User guide for Windows

Getting started

Draw On Clipboard lives in the system tray. The whole loop is three steps:

1 — Capture. Use your operating system's screenshot shortcut and copy the result to the clipboard. On Windows, Win+Shift+S opens Snipping Tool. On Linux, use your desktop's screenshot command.

2 — Open it. Click the pencil in the tray, or choose Paste from Clipboard in an open window. Your capture opens ready to draw.

3 — Send it back out. Mark it up, choose Copy Image (Ctrl+C), and paste it wherever you were going. Or choose Save Image… (Ctrl+S) for a file.

A normal tray-icon click opens the clipboard image immediately. Right-click the icon for Past Sessions, settings, help, and quit.

Getting an image in

There are four ways to get something to draw on.

From the clipboard. Copy any image, then click the tray icon, choose File ▸ Paste from Clipboard, or press Ctrl+V in a window.

Open File… (Ctrl+O). Open a supported image from disk.

Drag and drop. Drop an image file onto an empty Draw On Clipboard window.

Blank Image… Start on a white page without taking a screenshot. Pick a size and begin drawing.

The app does not need screen-capture permission to read an image that your operating system already placed on the clipboard.

Drawing tools

Every tool has a one-key shortcut. The current tool is highlighted in the toolbar.

V — Select. Select, move, resize, duplicate, or delete an object.

P — Pen. Freehand drawing; a pressure-sensitive stylus can vary the line width.

H — Highlighter. Translucent ink that blends with what is underneath.

L — Line · A — Arrow · R — Rectangle · O — Ellipse. Drag to draw; shapes are outline-only.

T — Text. Click to place text. Return commits it and Esc cancels.

N — Numbered badge. Drop 1, 2, 3… callouts that renumber when one is deleted.

X — Hide (Redact). Cover sensitive material; see “Hiding sensitive things.”

C — Crop. Drag a box, then Return to apply or Esc to cancel.

Hold Shift to constrain lines and arrows to 45 degrees and shapes to squares or circles. Color and width choices are remembered. Zoom changes only your view; exports stay full resolution.

Accessibility and non-pointer editing

Draw On Clipboard supports Narrator, keyboard navigation, high-contrast themes, reduced motion, and larger display scaling.

Create without pointing. Choose any drawing tool, then choose Add [tool] at Center. The new annotation is selected automatically.

Edit without hit-testing pixels. Use Annotations to choose an object. The nearby native controls move it by 10 pixels, resize supported objects, edit text, duplicate, or delete. For crop, use Apply or Cancel.

Understand the canvas. Narrator reports the image size, annotation count, selected object, true color names, and export state. Selection is shown by shape and status as well as color.

Keep the layout usable. Toolbar controls wrap at narrow window sizes, status messages wrap instead of disappearing, and system high contrast and reduced motion are honored.

If something still blocks you, send Feedback from Help. Accessibility defects are release-blocking for us.

Hiding sensitive things

The X tool covers an area. There are two styles, and the difference matters.

Solid (default). A flat opaque block. Use this for passwords, tokens, account numbers, and anything that must not be recoverable.

Pixelate. Chunky blocks that still hint at the underlying shape. Pixelation of known text can sometimes be reversed, so use it for faces or clutter, not secrets.

Every copied or saved image is a flattened render. Hidden pixels are absent from the exported image rather than layered underneath.

While a saved session still exists, its original un-redacted image remains in the session so undo can work. Turn off session backups before sensitive work, or clear saved sessions from Settings when you no longer need recovery.

History, undo, and forking

The strip under the toolbar is your history. Every committed change is one frame, beginning with the untouched image.

Undo / Redo. Use the toolbar arrows or Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z.

Jump anywhere. Select a frame to rewind to that exact point.

Undo, then draw. Drawing replaces the steps you just undid.

Select an earlier frame, then draw. Draw On Clipboard asks whether to Fork to New Window, which keeps both versions, or Replace Later Steps, which continues in the current window. Frames that would be replaced are dimmed.

Whatever frame you are viewing is exactly what Copy or Save exports.

Getting the result out

The Windows and Linux builds provide two direct export paths, both at full image resolution.

Copy Image (Ctrl+C). Places the rendered image on the clipboard, ready to paste.

Save Image… (Ctrl+S). Writes the rendered image to a file you choose.

The status chip tells you whether the current version has not been exported, was copied or saved, or has been edited since its last export.

If you close a window with unexported changes, the app warns you first. Session backups can still recover the work after the window closes when backups are enabled.

Past sessions

When session backups are enabled, Draw On Clipboard saves while you work. Closing a window, quitting, or a crash does not have to lose the drawing.

When session backups are on, open the Past Session Manager from Settings to preview, reopen, copy or save past work. Keep protects important sessions from automatic cleanup.

Unkept, closed sessions normally expire 14 days after last work. Above 50 unkept closed sessions, fully exported work may be removed earlier. Sessions marked Keep and sessions in open editors are protected from automatic cleanup. Deleting a session removes its original and history after confirmation, never separately exported images.

Settings shows how many sessions are saved and lets you turn backups off. Turning backups off means new work stays in memory only and cannot be recovered after the window or app closes. Clear saved sessions when you no longer want the originals retained.

Your data and privacy

Your drawings, screenshots, clipboard contents, and sessions stay local. There are no accounts, sync, or analytics.

Opening My Reports or More Apps uses local data. Network requests occur only when you send feedback, check report status or available apps, or manage a report's contact details. Feedback contains the text and compatibility facts shown before sending; an email address is optional. Feedback never sends images, paths, session files, or clipboard contents.

Saved sessions contain the original image, including material later covered by redaction, so undo can work. Settings can disable session backups or clear saved sessions. Files you exported are yours and are not deleted when app data is cleared.

To remove the app completely, uninstall it and remove its per-user application-data folder.

Keyboard shortcuts

Getting started

Ctrl+V — paste the clipboard image · Ctrl+O — open a file · Ctrl+W — close the window · Ctrl+, — settings · Ctrl+/ — this help

Tools

V select · P pen · H highlighter · L line · A arrow

R rectangle · O ellipse · T text · N numbered badge · X redact · C crop

Shift (held) — constrain to 45 degrees, squares, or circles

Editing

Ctrl+Z undo · Ctrl+Shift+Z redo · Ctrl+D duplicate selection · Delete remove selection

Return — apply crop or commit text · Esc — cancel

View and export

Ctrl++ zoom in · Ctrl+− zoom out · Ctrl+0 fit to window

Ctrl+C copy image · Ctrl+S save image

Troubleshooting

The tray click does not open my screenshot.

The app opens an image that is already on the clipboard. Copy the screenshot first, then click again or press Ctrl+V in an open window.

I cannot find the tray menu.

A normal click opens the clipboard image. Right-click the tray icon for Past Sessions, settings, help, and quit. Your desktop may hide tray icons in an overflow area.

Autosaving is failing.

A full or unavailable disk is the usual cause. Copy or save the current image, then free some space.

Where did my work go?

Right-click the tray icon and choose Past Sessions. Recovery is available only for work created while session backups were enabled.