If you’ve just moved from Windows, you’ve probably noticed there’s no Print Screen key on a Mac. Don’t worry, macOS has a set of screenshot shortcuts that are faster and more flexible than anything on a PC once you know them.
This guide covers every method, from grabbing the whole screen to recording a video of it.
Quick reference
| What you want | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Whole screen | Shift + Command + 3 |
| A selected area | Shift + Command + 4 |
| A single window | Shift + Command + 4, then Space |
| Screenshot toolbar & screen recording | Shift + Command + 5 |
| Copy to clipboard instead of saving | Add Control to any of the above |
1. Capture the whole screen
Press Shift + Command + 3.
You’ll hear a camera shutter sound (if your sound is on) and a small thumbnail appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Leave it and it saves automatically to your Desktop. Click it to open the editing window, where you can crop, draw and add text.
If you use more than one display, you’ll get one screenshot per display.
2. Capture a selected area
Press Shift + Command + 4. Your pointer turns into a crosshair.
Click and drag to draw a box around the part of the screen you want, then let go. That’s it.
A few handy tricks while you’re dragging:
- Hold Space to move the whole selection box around without resizing it.
- Hold Shift to lock one side so you only resize horizontally or vertically.
- Press Escape to cancel.
3. Capture a single window
Press Shift + Command + 4, then tap the Space bar. The crosshair becomes a camera icon and whichever window you hover over is highlighted in blue. Click to capture it.
Window screenshots include a neat drop shadow. To leave it out, hold Option as you click.
4. Use the screenshot toolbar (and record your screen)
Press Shift + Command + 5 to bring up the screenshot toolbar at the bottom of the screen. From left to right you’ll find buttons to:
- Capture the entire screen
- Capture a selected window
- Capture a selected portion
- Record the entire screen
- Record a selected portion
Choose one, then click Capture or Record. To stop a recording, click the Stop button in the menu bar, or press Command + Control + Escape.
The toolbar’s Options menu is where the useful settings live:
- Save to — choose Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview or another folder.
- Timer — add a 5 or 10-second delay, perfect for capturing open menus.
- Show Floating Thumbnail — turn off the preview thumbnail if it gets in your way.
- Show Mouse Pointer — include or hide your cursor.
5. Copy a screenshot to the clipboard instead of saving it
Add Control to any shortcut. For example, Control + Shift + Command + 4 lets you select an area and copies it straight to the clipboard, ready to paste into an email, chat or document with Command + V. No clutter on your Desktop.
How to change where screenshots are saved
By default, every screenshot lands on your Desktop — which gets messy fast. To fix that:
- Press Shift + Command + 5.
- Click Options.
- Under Save to, choose a folder, or pick Other Location… to select any folder you like (a “Screenshots” folder in Documents works well).
Every screenshot from now on will go there — including ones taken with the Shift + Command + 3 and 4 shortcuts.
Where to find your screenshots
Screenshots are saved as PNG files named something like “Screenshot 2026-09-29 at 10.15.42”. If you can’t find one, open Finder, press Command + F and search for “Screenshot”, or check the folder you chose in Options.
Troubleshooting
The shortcuts don’t do anything. Go to System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts… > Screenshots and make sure the shortcuts are switched on.
The thumbnail is in my way. Swipe it to the right to save immediately, or turn it off under Shift + Command + 5 > Options.
I need to capture a menu. Use the Timer option in the screenshot toolbar, then open the menu before the countdown finishes.
Wrapping up
If you only remember one shortcut, make it Shift + Command + 4 — it covers most everyday screenshots. And if you forget the rest, Shift + Command + 5 puts every option on screen for you.
