How to screenshot on Mac — every method explained
macOS has four built-in ways to take screenshots, and most people only know one. Press Shift + Command + 3 for a full-screen capture, Shift + Command + 4 to select an area, add Space to grab a single window, or use Shift + Command + 5 for the full Screenshot toolbar. Every method saves a PNG to your Desktop by default.
Below: all four methods, the keyboard shortcuts that modify them, where your files end up, how to change the default format and save location, and how to blur, crop, or annotate a screenshot before sharing it.
Mac screenshot shortcuts — quick reference
Every keyboard shortcut you need, in one table.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shift + Cmd + 3 | Capture full screen |
| Shift + Cmd + 4 | Capture selected area |
| Shift + Cmd + 4 → Space | Capture a specific window |
| Shift + Cmd + 5 | Open Screenshot app (all options) |
| Shift + Cmd + 6 | Capture the Touch Bar (MacBook Pro) |
| + Control | Add to any shortcut to copy to clipboard instead of saving |
4 ways to screenshot on Mac
Each method works in every version of macOS from Mojave onward. Pick the one that fits what you need to capture.
Full-screen capture
Grabs everything on your display, all at once. Multiple monitors? You get one file per screen. Files land on your Desktop as "Screenshot 2026-03-01 at 14.32.45.png" (you'll accumulate a lot of these if you don't change the save location).
Pro tip: Add Control to the shortcut (Shift + Command + Control + 3) to copy to clipboard instead of saving a file. Saves you from Desktop clutter.
Selection capture
Your cursor turns into a crosshair. Drag to select whatever rectangle you want. You'll see live pixel dimensions as you drag, which is surprisingly handy when someone asks for "a screenshot that's roughly 800px wide." Let go and it saves as PNG.
Pro tip: Hold Shift while dragging to lock to horizontal or vertical movement. Hold Option to resize from center. These two modifiers alone handle 90% of precision cases.
Window capture
Hit the Space bar after Shift+Cmd+4 and your cursor turns into a little camera. Hover over a window and it highlights blue. Click it. macOS captures that window with a nice drop shadow and transparent background baked in. Works on dialogs, menus, even the Dock.
Pro tip: Hold Option while clicking to skip the drop shadow. Useful when you're pasting the screenshot into a dark background where the shadow looks weird.
Screenshot app
This one opens a floating toolbar at the bottom of your screen. Full screen, window, selection, video recording, timed captures. It's the Swiss Army knife. Click Options to change save location, set a 5 or 10-second timer, toggle the floating thumbnail, or hide the mouse pointer. Most people don't realize this exists until someone shows them.
Pro tip: This is also how you screen record on Mac. Toggle to "Record Entire Screen" or "Record Selected Portion" in the toolbar. No QuickTime needed.
Change where Mac screenshots save
Every screenshot lands on your Desktop by default. After a few days of heavy use, your Desktop looks like a crime scene. Two ways to fix that, both under 30 seconds.
Method 1: Screenshot app (recommended)
- 1Press Shift + Cmd + 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar.
- 2Click Options in the toolbar.
- 3Under "Save to," pick Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, or choose Other Location for a custom folder.
Method 2: Terminal command
For those who prefer the command line, open Terminal and run:
Replace the path with any folder. The killall SystemUIServer part restarts the UI process so the change takes effect immediately.
Change the screenshot format
macOS saves screenshots as PNG files. If you need smaller file sizes — for email attachments or quick uploads — switch to JPG. Open Terminal and run:
Supported formats: png, jpg, tiff, gif, pdf, bmp.
Edit Mac screenshots before sharing
Capturing is the easy part. The screenshot usually needs work before you send it: blur out an email address, crop away the browser tabs nobody needs to see, maybe add an arrow so your coworker stops asking "where exactly?" macOS has basic markup built in. For anything more, you need a dedicated editor.
Built-in Markup
Click the thumbnail that appears after capture. Markup lets you crop, draw shapes, add text, and sign. Limited but fast for simple edits.
Preview app
Open any screenshot in Preview for more annotation options: color adjustments, resizing, and export to different formats. Already installed on every Mac.
ScreenshotEdits
Paste any screenshot, then blur sensitive data, add gradient backgrounds, drop shadows, rounded corners, annotations, and export at 1x–3x resolution. Built specifically for screenshots — faster than opening Photoshop or Figma for a quick edit.
Try in BrowserDownload Desktop AppTips for better Mac screenshots
Clean your Desktop first
Close stray windows, hide Desktop icons (right-click Desktop → Use Stacks). Takes 10 seconds and saves you from cropping out your messy Downloads later.
Use the timer for menus
Trying to screenshot a dropdown or tooltip? They disappear the moment you press keys. The workaround: Shift+Cmd+5, set a 5-second timer, then trigger the menu before it fires.
Turn off the floating thumbnail
That little preview in the corner can photobomb your next screenshot if you're capturing in rapid succession. Shift+Cmd+5 → Options → uncheck "Show Floating Thumbnail" and they save silently.
Capture the Touch Bar
Still have a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar? Shift+Cmd+6 captures it. Niche, but useful if you're documenting Touch Bar customizations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the keyboard shortcut to screenshot on Mac?
The big three: Shift+Cmd+3 for full screen, Shift+Cmd+4 to select an area, and Shift+Cmd+5 for the Screenshot app with every option. Most people only need the first two.
Where do Mac screenshots save?
Desktop, by default. It gets messy fast. Change it via Shift+Cmd+5 → Options → pick a different folder (Documents, Clipboard, or a custom Screenshots folder).
How do I screenshot a specific window on Mac?
Shift+Cmd+4, then Space. Your cursor becomes a camera. Hover over the window, click. You get the window with a drop shadow included. Hold Option if you don't want the shadow.
Can I change the screenshot format on Mac?
Yes, through Terminal. Run: defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg (swap jpg for png, tiff, or pdf). Then killall SystemUIServer to apply. Defaults back to PNG.
How do I screenshot on Mac without saving a file?
Add Control to any shortcut. So Shift+Cmd+Control+3 captures full screen straight to clipboard. Paste wherever you need it. No file, no Desktop clutter.
How do I take a scrolling screenshot on Mac?
macOS can't do this natively (a surprising gap, honestly). You need a third-party tool, or take multiple overlapping screenshots and stitch them together.
Screenshot taken. Now make it look good.
Blur, crop, annotate, and beautify your Mac screenshots with ScreenshotEdits. Free in your browser — no download needed.