The Beam reference library

What is Beam?

A visual feedback tool for designers and product teams. Upload an image, PDF, or paste a website URL, drop pinned comments anywhere on it, share with reviewers. No login required for guests.

• ⊕ overview

How do I create my first MarkUp?

Dashboard → New MarkUp. Pick a tab — image, PDF, website. Drop or paste. You land on the canvas ready to comment.

• ⊕ upload

What file formats are supported?

Images (PNG, JPG, WEBP, GIF), PDFs (multi-page), websites (auto-screenshotted via Apify), Office docs (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX) via Microsoft Viewer, and plain text up to 1 MB.

• ⊕ upload
• ⊕ formats

How do I drop a pin?

Click anywhere on the canvas. A composer opens — type, hit Enter, post. Pins anchor at percentage coordinates so they survive resize, fit-mode change, and zoom.

• ⊕ pins

Can I drag pins?

Yes. Hold and drag any pin to reposition. The thread snaps with a soft spring on drop.

• ⊕ pins

How do reactions work?

Hover a message and click the smile icon. Pick from 👍 ❤️ 😂 👀 🚀 ⭐. Counts update in realtime.

• ⊕ reactions

Can I @-mention someone?

Type @ in any composer to open a typeahead of workspace members. Mentioned users get an email + in-app notification regardless of their per-markup preference.

• ⊕ mentions

How do guests view a MarkUp?

Click Share → copy link. Guests open it in any browser. They can comment if you enabled comments on the share link, no signup needed — just a name.

Are share links secure?

Each link uses a random 32-character token. Revoke any time from the share modal. Set view-only or comment-enabled per link.

Can I expire share links?

Not yet — coming soon. For now revoke manually when the project ships.

How do I upload a new version?

Canvas → Versions → New version. Drop a file. The new version becomes current; old versions stay viewable in history.

What does Approve do?

Marks the current version as locked-final. Status flips to Approved, an audit row is written, reviewers get notified. You can still comment, but the badge tells everyone the work is signed off.

Can I compare versions?

Yes. Versions → Compare on any older one. Side-by-side view of that version vs current.

How do I create another workspace?

Click your workspace name in the sidebar to open the switcher → New workspace. Each workspace has its own MarkUps, members, and plan.

How do I invite teammates?

People → Invite. Enter emails, pick a role. They get an email invite from Beam. Pending invites show in the People list until accepted.

What roles exist?

Owner can do anything including delete the workspace. Member can create and edit MarkUps. Guest is reserved for share-link viewers.

Global

⌘K — open command palette · / — focus search · ? — show shortcuts dialog inside the canvas.

Canvas

Cmd/Ctrl + scroll — zoom · Space + drag — pan · 1 — fit width · 2 — fit height · 3 — actual size · [ — previous markup · ] — next markup.

Status

a — approve · r — needs revisions · y — ready for review · d — draft · c — toggle comments · b — toggle bulk select on dashboard.

My PDF won't render

Refresh. If it still fails, the PDF may be password-protected — Beam doesn't support encrypted PDFs yet. Re-export without a password and try again.

Comments aren't showing up live

Realtime requires WebSockets. Some corporate networks block them. Reload the page and they'll appear — your data is never lost.

Upload failed at 100%

Files over 50 MB are rejected at the API level. Compress the PDF or downsize the image and retry.

Where is my data stored?

All MarkUps, comments, and uploads live in our Supabase Postgres + Storage in EU. We never train models on your content.

Can I delete a MarkUp?

Yes. Three-dot menu → Delete. Moves to Trash for 30 days, then purged. Restore from Settings → Danger zone → Open trash within that window.

How do I delete my account?

Email support@beam.app — full deletion within 7 business days, including every comment you posted.