Mac Screenshot Shortcuts: Every Method and Key (2026)

A Mac screenshot shortcut is a key combination that captures your screen. macOS has 3 core ones: Shift, Command, 3 for the whole screen, Shift, Command, 4 for part of it, and Shift, Command, 5 for the Screenshot app (Apple Support). Add Control to copy instead of saving a file.

I take a lot of screenshots while building a Mac app, and these few keys cover almost all of them. Counting the Control versions, I count 7 built-in screenshot key combinations on Apple's pages, and this page covers every one. Each section links to a deeper guide when one exists.

The core Mac screenshot shortcuts

Press and release the keys together. Apple lists all of these on its Take a screenshot on Mac page.

• Shift, Command, 3: captures the entire screen.
• Shift, Command, 4: turns the pointer into a crosshair so you can drag over part of the screen.
• Shift, Command, 4, then Space: turns the pointer into a camera so you can click one window or menu.
• Shift, Command, 5: opens the Screenshot app, with buttons for screenshots and screen recordings.
• Control plus any of the above: copies the screenshot to the clipboard instead of saving a file. For example, Control, Shift, Command, 3.

If you see a small thumbnail in the corner after a capture, click it to edit the screenshot, or wait and it saves to your desktop. To trim a capture after you take it, see how to crop a screenshot on Mac.

Capture the entire screen

Press Shift, Command, 3. Everything on the screen is captured, including the menu bar and the desktop behind your windows.

This is the quickest shortcut, but it is also the one that shares the most. Before you send a full-screen capture, check for notifications, open tabs or file names you would rather keep private.

Capture part of the screen

Press Shift, Command, 4 and the pointer becomes a crosshair. Click and hold, drag over the area you want, then let go to take the screenshot.

While you drag, you have two useful controls:

• Hold Space to move the selected area without changing its size.
• Press Esc to cancel before you let go.

This is the shortcut I use most, because it leaves out desktop clutter. I go deeper on framing and precise selections in how to screenshot part of the screen on Mac.

Capture one window or a menu

Open the window or menu first. Press Shift, Command, 4, then press and release Space. The pointer turns into a camera. Click the window or menu to capture it.

By default the window is captured with its soft shadow. To leave the shadow out, hold Option while you click. Press Esc if you change your mind.

What Shift, Command, 5 adds

Shift, Command, 5 opens the Screenshot app, which has been part of macOS since Mojave 10.14. You can also find it in the Utilities folder inside Applications.

The bar at the bottom of the screen lets you capture the entire screen, a window or a selected portion, and record the whole screen or a selected area. The Options menu lets you:

• Set a timer before the capture.
• Choose where screenshots are saved.
• Choose whether the floating thumbnail appears after a capture.
• Choose whether the mouse pointer shows in the screenshot.
• On supported Macs with macOS Tahoe 26 or later, choose the format: SDR saves a PNG for the widest compatibility, and HDR saves a HEIF file.

If you want to record rather than capture, I cover sound and settings in how to screen record on Mac with audio.

Where Mac screenshots go

By default, screenshots save to your desktop with a name that starts with "Screen Shot" followed by the date and time. To change that for future captures, open Shift, Command, 5, click Options and pick a new save location.

You can also skip the desktop entirely:

• Drag the floating thumbnail straight into a folder, email or document before it disappears.
• Hold your pointer over the thumbnail to keep it on screen until you act on it.
• Control-click the thumbnail and choose Save to Clipboard.

Copy a screenshot to the clipboard

Add Control to any screenshot shortcut. Control, Shift, Command, 4 lets you drag over an area, and the image goes to the clipboard instead of the desktop. Then click into a message or document and press Command, V to paste it.

I use this almost every time I am dropping a screenshot into Slack or an email, because it leaves no file to clean up. There is a full walkthrough in how to copy a screenshot to the clipboard on Mac.

Print Screen and Windows keyboards

Macs have no Print Screen key, and that key is not part of the standard Mac screenshot shortcuts. If you use a Windows keyboard with your Mac, Apple says to press Alt in place of Option, and Ctrl or the Windows logo key in place of Command, so the same shortcuts work with those keys. If the keys feel swapped, you can change what each modifier key does in Keyboard settings (Apple: change modifier keys).

If you are coming from Windows and looking for the Snipping Tool, I compare the Mac options in is there a Snipping Tool for Mac.

Change the screenshot shortcuts

Open Apple menu, System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, then choose Screenshots. You can turn each shortcut on or off, or select one and press a new key combination. Apple lists the full set of Mac keyboard shortcuts on its Mac keyboard shortcuts page.

Pick a combination that no other app on your Mac already uses. If a shortcut stops working, this is the first place to check.

A note on macOS 27 and Command, Shift, 6

Older guides list Shift, Command, 6 as the way to capture the Touch Bar. On macOS 27 Golden Gate or later with Siri AI (Beta) turned on, Apple now lists Command, Shift, 6 as the shortcut to ask Siri about a portion of the screen, and Command, Shift, Space to ask about the active window. Those are questions for Siri, not saved screenshots.

What the built-in shortcuts cannot do

The built-in shortcuts only capture what is visible on screen. They cannot capture a long web page or document that scrolls past the bottom of the window. For that, you need a browser's full-page capture or a third-party app. I cover the options in how to take a scrolling screenshot on Mac.

Some apps also block screenshots of their windows. Apple names the Apple TV app as one example, so a blank or missing capture of protected video is expected, not a fault.

When a screenshot app makes sense

Disclosure: Znip is the app I build.

The built-in tools are enough for quick captures. If you regularly annotate, record and share screenshots, a dedicated app can save steps. Znip takes area, window, full screen and scrolling screenshots, records the screen, and lets you annotate and redact before you copy or share (Znip features). It is in invite-only beta for Apple silicon Macs on macOS 15 or later, and you can request an invite. If you want to compare it with other paid and free tools, see my roundup of CleanShot X alternatives for Mac.

Frequently asked questions

What is the shortcut to take a screenshot on a Mac?

Shift, Command, 3 captures the whole screen. Shift, Command, 4 lets you select part of it. Shift, Command, 5 opens the Screenshot app with more options.

What are the two main ways to screenshot on a Mac?

The keyboard shortcuts above, and the Screenshot app, which opens with Shift, Command, 5 or from the Utilities folder in Applications.

Is there a Print Screen key on a Mac?

No. Use Shift, Command, 3 for the full screen. On a Windows keyboard, use Ctrl or the Windows logo key in place of Command.

How do I screenshot without saving a file?

Add Control to the shortcut, for example Control, Shift, Command, 4, then paste with Command, V.

Where do screenshots go on a Mac?

To the desktop by default, named "Screen Shot" with the date and time. You can change the location under Options in the Screenshot app.

How do I take a screenshot of a window without the shadow?

Press Shift, Command, 4, then Space, then hold Option while you click the window.

By Siddharth Sharma, who builds Znip.