To take a screenshot on a Mac, you can use several built-in keyboard shortcuts and tools:
Keyboard Shortcuts for Screenshots
- Capture the entire screen: Press Shift + Command + 3. The screenshot is saved as a PNG file on your desktop
- Capture a portion of the screen: Press Shift + Command + 4 , then drag to select the area you want to capture and release. The screenshot is saved on your desktop
- Capture a specific window or menu bar: Press Shift + Command + 4 , then press the Space bar. The cursor changes to a camera icon. Click the window or menu to capture it
- Capture a menu and menu items: Open the menu, press Shift + Command + 4 , then drag over the menu items you want to capture
- Capture the Touch Bar (if your Mac has one): Press Shift + Command + 6
Screenshot Utility Tool
- Press Shift + Command + 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar, which lets you capture the entire screen, a window, or a selected portion, and also record your screen
- The toolbar provides options to set a timer delay, choose where to save the file, show the mouse pointer, and more
Additional Tips
- To copy a screenshot to the clipboard instead of saving it, hold the Control key along with the other keys. For example, Control + Shift + Command + 3 copies the entire screen to the clipboard
- Screenshots are saved as PNG files by default on the desktop with filenames starting with "Screenshot" and the date/time
- You can edit or mark up screenshots by opening them in Preview or using the floating thumbnail that appears briefly after capture
These methods work on all recent Macs running macOS, including models with Apple silicon chips
. In summary, the easiest way is to press Shift + Command + 3 for a full screenshot or Shift + Command + 4 to select a portion. For more options, use Shift + Command + 5 to open the screenshot toolbar
