InkIt: Free Screen Annotation Software for Windows

Download InkIt for Windows See the features

Free early release
Windows 10 and 11
Works offline
No admin rights needed

Version 0.0.0.2, about 54 MB. The installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows may show a warning. Released 4 October 2026.

SHA-256: f3ea96bb3680ddc24562432607690b5944ef6980a9f4c3e65fdf89800514f0aa

The InkIt floating toolbar on a Windows screen with cursor, pen, highlighter, eraser, colour, shapes, text, step numbers, laser, spotlight, zoom, screenshot and whiteboard buttons

The toolbar above is a screenshot of the real application.

The product

What is InkIt?

InkIt is screen annotation software for Windows. It places a small floating toolbar on your screen. Pick the pen and you can draw straight over PowerPoint, a browser, a code editor or a video call. Press Esc and your mouse works normally again, and nothing you drew changes the apps underneath.

Screen annotation means marking up what is already on your display while you talk: underlining, circling, highlighting, pointing, numbering steps or zooming in. It is different from a drawing app, where you create a picture on a blank page. In InkIt the screen itself is the page, and a whiteboard, blackboard or grid is available when you want a clean one.

InkIt was built at Incipit for people who explain things on a screen: corporate trainers, teachers, presenters and support staff. It starts in Cursor mode, so your clicks go to your apps until you choose a drawing tool, and it is deliberately quiet when idle. In testing it used no measurable CPU while waiting.

The problem

Why screen annotation matters

Most screen explanations fail at the same moment: someone says "this one here" and the audience cannot tell which one. A mouse cursor is small, slides are dense, and on a projector or a shared screen the detail often disappears. Drawing a circle around the item removes the guesswork.

That helps in four everyday situations. Teaching and training, where learners need to see which button, field or line of code matters. Presentations, where the audience should look at one number on a busy slide. Demonstrations, where the interesting part may be a tiny toggle that has to be enlarged. And tutorials or support walkthroughs, where numbered steps and a short recording replace a long written explanation.

The tool should also get out of the way. A presenter cannot stop to find a menu, so useful annotation software starts fast, responds to keyboard shortcuts and gives a guaranteed way back to a clean screen. Those are the decisions InkIt was designed around.

Features

What InkIt can do, and how to use it

Each feature shows where it stands today. “Checked in the running app” means it was exercised on a real screen; the other labels say what is still pending.

Pen, highlighter and eraser

Checked in the running app

Draw freehand over any screen with a mouse, a pen or touch. There are 15 pen styles, a see-through highlighter and an eraser, with adjustable thickness, opacity and pen pressure.

Why it helps. Underlining a line of code, circling a figure or crossing out a step lets people see what you mean as you say it.

How to use it. Press P for the pen, H for the highlighter and E for the eraser. Keys 1 to 6 change colour and [ and ] change thickness while you draw.

For example. A trainer highlights one column of a spreadsheet in yellow, then switches to a red pen to circle the total.

InkIt pen panel showing stroke thickness, opacity, pressure sensitivity and pen styles such as ballpoint, calligraphy, fountain and marker

Smart shapes

Covered by automated checks

Draw a rough circle, box, triangle, diamond, line or arrow and InkIt turns it into a clean shape. A V drawn at the end of a line makes it an arrow, and connectors snap onto the edges of shapes.

Why it helps. Neat diagrams look professional and are easier to follow, without slowing down a live explanation.

How to use it. Smart shapes are on by default in the Pen panel. If you wanted the freehand version, press Undo once and your original stroke returns.

For example. While explaining a network layout, you sketch three wobbly boxes and two lines; InkIt tidies them into boxes joined by arrows.

InkIt shape and geometry panel listing line, arrow, double arrow, rectangle, rounded rectangle, ellipse and diamond with border thickness and snap to grid

Zoom into an area

Checked in the running app

Drag a box around any part of the screen. That part fills the screen and stays put, so you can point at it and keep drawing on it. A follow-the-mouse magnifier is also available.

Why it helps. Small text and dense dialogs are hard to read on a shared screen or a projector. Zooming makes the one thing that matters legible.

How to use it. Press Ctrl+Shift+5, drag a box and draw on the enlarged area. Use the mouse wheel to zoom further, drag with the middle button or hold Space to pan, and press Esc to return.

For example. During a demo you zoom into a small settings toggle so the whole room can see which option you mean.

InkIt zoom panel offering Zoom into an area and Follow the mouse, with the Ctrl+Shift+5 shortcut tip

Screenshot of an area

Checked in the running app

Drag a box and the picture is copied to the clipboard at once. You can also save it as PNG or JPG from the preview.

Why it helps. Sharing what you just annotated should take a second, not a trip through another tool.

