Need to take a screenshot on a Mac? Built-in keyboard shortcuts let you capture the entire screen, a selected area, or a single window without installing extra software. If you're new to macOS, these shortcuts are easy to learn and make everyday screen captures much quicker. Use the shortcuts below to save a screenshot to your desktop or copy it to the clipboard. On current macOS versions, Shift + Command + 5 also opens the screenshot toolbar, where you can choose a capture area, change the save location, or record your screen.
Mac Screenshot Keyboard Shortcuts
Use these keyboard shortcuts to capture your Mac's screen. Press and hold the modifier keys together, then press the number shown:
- Command + Shift + 3: Takes a screenshot of the entire screen, and saves the image to your desktop.
- Command + Shift + 4, and click an area. Takes a screenshot of an area and saves the image to your desktop.
- Command + Shift + 4, then press space, and click a window: Takes a screenshot of a window and saves the image to your desktop.
- Shift + Command + 5: Opens the screenshot toolbar, where you can capture the screen, capture a selected portion, or record the screen.
To capture a screenshot and save it to the clipboard, use the following keys.
- Command + Control + Shift + 3. Takes a screenshot of the entire screen, and saves it to your clipboard.
- Command + Control + Shift + 4, and click an area. Takes a screenshot of an area and saves it to your clipboard.
- Command + Control + Shift + 4, then press space, and click a window. Takes a screenshot of a window and saves it to your clipboard.
While selecting an area with Shift + Command + 4 (or adding Control to copy the screenshot to the clipboard), these keys let you adjust the selection:
- Space: to lock the size of the selected region and instead move it when the mouse moves
- Shift: to resize only one edge of the selected region
- Option: to resize the selected region with its center as the anchor point
More Mac Screenshot Options
On macOS Mojave 10.14 and later, press Shift + Command + 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar. In addition to capturing the entire screen, a window, or a selected portion, the toolbar provides screen-recording controls and an Options menu.
- Change the save location: Choose Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, or another available destination from Options.
- Set a timer: Add a delay before the screenshot is captured.
- Show or hide the pointer: Choose whether the mouse pointer appears in the capture.
- Manage the floating thumbnail: Choose whether the thumbnail appears after a capture. Click it to mark up or share the screenshot, or drag it into another app or folder.
- Record the screen: Use the recording controls in the toolbar to record the entire screen or a selected portion. Screen recordings are saved as video files.
To capture a menu, open the menu, press Shift + Command + 4, then drag across the menu items. To capture a window or menu as a single image, press Shift + Command + 4, tap the Space bar, then click the item.
Customize Mac Screenshot Shortcuts
If a screenshot shortcut conflicts with another app or has been changed, open the Apple menu and go to System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Screenshots. You can review or customize the available key combinations there.
On older Mac models with a Touch Bar, Shift + Command + 6 captures the Touch Bar.
For the current instructions and additional options, see Apple's official guide to taking screenshots on a Mac.