{"id":200605,"date":"2026-10-20T13:19:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T17:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/?p=200605"},"modified":"2026-10-20T13:19:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T17:19:03","slug":"how-to-draw-and-sketch-in-freeform-app-on-macos-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/how-to-draw-and-sketch-in-freeform-app-on-macos-27\/","title":{"rendered":"How to draw and sketch in Freeform app on macOS 27"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Learn how to use the new drawing and sketching tools in the Apple Freeform app on Mac running macOS 27 Golden Gate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Drawing <\/p>\n

macOS 27 has added a new native drawing option to the Notes app<\/a> and the Freeform app. Before this, if you wanted to sketch something quick on your Mac, you had to use the touchscreen on your iPhone or iPad as a companion drawing board. This setup was definitely cool and even useful at times, but it came with challenges, which we have discussed in our Notes app post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The new macOS Golden Gate update keeps that old Continuity feature<\/a> while also adding built-in drawing tools that rely on your Mac’s trackpad and mouse. These sketching tools in Freeform now give you more options to create your digital whiteboard the way you like.<\/p>\n

On top of that, if you have used Freeform, you know that your boards (projects) sync via iCloud and are available on all your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro. Having the option to draw on Mac now means that if you draw on a board on iPad, you can access, edit, fine-tune, etc., right on your Mac when you’re away. The opposite is also true: you can do a quick sketch on Mac and then use the Apple Pencil on iPad to improve it.<\/p>\n

A suggestion before you begin<\/h2>\n

Three-finger drag is turned off by default on Mac. So, when drawing in Freeform, you’ll have to force-press and drag on the MacBook or Apple Magic Trackpad, which is hard, unintuitive, and frustrating (at least for me). To make your life easier, turn on three-finger drag<\/a> in System Settings<\/strong> > Accessibility<\/strong> > Pointer Control<\/strong> > Trackpad Options<\/strong>. After that, you can draw quickly by dragging with three fingers instead of holding down the trackpad. It’s so much better.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Set <\/p>\n

Draw in Freeform board on Mac<\/h2>\n

1)<\/strong> Update your Mac to macOS 27 Golden Gate or install it on a partition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2)<\/strong> Open the Freeform app<\/strong> and select your board or create a new one.<\/p>\n

3)<\/strong> Click the new markup button<\/strong> in the top toolbar to enable drawing mode.<\/p>\n

\"Drawing <\/p>\n

4)<\/strong> Now, select your preferred drawing tool by clicking the little arrow<\/strong> next to the pencil icon at the bottom:<\/p>\n