Taking a screenshot is easy, but how about annotating them afterward? Here are some easy ways in Windows 11.

After capturing screenshots in Windows 11, some users need to annotate them. Annotation tools enable you to highlight specific things and details in your screenshots. You can do that by adding arrows, squares, circles, text boxes, or simple highlights to your captured images.

Windows 11 comes with a few pre-installed apps that incorporate suitable tools with which you can annotate your screenshots. You can also install third-party screen capture software packages that include more advanced annotation features. This is how you can annotate screenshots, and other images, within Windows 11 with three alternative freely available apps.

The Snipping Tool (also known as Snip and Sketch) is Windows 11’s screen-capturing utility for taking snapshots. That utility includes four alternative options for capturing screenshots. You can edit screenshots with Snipping Tool’s additional annotation options after capturing them.

To open the Snipping Tool, press its Windows + Shift + S hotkey. Then you’ll see its screenshot toolbar appear. Select one of the four alternative options there to take a screenshot on Windows 11.

The Snipping Tool notifier shown directly below will then appear on the right of the desktop. Click anywhere on that notification to bring up the Snipping Tool window. Now you can start annotating your image from that window.

If you just need to highlight some text on the screenshot, double-click the yellow Highlighter button. Select a color, and drag the bar’s slider to change the highlighter’s size. Then hold the left mouse button and move your cursor over the text to highlight it.

The Snipping Tool doesn’t include any arrow line or shape options. However, you can draw (or scribble) on your screenshots with its Ballpoint pen option. Double-click the red Ballpoint pen button to select color and size options for it. Then move the cursor over the screenshot whilst holding the left mouse button to add annotation pen strokes.

You can add straight lines by clicking the Ruler button. Rotate the ruler with the scroll wheel on the mouse. Draw along that ruler with the Snipping Tool’s pen.

To draw circles or semi-circles, click the little blue arrow on the Ruler button to select Protractor. Click a point along the protractor, hold the left mouse button, and move the cursor around it to draw circular lines. Roll your mouse’s scroll wheel up and down to change the protractor’s size.

When you’ve finished annotating your screenshot, click the See more button at the top right of Snipping Tool’s window. Select the Save option. Give the image file a name, choose a folder for it, and click Save.

The Snipping Tool’s annotation options might be a bit basic for users who need to add shapes and text to their screenshots. Windows 11’s updated Microsoft Paint image editor includes more advanced drawing and text options. Therefore, MS Paint is a better option for users who need to annotate images with shapes and text.

To open Paint, click the Start button. Select All apps on the Start menu. Scroll down to and click Paint on that menu.

Next, you’ll need to open a captured snapshot to annotate it in Paint. Click the File menu in Paint’s window, and select the Open option. Select a screenshot image, and press the Open button.

You can scribble on your images in Paint with any of the brush options. Click the Brushes button’s arrow to view the brush selection menu. The standard Brush option is similar to Snipping Tool’s ballpoint pen. Select Brush, and click Edit colors to choose a color for it. Then hold the left mouse button and drag the cursor to draw on the image.

Select the Marker option to add highlights to an image. Marker is one of the most transparent brushes available. Choose a light yellow highlight color for it from Paint’s palette.

MS Paint’s shapes can come in handy for annotating images. You can circle details in your screenshots by selecting the Oval option in the shapes box (coincidentally) circled below. Alternatively, you can add rectangles, straight lines, arrows, and callouts to your snapshots by selecting those shapes from there. To add a selected shape, hold the left mouse button over the image and then drag the cursor right or left to expand or shrink the shape.

To add text notes to your screenshot, click the A button shown directly below. Click anywhere on the image to place the text box. Select font and size options from the formatting bar. Then type your text into the box.

Don’t forget to save your annotated image when done. Click File to select Save As and an image file format. Input a file title, and select Save.

ShareX is a freeware screen-capturing utility that’s much better than Snipping Tool. It packs in more screen capture and annotation options than Windows 11’s screenshot tool. ShareX doesn’t have as many shapes and freehand brush options as Paint, but its image editor is more specifically designed for annotation purposes. You can download and install ShareX like this:

You can only edit images included within ShareX's screenshot folder. Snapshots taken with ShareX get automatically saved to that folder. So, try taking some screenshots with ShareX by clicking Capture and selecting an image-capturing option from there.

When you’ve captured a few screenshots with the software, click History in ShareX's window. Then you’ll see a list of captured image files. Right-click a file and select Edit image to open the editor window.

Now it’s time to start annotating your image. To draw on it, click the Freehand option (or press the F key). You can change the pen color by clicking the Border color button. Then choose a different color from the palette, and click the OK button.

You can highlight something on a screenshot by clicking the Highlight option (or pressing H). Drag the highlighter box over the area to highlight. Click the Highlight color box to change the highlighter’s color.

ShareX includes options for adding arrows and lines to screenshots. To do so, click the Arrow or Line buttons. Then click somewhere in your image to place it, and hold the left mouse button to resize and rotate the arrow or line.

You can combine arrows with numbers by selecting the Step option. Clicking the Step option adds circled numbers to an image like the ones shown directly below. Drag arrows off the numbers to combine them.

To add passages to an image, click either the Text (Outline) or Text (Background) option. A Text Input window will open in which you can enter your passage. You can also adjust font, size, and color options for the text from there. Click OK to add the text box, which you can then resize and reposition with the mouse cursor.

ShareX’s editor also includes other options for adding rectangles and circles, speech balloons, emoticon stickers, and cursors to screenshots on its toolbar. Plus you can pixelate and blur areas of screenshots by pressing the P or B keys. So, there’s no shortage of annotation options available in ShareX.

When you’ve finished annotating in ShareX, click Save image as on the toolbar. Then you can enter a new title for the file in the name box. Select the Save option to finish.

Adding annotations to your screenshots with ShareX, Snipping Tool, or MS Paint will make more specific details in them clearer. The annotation options those apps include can be invaluable for instructional screenshots. They might also be useful for players to highlight scores and other details in the game snapshots.

Jack has been a freelance tech journalist for more than a decade. He has covered Windows Vista, 7, 10, and 11 topics within a multitude of guides for Make Use Of and numerous other websites.

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