How to Take Screenshots on Mac — Complete Guide

Taking screenshots on a Mac is fast and flexible. macOS offers multiple methods for capturing your entire screen, a specific window, or a custom selection, all using built-in tools that require no additional software. This guide covers every approach, starting with the most commonly used keyboard shortcuts.

Screenshot Keyboard Shortcuts

These shortcuts work on every modern version of macOS. They are the fastest way to take a screenshot.

Capture the Entire Screen

Press Cmd + Shift + 3 to capture your entire screen instantly. If you have multiple displays connected, each display is captured as a separate file.

Capture a Selected Area

1. Press Cmd + Shift + 4. Your cursor will change to a crosshair.
2. Click and drag to select the rectangular area you want to capture.
3. Release the mouse button to take the screenshot.

While dragging, hold Shift to lock one axis (horizontal or vertical), Option to resize from the center, or Space to move the entire selection rectangle.

Capture a Specific Window

1. Press Cmd + Shift + 4, then press Space.
2. Your cursor changes to a camera icon. Hover over the window you want to capture; it will be highlighted.
3. Click to capture the highlighted window, complete with its shadow.

Capture a Menu or the Touch Bar

To screenshot a dropdown menu, first open the menu, then press Cmd + Shift + 4 and select the menu area. On MacBook Pro models with a Touch Bar, press Cmd + Shift + 6 to capture the Touch Bar display.

Copy Screenshot to Clipboard

Add Control to any screenshot shortcut to copy the image to your clipboard instead of saving it as a file. For example:

• Cmd + Control + Shift + 3 — Copy entire screen to clipboard
• Cmd + Control + Shift + 4 — Copy selected area to clipboard

You can then paste the screenshot directly into documents, emails, or image editors using Cmd + V.

Quick Reference Table

Using the Screenshot Toolbar

On macOS Mojave (10.14) and later, press Cmd + Shift + 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar. This floating control panel provides buttons for all capture modes in one place:

• Capture Entire Screen — Takes a screenshot of your full display.
• Capture Selected Window — Lets you click on a window to capture it.
• Capture Selected Portion — Draws a resizable selection rectangle on screen.
• Record Entire Screen — Starts a screen recording (see our screen recording guide).
• Record Selected Portion — Records a specific area of your screen.

Screenshot Toolbar Options

Click Options in the toolbar to configure these settings:

• Save to: Choose where screenshots are saved (Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview, or a custom folder).
• Timer: Add a 5-second or 10-second delay before capture, useful for setting up the exact screen state you want to capture.
• Show Floating Thumbnail: When enabled, a small preview appears in the corner after each screenshot, allowing you to annotate, share, or delete it immediately.
• Remember Last Selection: Keeps the same selection area for your next screenshot.
• Show Mouse Pointer: Includes or excludes the mouse cursor from your screenshots.

Advanced Screenshot Options

Changing the Default Save Location

By default, screenshots are saved to your Desktop with filenames like "Screenshot 2024-01-15 at 10.30.00 AM.png". To change the save location:

1. Open the Screenshot toolbar (Cmd + Shift + 5).
2. Click Options.
3. Under "Save to," select your preferred location or choose "Other Location" to pick any folder.

Alternatively, you can use Terminal to set a custom path:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Pictures/Screenshots

Then restart the SystemUIServer: killall SystemUIServer

Changing the Screenshot File Format

macOS saves screenshots as PNG files by default, which provides lossless quality. You can change the format using Terminal:

• JPEG: defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
• TIFF: defaults write com.apple.screencapture type tiff
• PDF: defaults write com.apple.screencapture type pdf
• Back to PNG: defaults write com.apple.screencapture type png

After changing the format, restart SystemUIServer for the change to take effect.

Disabling the Floating Thumbnail

If the floating preview thumbnail that appears after each screenshot is distracting, you can disable it in the Screenshot toolbar's Options menu (uncheck "Show Floating Thumbnail") or via Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture show-thumbnail -bool false

Removing Window Shadows

Window screenshots include a drop shadow by default. To disable shadows globally:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool true

Then restart SystemUIServer. To re-enable shadows, change true to false.

Using Preview for Screenshots

The Preview app, which comes pre-installed on every Mac, can also capture screenshots:

1. Open Preview from your Applications folder.
2. In the menu bar, click File and select one of the capture options under "Take Screenshot": From Selection, From Window, or From Entire Screen.
3. The captured image opens immediately in Preview for editing and annotation.

This method is particularly useful when you want to immediately annotate, crop, or mark up your screenshot before saving it.

Annotating Screenshots with Markup

When the floating thumbnail appears after taking a screenshot, click on it to open the Markup editor. You can also open any screenshot in Preview and use the Markup tools. Available tools include:

• Shapes: Add rectangles, circles, arrows, and lines to highlight areas.
• Text: Add text labels and annotations directly on the image.
• Pen and Highlighter: Draw freehand or highlight areas with semi-transparent color.
• Signatures: Insert saved signatures.
• Crop: Trim the screenshot to the exact area you need.
• Magnifier: Add a zoom bubble to enlarge a specific detail.

Tips for Better Screenshots

• Use the timer for screenshots that require a specific interface state, such as an open dropdown menu or tooltip.
• Organize with folders: Change your save location to a dedicated Screenshots folder to keep your Desktop clean.
• Use clipboard mode when you need to paste a screenshot directly into a document or chat application.
• Retina displays produce screenshots at 2x resolution. If you need standard resolution, resize the image in Preview or use the "Adjust Size" tool.
• Multiple monitors: The full-screen shortcut captures all displays. Use the area or window capture to target a specific screen.
• Keyboard viewer: If you forget a shortcut, open System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Screenshots to see and customize all screenshot shortcuts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do screenshots go on Mac?

By default, screenshots are saved to your Desktop as PNG files. You can change the save location using the Screenshot toolbar's Options menu or a Terminal command.

How do I screenshot just one window?

Press Cmd + Shift + 4, then press Space. Click on the window you want to capture. Hold Option while clicking to exclude the window shadow.

Can I change the screenshot format from PNG?

Yes. Use Terminal to set the format to JPG, TIFF, or PDF with the command: defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg (replacing "jpg" with your preferred format).

How do I take a scrolling screenshot?

macOS does not include a built-in scrolling screenshot feature. For web pages, you can use your browser's developer tools to capture the full page, or use a third-party utility. Safari's Web Inspector includes a "Capture Full Page" option when you right-click in responsive design mode.

For screen recording tutorials, see our How to Record Screen on Mac guide. To compare screen recording tools, visit our Best Screen Recorders for Mac overview.