Get out of draw mode

While drawing is on, every click goes to PenLayer, including clicks on the menu bar and the Dock. That’s expected. To get your clicks back, use any of these three ways out.

1. The toolbar

Hover the handle on the edge of the screen (the right edge unless you’ve moved it) and press the glowing red stop button. The toolbar is always on top and always clickable while you draw.

2. The shortcut

Press ⌥⇧D, or whatever you’ve set for Start / stop drawing. PenLayer claims it all the time, so it works whatever has focus. If you’ve clicked on the canvas, Esc also stops drawing.

3. Wait

After 2 minutes without drawing, PenLayer stops by itself. That’s the default; you may have set a different time in Preferences → Stopping. If you set it to Never, only the first two ways out apply. See Stop drawing automatically.

If the toolbar handle isn’t where you expect

Check the other edges. The toolbar can be set to the top, left or right edge, and to the start, middle or end of it. It also comes out briefly each time you start drawing.

If the shortcut doesn’t work

Another app or a system shortcut may be holding it. Use the toolbar to stop, then re-record the shortcut. See A shortcut does nothing.