How to use it. Press Ctrl+Shift+4, drag a box, then paste into Teams, PowerPoint or email with Ctrl+V.

For example. After circling an error message you capture the area and paste it straight into a support ticket.

Laser pointer, spotlight and focus box

Checked in the running app

The laser pointer is a glowing dot with a fading trail. The spotlight dims the whole screen except the area around your mouse. The focus box dims everything except a rectangle you choose while the apps underneath keep working.

Why it helps. Audiences follow your pointer. Removing everything else from view keeps attention on the part you are explaining.

How to use it. Choose Laser or Spotlight on the toolbar. The focus box and its radius and height settings are in the Spotlight panel, and the focus box is the part still being tested by hand.

For example. Reviewing a long configuration file, you focus on a three-line band so people read only that block.

InkIt presenter and focus panel with focus box, spotlight lens radius, code focus slit height, stage curtain, break timer and live typing demo controls

Whiteboard, blackboard and grid

Checked in the running app

Cover the screen with a whiteboard, a blackboard or grid paper whenever you need clean space. You can keep several pages, export them as one PDF handout, and save and reopen them as .inkit files.

Why it helps. Some explanations need a blank canvas, not another window. Pages and PDF export turn that sketching into material learners keep.

How to use it. Click the whiteboard button, pick a surface, and use Page Up and Page Down to move between pages. Save with Ctrl+S and open with Ctrl+O.

For example. A teacher works through a diagram on three whiteboard pages and exports the lot as a PDF for the class.

InkIt board canvas panel offering Transparent Desktop, Whiteboard, Blackboard and Engineering Grid surfaces with a snap to grid switch

Shapes, text, step numbers and stamps

Shapes, text and numbers checked in the running app; stamps still being tested by hand

Add arrows, rectangles, ellipses, diamonds and text notes. Numbered 1-2-3 (or A-B-C) badges mark the steps of a walkthrough, and stamps (a tick, cross, question mark, exclamation mark and star) mark right, wrong and important.

Why it helps. A numbered sequence on screen turns a spoken walkthrough into something people can follow back later.

How to use it. Press S for shapes, T for text and N for step numbers, then click where each badge should go. The panel has a Start again at 1 button.

For example. In a software tutorial you number each click in order, so the recording and the screenshot show the same sequence.

InkIt step numbers and stamps panel with 1 2 3 and A B C numbering, five stamps and round or square badge shapes

Record a lesson

Video output tested offline; microphone still being tested by hand

Record the whole screen or an area, with your drawings, pointer and voice, to an MP4 video. You can pause at any time.

Why it helps. A short recording of an explanation is often the handout. Because drawings are part of the picture, nothing has to be added afterwards.

How to use it. Click Record, choose Whole screen or an area, explain, then stop. Recordings are saved in Videos\InkIt.

For example. A trainer records a five-minute walkthrough of a new report layout and sends the MP4 to people who missed the session.

PowerPoint slides and a second screen

Included; needs PowerPoint or two monitors to check by hand

During a PowerPoint slide show, each slide keeps its own drawings. You can also show the screen, an area or one window on the projector while your notes stay private.

Why it helps. Annotating a slide should not mean redrawing it when you come back, and presenters often need a private view.

How to use it. Per-slide drawings switch on automatically during a slide show (Settings controls it). The second-screen option is under More, then Show on Second Screen.

For example. You circle a number on slide 4, move on, and find the circle still there when you return to slide 4.

Search, shortcuts and a panic key

Checked in the running app

Press Ctrl+K and type what you want (zoom, screenshot, whiteboard) to find any feature, or F10 to browse them all. Every feature can have its own shortcut, and Alt+Shift+X instantly closes every tool and overlay.

Why it helps. A live session cannot stop for a menu hunt, and presenters need a guaranteed way back to a clean screen.

How to use it. Esc stops drawing. Alt+Shift+X is the panic key and works even when the toolbar is hidden.

For example. Mid-session a tool misbehaves; one key press clears the screen and you carry on.

Use cases

Who uses InkIt, and for what

These are the workflows the software was built for. InkIt has not been formally tested in every meeting application, so treat call use as something to rehearse first.

Trainers and teachers

Draw on slides, zoom into small text, switch to a whiteboard for a diagram, then export the pages as a PDF handout or record the lesson as an MP4.

Corporate presentations

Spotlight one figure, keep per-slide drawings in PowerPoint and show the audience a different screen from the one holding your private notes.

Technical demonstrations

Zoom into a setting, dim everything but a block of code with the focus box and point with the laser so people read what you read.

Support and software walkthroughs

Number each click, add tick and cross stamps, capture the area to the clipboard and paste it into a ticket or a chat.

Tutorials and recordings

Record the screen or an area with your drawings, pointer and voice, then share the MP4 with people who could not attend.

