a screenshot straight away
Take a screenshot using the button combination for your iPhone. On models with Face ID, press the side button and volume-up button together, then release them quickly. On an iPhone with a Home button, press the side or top button and the Home button at the same time.
A small preview appears in the lower-left corner. Tap it before it disappears to open the screenshot editor. The image will appear with the Markup tools along the bottom or near the top of the screen, depending on your iOS layout. Tap the pen, highlighter or pencil icon, then drag your finger or Apple Pencil across the image.
For a quick circle or arrow, draw it in one continuous movement and pause briefly at the end. iOS may recognise the shape and straighten it. This works best with simple forms such as lines, rectangles, circles and arrows. If the preview disappears, open Photos, find the screenshot in the Screenshots album and access Markup from the editing controls.
Open photos and add precise annotations
To mark an existing picture, open Photos and select the image. Tap Edit, choose the Markup button, then tap the pen-shaped tool if it is not already selected. You can now draw over the photo just as you would on a screenshot.
This is useful for practical jobs around an Australian home. For example, you could circle a water stain in a Brisbane rental, mark the correct fuse in a Sydney property photo, or point out a scratch before selling an item through a local marketplace. A clear annotation can prevent confusion when the other person cannot inspect the image in person.
Use two fingers to zoom in when you need to mark a small detail. Zooming helps when identifying a cable, label or crack, although the saved result will still use the original image’s dimensions. Move around the zoomed image carefully, and pinch back out before adding a large arrow or text box.
Choose tools, colours and line weights
The three drawing tools generally represent a pen, a highlighter and a pencil. The pen creates a solid line, the highlighter produces a broader translucent mark, and the pencil gives a lighter, more textured appearance. Tap a selected tool again to adjust its thickness or opacity where that option is available.
Tap the colour circle to choose a different colour. Red is easy to notice and works well for circles and arrows, while yellow is useful for highlighting text. Blue or black can look more restrained in a document. If the image has a dark background, white or yellow may be easier to see.
For readable annotations, use a strong contrast between the mark and the image underneath. A thin red line can disappear against a busy photograph, while a thick yellow highlight may cover too much detail. When you need to conceal information rather than draw attention to it, use a broad, opaque mark and check the saved image before sharing it.
Markup also includes an eraser. Depending on the tool layout, you may see an object eraser that removes a whole drawn element or a pixel eraser that rubs out part of a stroke. Tap Undo when you want to remove your most recent action without manually erasing it.
Add text, shapes, signatures and magnification
Tap the plus button in Markup to access additional options. Text inserts a movable text box, and tapping the text box allows you to change its font, size, alignment and colour. Use short labels such as “tap here”, “front door” or “damaged corner” rather than covering the image with a long explanation.
The Shapes option provides lines, squares, circles, speech bubbles and arrows. Shapes are usually cleaner than freehand versions, especially when you are preparing a screenshot for work or customer support. Drag the handles around a shape to resize it, and drag inside the shape to move it.
You can add a signature when completing a PDF or another supported document. Markup lets you create a signature with your finger and reuse it later. Treat this as a real signature: avoid adding it to an image that will be shared casually, and check the recipient before sending a signed file.
The magnifier enlarges a selected part of the image. Drag its handles to change the size, and use the green or blue controls to adjust the magnification or shape where available. It is useful for serial numbers, small print and fine damage, but it should not be treated as a way to recover detail that was never captured in the original photograph.
Fix mistakes and keep the original safe
If a mark is misplaced, tap the Undo arrow. Repeated taps step backwards through your edits, while Redo can restore an action you removed accidentally. You can also select a drawn object and delete it if the current iOS version allows individual object selection.
When editing a photo from Photos, tap Done to save the annotated version. In most cases, the original remains recoverable through Edit and Revert. Revert removes the Markup changes and returns the image to its previous state, so use it carefully if you have made other edits such as cropping or adjusting brightness.
Screenshots have a slightly different workflow. After marking one, tap Done and choose Save to Photos, Save to Files or another available option. If you select Save to Photos, the finished image will usually appear with your other pictures, often near the date the screenshot was taken.
Before saving, check the edges of the image. Text boxes and arrows can be partly outside the frame, and a crop may remove the detail that gives your annotation meaning. A quick review also helps catch accidental marks made while dragging or zooming.
Save, share and use annotations responsibly
After finishing, tap the Share button to send the image through Messages, Mail, AirDrop or an app such as WhatsApp. You can also save it to Files if you need a copy for a project or work record. AirDrop is convenient when sending between Apple devices, while Messages may reduce image quality depending on the recipient and connection.
Remember that Markup is part of the image once you save and share it. A circle or arrow can be difficult to remove from the recipient’s copy. If you are sending a marked-up image to Apple Support, a retailer or a repairer, leave enough of the original screen visible to show the surrounding context.
Be particularly careful with screenshots from banking, government and health apps. Drawing a thick line over a Medicare number, account balance or address is not always a reliable privacy method because the underlying image may still be accessible in an editable file or cloud backup. Crop out sensitive information where possible, or use a dedicated redaction feature designed to remove it.
When sharing images through Australian mobile networks such as Telstra, Optus or Vodafone, a large annotated photo can use mobile data and take longer to send in areas with weaker coverage. Wi-Fi is preferable for several high-resolution photos, especially when travelling between Melbourne, Perth or regional areas. For a single screenshot, the file is normally small enough to send quickly.
Use Markup for everyday troubleshooting
Markup can make technical support much easier. If a relative cannot find a setting, take a screenshot, circle the relevant button and add a short instruction. This is often clearer than describing several menus over a phone call, particularly when the person uses a different iPhone model or has changed the display size.
It also helps when diagnosing accessories and connections. Photograph the back of a router, charging port or cable, then add an arrow to the socket or component that needs attention. When contacting an Australian retailer or repair provider, an annotated image can show the issue before the device is inspected.
For product comparisons, use Markup to label differences between two phones, chargers or cases. Keep the original photographs so you can create a clean version later. This is useful when comparing models sold through Apple Australia, a carrier shop or a local electronics retailer, where small differences in ports, camera layouts and included accessories may matter.
A few minutes of careful annotation can turn an ordinary screenshot or photo into a practical guide. Open a recent image, try a pen, arrow and text label, then save the result in Photos or Files. Keep the unmarked original, review private details before sharing, and use Markup whenever a visual explanation will be clearer than a paragraph of instructions.