How to Add Text to a Screenshot That Stays Readable
September 20, 2026
A label on a screenshot should be read in a glance. That means short, and it means visible against whatever happens to be behind it -- which on a web page can be white, dark, or a photograph, sometimes all three in the same image.
The built-in editors
Windows: open the capture in Photos and use the text tool, or Paint. Mac: Preview’s Markup toolbar has a text box. Both let you set a colour and size; neither gives the text an outline, which is what keeps it readable over a busy background.
In the browser
In Demorta’s screenshot editor, choose Text, click where the label goes, type, press Enter. Text is drawn with a thin contrasting outline automatically -- light text gets a dark edge, dark text a light one -- so it reads over a photo, a white form or a dark sidebar without you adjusting anything. Size follows the toolbar slider. Try the free screenshot tool.
Keeping it readable
- Three to five words. Anything longer belongs in the message, not the image.
- Near the thing, not on it. Place the label beside the element it describes, and use a box or arrow to make the link.
- Outline or backing. If your tool has neither, put the text over a plain area of the image, or draw a solid box behind it.
- Same size throughout a set. Mixed label sizes across a document look careless.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I add text to a screenshot?
- Open it in an editor with a text tool -- Photos or Paint on Windows, Preview on a Mac -- or capture with a browser tool that opens an editor directly, click where the label goes, and type.
- How do I make text readable on a screenshot?
- Keep it short, place it beside the element rather than on top of it, and give it an outline or a solid backing so it stands out from whatever is behind it.
- Can I add text to a screenshot in Chrome?
- Yes, with a screenshot extension that has an editor. Demorta’s tool captures the area you drag and offers a text tool with an automatic outline.
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