Remote and screen-shared sessions

InkIt is designed for explaining on a shared screen. Share your entire screen so the drawings are on it, and test once in your meeting app before an important call.

Getting started

How to use InkIt in five steps

Download and install
Download InkIt_Setup.exe and run it. No administrator rights are needed. If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", choose More info, then Run anyway.
Meet the toolbar
The toolbar appears in Cursor mode, so your clicks still reach your apps. Hover over any button to see what it does.
Draw over anything
Choose the pen, highlighter or a shape and draw. Press Esc to stop drawing and get your mouse back.
Zoom, point and number
Press Ctrl+Shift+5 to zoom into an area, use the laser or spotlight to direct attention, and add numbered steps for a walkthrough.
Capture or record
Press Ctrl+Shift+4 to copy a screenshot, or click Record to save an MP4. If anything goes wrong, Alt+Shift+X closes every tool at once.

Shortcuts that work in any app

InkIt global keyboard shortcuts
Shortcut	What it does
`Esc`	Stop drawing and close whatever is open
`Ctrl+Shift+2`	Start or stop drawing
`Ctrl+Shift+5`	Zoom into an area
`Ctrl+Shift+4`	Screenshot of an area, copied to the clipboard
`Ctrl+Shift+Z`	Undo
`Ctrl+Shift+Delete`	Clear all drawings
`Alt+Shift+X`	Panic key: close every tool and overlay

Advantages

Why choose InkIt?

Made for explaining

Smart shapes, numbered steps, a spotlight, zoom, a whiteboard with pages and lesson recording sit in one toolbar, grouped Draw, Add, Present, Edit and Find.

Safe by design

InkIt starts in Cursor mode, Esc always stops drawing and the panic key closes everything. Nothing is uploaded; files stay on your PC.

Lightweight to adopt

It installs for your user account without administrator rights, works offline and needs nothing else installed.

Mouse, pen or touch

Draw with a mouse, a pen or a touch screen, with pen pressure, two-finger undo and a one-click XP-Pen express-key setup.

Fast under pressure

Ctrl+K finds any feature, every feature can have a shortcut and inkit:// links work with Stream Deck and scripts.

Shaped by feedback

Each release is numbered one higher than the last, with a public changelog and a feedback button that fills in your version.

Comparison

InkIt compared with Epic Pen and ZoomIt

A fair look at what each tool states about itself.

Capability comparison of InkIt 0.0.0.2, Epic Pen, ZoomIt
Capability	InkIt 0.0.0.2	Epic Pen	ZoomIt
Cost	Free early release	Free Basic; paid Pro (annual or monthly)	Free
Windows versions	Windows 10 (2004 or later) and 11, 64-bit	Windows 10 and 11	Says it works on all Windows versions
Pen, highlighter, eraser	Yes	Yes	Yes (highlight pens, undo, erase all)
Shapes and text	Yes	Listed, some in Pro	Yes (hold-key shapes, text)
Whiteboard and blackboard	Yes, plus grid and pages	Yes (Pro)	Yes
Zoom into the screen	Yes	Not listed on its home page	Yes, a core feature
Screenshot	Yes	Yes	Yes
Screen recording to MP4	Yes, with drawings and voice	Not listed on its home page	Yes (MP4 or GIF)
Smart shape cleanup	Yes	Not listed	Not listed
Numbered steps and stamps	Yes	Not listed	Not listed
Per-slide drawings in PowerPoint	Included, needs hands-on testing	Not listed	Not listed
Pen and touch input	Yes	Yes	Yes
Signed installer	Not yet	Stated on its site	Published by Microsoft
Maturity	Early (0.0.0.2)	Established	Established

Competitor columns are limited to what each tool's own pages state (Epic Pen's home page and the Microsoft Learn ZoomIt page, checked 3 November 2026). "Not listed" means the page does not mention the feature, not that the tool lacks it. Check each vendor's current page before deciding.

If you want a long-established tool or a vendor-signed installer today, ZoomIt or Epic Pen may suit you better. InkIt is the option to try if smart shapes, numbered steps, a spotlight and lesson recording in one free app match how you teach or present.

Epic Pen, ZoomIt and Microsoft are trademarks of their owners. Incipit is not affiliated with them.

