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Did you know there’s a hidden paint app on your Mac? Here’s how to find it

Published May 18th, 2022 3:00AM EDT
Mac Hidden App

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Every once in a while, Apple introduces a new OS for its Macs that provides us with brand new features. Apple’s OS X 10.10 Yosemite software introduced so many new features to users back in 2014. OS X had some old features that you might not know about that still exist today. Even now, with macOS Monterey, there are a ton of programs on your Mac computer that you may have not realized are there. Paint has never been easier to utilize.

As Dave Winer pointed out on Scripting News (via The Loop), Apple’s Preview app was a somewhat hidden paint function that most users had no idea was there.

Winer’s instructions for accessing the paint functions in Apple’s Preview app include a few extra steps, which we’ll amend here.

macOS Monterey paint

macOS-Monterey
Unveiled at WWDC21, macOS Monterey gives users the power to accomplish more than ever. Image source: Apple

All you have to do is open any image file on your computer in Preview (if Preview isn’t your default app for image files, simply right-click on a file, hover over “Open With,” and then select “Preview.app”).

Then in the top menu in Preview, you’ll see a toolbox icon. Just click it and you’re ready to go. You’ll see your ability to do so much in Preview that previous versions of macOS didn’t have.

At the top of the screen, you’ll see the “Show Markup Tool” button with no label all the way to the right. It looks like a small pencil in a circle.

Click it, and you’ll open a whole new menu full of tools you can use to draw, write, and more.

The paint functions in Preview aren’t exactly on par with something like Photoshop, but there are plenty of simple tools for quick edits and markups. You can draw on documents, sign documents digitally and do even more with your laptop’s trackpad or a Magic Trackpad.

It’s incredibly easy to utilize and makes a lot of sense for anyone trying to handle quick additions to documents.

More Mac news: See our review of the latest MacBook Pro!

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 15 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.