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How to Annotate Screenshots on Windows (2026 Guide)

Learn how to annotate screenshots on Windows with arrows, text, blur, and step markers. Free and easy with Squiggle.

Need to annotate a screenshot on Windows? Whether you’re writing documentation, filing a bug report, or creating a tutorial — here’s the fastest way to do it.

The quick method (with Squiggle)

  1. Take a screenshot — Press Win + Shift + S to capture any area, or Print Screen for the full screen
  2. Open Squiggle and press Ctrl + V to paste it onto your board
  3. Annotate — Add arrows, text, highlights, numbered step markers, or blur sensitive info
  4. Export — Press Ctrl + E for PNG, or Ctrl + C to copy back to clipboard

That’s it. Your annotated screenshot is ready to paste into Slack, email, or documentation.

What you can add to screenshots

Arrows and shapes

Point at specific UI elements with arrows. Circle important buttons. Draw rectangles around areas of interest.

Text labels

Add text explaining what each part of the screenshot shows. Choose from multiple font sizes for captions vs headers.

Step markers

Click to place numbered circles (1, 2, 3…) that guide readers through a process. Perfect for “how-to” guides.

Blur and redact

Drag to pixelate personal information — names, emails, account numbers, API keys. Essential before sharing screenshots publicly.

Highlights

Use the highlighter tool to draw attention to specific text or UI elements with a semi-transparent overlay.

Why not just use Snipping Tool?

Windows Snipping Tool can capture screenshots, but its annotation options are limited to basic pen drawing. You can’t:

  • Add clean arrows or shapes
  • Place numbered step markers
  • Blur sensitive information
  • Add text labels with proper fonts
  • Organize multiple annotated screenshots

Squiggle gives you all of these tools in a clean, fast interface.

The screen overlay method

For even faster annotation, you don’t need to take a screenshot at all:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + D to open Squiggle’s screen overlay
  2. Your screen freezes and a transparent canvas appears on top
  3. Draw arrows, add text, highlight — directly on your live screen
  4. Save or copy the result

This is perfect for screen recordings, live demos, and quick visual explanations.

Download

Squiggle is available for Windows 10/11 and macOS. All features included — $5 once, forever.

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