Platforms and requirements

What you need to run InkIt

Requirements

Operating system: Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) or later, or Windows 11, 64-bit
Installation: Per-user installer, no administrator rights; Start menu entry and optional desktop icon
Installer size: About 54 MB; everything InkIt needs is included
Network: Works offline; optional daily update check to GitHub that you can turn off
Where files go: Screenshots and recordings in Videos\InkIt; drawings in Documents\InkIt; settings in %LOCALAPPDATA%\InkIt
Input: Mouse, pen and touch; pen tablets supported
Uninstall: Settings, Apps, InkIt, Uninstall

Honest limits today

Windows only. There is no macOS, Linux, Android or iOS version.
The installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen shows a warning on first run.
This is an early release (0.0.0.2). Some features, such as PowerPoint slide drawings, second-screen display and microphone recording, are included but still need hands-on checks on more hardware.
Copy text from screen uses the offline Windows OCR engine and needs a Windows OCR language pack for your language.
A webcam bubble, a blur or pixelate privacy pen, system-audio recording and a recording editor are not included.

Questions

InkIt questions and answers

What is InkIt?

InkIt is a free screen annotation tool for Windows. It puts a small floating toolbar on your screen so you can draw, highlight, zoom, take screenshots and point at things over any app, then press Esc to get your mouse back. It is built for trainers, teachers and presenters.

Is InkIt free?

Version 0.0.0.2 is a free early release, published to collect real user feedback. No pricing for later versions has been announced, and this page will not state one until it is decided.

How do I draw on the screen in Windows with InkIt?

Install InkIt, choose the pen on the toolbar (or press Ctrl+Shift+2 to start drawing), and draw over anything. Press Esc to stop drawing. Nothing you draw changes the app underneath.

Can I use InkIt while sharing my screen in Teams, Zoom or Meet?

InkIt is made for people who explain things on screen, including in calls. Because InkIt draws directly on your Windows screen, the safest way to show your drawings is to share your entire screen rather than one window. We have not yet recorded formal tests in each meeting app, so run a short test call before an important session.

Does InkIt need administrator rights or an internet connection?

No administrator rights are needed; InkIt installs for your user account. It works offline. The only network request is an optional daily update check to GitHub, which you can turn off in Settings.

Why does Windows say it protected my PC when I run the installer?

The installer is not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen shows a warning. If you downloaded it from the link on this page, choose More info, then Run anyway. You can compare the file's SHA-256 checksum with the one published on this page before you run it.

Is my screen content uploaded anywhere?

No. Screenshots, recordings and saved drawings stay on your PC (Videos\InkIt and Documents\InkIt), and settings are stored under %LOCALAPPDATA%\InkIt.

Is there a Mac or Linux version?

No. InkIt is a Windows desktop application and no other platform build exists.

Does InkIt work with a pen tablet or touch screen?

Yes. You can draw with a mouse, a pen or touch, and pen pressure is supported. There is also a one-click setup that maps express keys on XP-Pen tablets to InkIt tools.

How is InkIt different from ZoomIt or Epic Pen?

ZoomIt is a long-established free Microsoft tool and Epic Pen has a free Basic edition and a paid Pro edition. InkIt is newer and less proven, but it adds trainer-focused features such as smart shapes, numbered steps, a spotlight, per-slide drawings in PowerPoint and lesson recording in one free app. The comparison table above sets out what each tool lists.

How do I report a problem or suggest a feature?

Use the Send feedback option inside InkIt, which fills in your version number, or use the review and bug forms on the InkIt GitHub page. Feedback on early releases directly shapes what is built next.

Downloads

Where InkIt and other Incipit software is listed, with verification advice.

Release notes

What changed in each InkIt version.

Product support

Report a bug or send feedback for InkIt.

All Incipit products

InkIt alongside CertReady, Guidr and the rest of the register, each at its real stage.

Guidr

A separate Incipit product for live delivery; its own page describes where it stands.

Try InkIt on your next session

Download the free early release, run it for one lesson or demo and tell us what worked and what got in the way.

Download InkIt for Windows Send feedback

Free early release for Windows 10 and 11. Installer not yet code-signed.

InkIt: free screen annotation software for Windows

What is InkIt?

Why screen annotation matters

What InkIt can do, and how to use it

Pen, highlighter and eraser

Smart shapes

Zoom into an area

Screenshot of an area

Laser pointer, spotlight and focus box

Whiteboard, blackboard and grid

Shapes, text, step numbers and stamps

Record a lesson

PowerPoint slides and a second screen

Search, shortcuts and a panic key

Who uses InkIt, and for what

Trainers and teachers

Corporate presentations

Technical demonstrations

Support and software walkthroughs

Tutorials and recordings

Remote and screen-shared sessions

How to use InkIt in five steps

Download and install

Meet the toolbar

Draw over anything

Zoom, point and number

Capture or record

Shortcuts that work in any app

Why choose InkIt?

Made for explaining

Safe by design

Lightweight to adopt

Mouse, pen or touch

Fast under pressure

Shaped by feedback

InkIt compared with Epic Pen and ZoomIt

What you need to run InkIt

Requirements

Honest limits today

InkIt questions and answers

More about InkIt and Incipit software

Try InkIt on your next session