Eraser
Erase parts of annotations with a pencil or rectangle, adjust width, enable rectangle editing, and distinguish undoable erasing from clearing all marks.
Use the eraser to fix an extra length of line or an annotation covering part of the original image. Erased areas reveal the image underneath, preserving the screenshot's original text, shapes, and colors.
- Pencil: follow a pathDrag along extra strokes for local corrections. Example width: 24.
- Rectangle: clear an areaDrag between opposite corners to erase annotations inside.
Select the eraser
For a screenshot, select an area first. On an image pin, press SpaceSpace to show the annotation toolbar.
Click “Eraser,” or press the default shortcut Shift+9⇧ Shift+9. In the default layout, it appears directly on the top-level toolbar.
Choose “Pencil” or “Rectangle” in the style bar below to set the area to erase.
Hold the left mouse button and drag to erase annotations along the way. Release to finish that stroke or area.
The eraser starts erasing only when you drag. It affects existing annotations within the area it crosses; when annotations overlap, watch for others in the same area.
Use the pencil for details or a rectangle for an area
Pencil: erase along a path
“Pencil” is the default. Drag along unwanted strokes to remove a short section of line or tidy an irregular edge.
The default pencil width is 12. Hover over the width icon or value in the style bar, then drag the slider in the popup. Larger values erase a wider area per stroke. You can also adjust it with the scroll wheel.
If scrolling over the image has no effect, check “Disable mouse wheel to adjust annotation tools” in “Annotation” settings. Reduce the width for details and increase it for larger areas.
Hold Shift⇧ Shift while erasing to straighten the current segment. Its angle follows the pencil's Shift setting.
Rectangle: erase a regular area at once
Choose “Rectangle” and drag from one corner to the opposite corner to erase annotations inside. The rectangle you draw determines coverage, useful for clearing a whole line of explanation or a dense cluster of marks.
Rectangle erasing uses a filled area; pencil width does not determine its size. To delete one complete annotation instead, return to its tool, select it, and press DeleteBackspace. See Undo, redo, and delete.
Adjust a rectangle erasing area again
“Eraser enables secondary editing” is off by default. To modify an existing rectangle after deselecting it, enable this option in “Annotation” → “Eraser,” and also set “Mark secondary editing” to “Enable.”
Then return to “Eraser,” choose “Rectangle,” and click the previously erased area. A border and square control points appear when selected.
- Select the erasing areaEnable editing, return to rectangle erasing, and click the old area.
- Drag a handleExpand rightward to erase more red strokes while preserving the image.
- Remove the erasing areaThe annotations it hid reappear.
| What to adjust | How |
|---|---|
| Erasing position | Drag inside the rectangle to move the erasing area |
| Erasing coverage | Drag square control points at corners or edges |
| Cancel this area's erasing | Select the rectangle and press DeleteBackspace to remove this erasing area |
Moving or deleting the erasing area reveals the annotations it covered. If another erasing area still covers that location, its effect remains.
A pencil erasing stroke ends when you release the mouse. You cannot select and drag it again as you can a rectangle. If you erase too much, press Ctrl+Z⌘ Command+Z to undo, reduce the width, and erase again. Rectangle erasing can also be undone.
Clear everything to start over
“Clear All” on the right of the style bar removes all annotations in the current image, including existing erasing areas. Clicking it opens the “Clear All Marks” confirmation dialog.
Click “Clear” to start over or “Cancel” to keep your annotations. If you check “Don't ask again” and confirm, future clicks of “Clear All” perform the action immediately.
“Clear All” also clears the current annotations' undo history, so you cannot undo it. To fix a small area, use pencil erasing, rectangle erasing, or ordinary undo.
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