Frequently asked questions and how to get help.
Press Ctrl+D to toggle drawing mode. An invisible overlay appears on top of all your apps. Pick a tool from the menu bar dropdown and start annotating. Press Escape or Ctrl+D again to exit drawing mode.
PenAnywhere requires zero permissions for its core features (drawing, shapes, arrows, text, laser pointer). The magnifier feature may request Screen Recording permission to capture a small area of your screen for the zoom lens. No other permissions are needed.
PenAnywhere requires macOS 13 (Ventura) or later. It runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
Yes. PenAnywhere draws on top of any application, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Keynote, PowerPoint, OBS Studio, VS Code, Figma, and any other app running on your Mac.
Yes. Connect your iPad via Sidecar, and PenAnywhere supports pressure-sensitive drawing with the Apple Pencil. The strokes respond to pressure for natural, expressive annotations.
Press Ctrl+X to clear all annotations from the screen. You can also use Ctrl+Z to undo the last action, or use the Clear All option from the menu bar dropdown.
PenAnywhere supports gradient colors along your strokes. Press Ctrl+G to cycle through 8 curated gradient presets (Sunset, Electric, Neon, Candy, Aurora, Cosmic, Coral, Smoke). Gradients work on all tools: pen, highlighter, shapes, and text.
No. PenAnywhere is a one-time purchase with lifetime updates. Pay once, use forever. No subscriptions, no recurring charges.
PenAnywhere is sold through the Mac App Store. To request a refund, visit reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in with your Apple ID, find PenAnywhere in your purchase history, and select "Request a Refund."
Make sure PenAnywhere is running (check for the pen icon in your menu bar). If shortcuts still don't work, try quitting and relaunching the app. Keyboard shortcuts use the Carbon Hot Key API and do not require Accessibility permissions.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Toggle drawing mode | Ctrl + D |
| Exit drawing mode | Escape |
| Clear all annotations | Ctrl + X |
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Rectangle tool | Ctrl + Z |
| Ellipse tool | Ctrl + R |
| Cycle gradients | Ctrl + G |
| Laser pointer | Ctrl + L |
If you could not find an answer above, reach out and we will get back to you as soon as possible.