How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac

You can take a screenshot on a Mac in seconds using a keyboard shortcut. Press Shift, Command and 3 together to capture everything on screen, or Shift, Command and 4 to grab just part of it. The image saves to your desktop by default, and a small thumbnail appears in the corner so you can edit it straight away.

• A Mac running macOS Mojave 10.14 or later if you want to use the Screenshot app

1. To capture the entire screen, press and then release these three keys together: Shift, Command and 3.
2. If a thumbnail appears in the corner of your screen, click it to edit the screenshot. Otherwise, wait for it to save to your desktop.
3. To capture only part of the screen, press and then release Shift, Command and 4. The pointer turns into a crosshair.
4. Click and hold your mouse or trackpad button, drag the crosshair over the area you want, then release the button to take the screenshot. Press Esc to cancel instead, or hold the Space bar while dragging to move your selection without changing its size.
5. To capture a single window or menu, open it first, then press and release Shift, Command and 4 together, then press and release the Space bar. The pointer changes to a camera icon.
6. Click the window or menu to capture it. To leave out the window's shadow, press and hold the Option key while you click. Press Esc to cancel.
7. To use the Screenshot app instead, press Shift, Command and 5, or find the Screenshot app in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
8. In the Screenshot app, click the tool for what you want to capture, then click Capture. For a window, move the pointer over it and click the window.
9. Open the Options menu in the Screenshot app to set a timer, choose where screenshots are saved, decide whether to show the floating thumbnail, or include the mouse pointer.
10. On supported Mac models using macOS Tahoe 26 or later, you can also choose the capture format in Options: SDR (Most Compatible) for standard dynamic range in PNG, or HDR for high dynamic range in HEIF.

By default, screenshots save to your desktop with the name "Screen Shot [date] at [time]." You can change the default save location in the Options menu of the Screenshot app.

Instead of waiting for the file to save, you can drag the thumbnail that appears in the corner of your screen and drop it somewhere else.

To send a screenshot to the Clipboard rather than your desktop, Control-click the thumbnail and choose Save to Clipboard, or hold Control along with the other keys. For example, press Control-Shift-Command-3 instead of Shift-Command-3.

If you hold your mouse pointer over the screenshot thumbnail, it stays on screen until you act on it or move the pointer away.

Some apps, such as the Apple TV app, may not let you take screenshots of their windows.

If you are on a MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, you can capture what is shown there with Shift, Command and 6.

Where do my screenshots go? By default they save to your desktop, named "Screen Shot [date] at [time]." You can change this in the Options menu of the Screenshot app.

How do I copy a screenshot instead of saving a file? Hold the Control key along with the other keys, or Control-click the thumbnail and choose Save to Clipboard.

Can I capture just one window without the shadow? Yes. After pressing Shift, Command and 4 and then the Space bar, hold the Option key while you click the window.

How do I set a delay before the screenshot is taken? Open the Screenshot app with Shift, Command and 5, then use the Options menu to set a timer.

Can I take a screenshot on an older Mac? The Screenshot app needs macOS Mojave 10.14 or later.