When you take a screenshot in iOS 11 or later, there's a new feature that's designed to let you open it right up and edit it with Apple's Markup tools.

Using the screenshot editing feature, you can capture what's on the screen of your iPad or iPhone and then add text, crop, highlight specific areas, and more.

Using Instant Markup

  1. Press the Home button and the sleep/wake button simultaneously to capture a screenshot.
  2. A preview of the screenshot will pop up in the lower left of the display. Tap it to open up the Instant Markup interface. You'll have about five seconds before it disappears.ipadscreenshoteditingios11
  3. Use a finger to adjust the blue outline if you want to crop your image.
  4. Choose a pen/marker/pencil and a color and then draw with a finger or the Apple Pencil (on iPad Pro) to edit your screenshot. instantmarkupinterface

If you take multiple screenshots at once, they'll all be displayed in Instant Markup and you can swipe between them.

There are all kinds of tools in Instant Markup, including a pen, pencil, highlighter, eraser, drop shadow tool, crop, multiple pen colors, and undo/redo.

instantmarkupinterfaceios11
To access even more tools, tap on the "+" button. This gives you access to a text entry field, a signature tool to add a signature to a screenshot, a magnifier tool, and various shapes.

Saving, Sharing, or Deleting an Edited Screenshot

When you're done editing your screenshot, you can save it to photos, delete it, or share it.

  1. To save a photo or delete it, tap the "Done" button in the upper left of the iPad's display and then choose the appropriate option.instantmarkupios11savetophotos
  2. To share, tap on the Share Sheet icon at the upper right of the display, which will pop up icons to share the screenshot in an iMessage, email, or social network. instantmarkupscreenshotshareios11
  3. The Share Sheet also includes options to save the screenshot to the Files app, add it to the Photos app, and more.

Instant Markup is a feature that's present on the iPhone and the iPad in iOS 11. There is no way to turn it off at the current time, so if you dislike those little screenshot popups, the only option is to wait the few seconds for them to disappear or swipe them away to the left of the display.

Related Forums: iOS 11, iPad Accessories

Top Rated Comments

Xavier Avatar
97 months ago
Such a useful feature!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cecil444 Avatar
97 months ago
The markup feature existed before, you just had to dig a little to use it. Now it's super easy.

One odd note: the screenshot preview feature turned off for me somehow and I can't get it to reappear. I've been testing iOS 11 on a 6S (it's been a crazy battery hog... like horrendous, for the last couple days... hoping it gets better or a fix is issued soon). The first screenshot I took showed the preview and I was able to view and markup the image as described. But every screenshot since has (1) failed to show me the preview of the screenshot -- it just drops it in my photos as with iOS 10; and (2) failed to "blink" the screen indicating that a screenshot was successfully taken. With the sound on I do hear the camera shutter sound, but the screen no longer "blinks" as it always used to. Anyone else experiencing this same issue?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wolfshades Avatar
97 months ago
Does this only work with screenshots? Or can you use those tools on your saved photos?
Yes they are. Go into Photos, Edit, click on the ellipses (the "more" button) and then hit Markup, and you should be good to go.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
psac Avatar
97 months ago
Very useful. Also now have a markup option under the ... “more” button in photo edit. Easier than having to go to a third party app.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joniz Avatar
97 months ago
I was hoping this would be great stuff but I’m finding a number of irritating issues with Apple’s markup…

1) It never remembers what color I picked, or the tool. I always have to re-select even though I always use a red pen. Very basic coding stuff.

2) There’s a huge lag with each letter because of, I’m pretty sure, Undo. I write something like “Test” and if I don’t go “T-beat-e-beat-s-beat-t” then it misses letters. If I write script-like, all one flowing line, it has no problems, which is why I believes this has to do with a poor implementation of Undo.

3) What a terrible waste of space around the screenshot. Why can’t I make it bigger on the screen so I can get between lines?

Now I’m using an iPad Mini 4 with a mesh-tipped stylus, which works beautifully in Notes Plus — catches everything — but maybe Apple’s markup better on iPad Pros with Apple Pencils? Still, I wish they could have hired a better coder. I can almost image there’s bubblesort in there somewhere.

Anyone else seeing these issues?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
97 months ago
I like these “how to’s”. Keep em coming.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Has No Visible Display Crease – Report

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:58 am PST by
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices. According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
trump iphone dictation issue

Apple Fixing 'Trump' Dictation Processing Bug

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:18 pm PST by
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist." In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being ...
airtag orange

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

Monday February 24, 2025 6:11 am PST by
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe. Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2: With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
ios 18 4 carplay

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:23 pm PST by
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay. As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...