How to Screenshot on Mac
Every built-in way to take a screenshot on macOS — full screen, a selected area, a single window, or the Screenshot toolbar — plus where each one saves the file.
| Step | Details |
|---|---|
| 01 | Press Command + Shift + 3 to capture the whole screen Instantly saves a PNG of everything on your display to the Desktop. No selection, no confirmation — the file just appears. |
| 02 | Press Command + Shift + 4 to select a specific area Turns the pointer into a crosshair. Drag over the area you want, then release to save it. Press Esc anytime to cancel without saving. |
| 03 | Press Command + Shift + 4, then Space, to capture one window After pressing the shortcut, tap Space to switch to a camera icon. Hover over any window and click — it captures just that window with a clean drop shadow, cropped automatically. |
| 04 | Press Command + Shift + 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar Gives you the same three capture modes in a floating bar, plus screen recording, a capture timer, and an Options menu to change where files are saved. |
| 05 | Add Control to any shortcut to copy instead of save Command + Control + Shift + 3 (or 4) copies the image straight to the clipboard instead of writing a file — paste it with Command + V wherever you need it. |
| 06 | Rename or move the file from the Desktop Every saved screenshot lands on the Desktop by default, named "Screenshot [date] at [time].png" — change the destination folder from the Options menu in the Command + Shift + 5 toolbar if you'd rather it go somewhere else. |
macOS has four different capture shortcuts built in, and picking the wrong one is the main reason people end up hunting through the Desktop for a file that isn't there.
Which shortcut should you use?
| You want to... | Press | Saves a file? |
|---|---|---|
| Capture the whole screen | Cmd + Shift + 3 | Yes, to the Desktop |
| Select a specific area | Cmd + Shift + 4 | Yes, to the Desktop |
| Capture just one window | Cmd + Shift + 4, then Space | Yes, to the Desktop |
| Open the full toolbar (timer, recording, options) | Cmd + Shift + 5 | Depends on your choice |
| Copy instead of save (add to any shortcut above) | + Control | No, clipboard only |
Copying to the clipboard instead of saving a file
Every shortcut above writes a PNG straight to your Desktop by default. If you only need the image for a moment — pasting into a chat, an email, or a document — hold Control along with the shortcut instead, for example Cmd + Control + Shift + 4. Nothing gets saved; the image sits on the clipboard until you paste it with Cmd + V.
Changing where screenshots are saved
By default every capture goes to the Desktop, which gets cluttered fast if you screenshot often. Press Cmd + Shift + 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar, click Options, and pick a different destination — Documents, Mail, Messages, Preview, or the clipboard are all built-in choices, so you never have to drag files around after the fact.
If you're looking for the Windows equivalent instead, see our full Windows screenshot guide — the shortcuts are completely different, but the same four capture types (full screen, area, window, and a dedicated tool) are all there too.
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