The shortcuts
- The whole screen: press ⇧⌘3.
- A part of the screen: press ⇧⌘4, then drag over the area. Hold Space while you drag to move the selection without changing its size. Press Esc to cancel.
- A window or the menu bar: press ⇧⌘4, press Space, then click it. Hold ⌥ as you click to leave out a window’s shadow.
- A menu: open the menu, press ⇧⌘4, then drag over its items.
- The Screenshot tools: press ⇧⌘5.
Screenshots taken with these shortcuts are saved to your desktop as PNG files. Their names start with “Screenshot” and include the date and time.
Copy it instead of saving it
Hold ⌃ with any of the shortcuts to put the screenshot on the clipboard instead of saving a file. For example, ⌃⇧⌘3 copies the whole screen. Then paste it into a document, an email or a chat.
The Screenshot tools
Press ⇧⌘5 for a panel with tools to capture the entire screen, a window or a portion of the screen, or to record it. You can also find Screenshot with Spotlight. Choose a tool, then click Capture. For a window, move the pointer over it and click it.
Click Options to choose where screenshots are saved, set a timer, turn Show Floating Thumbnail on or off, and show or hide the mouse pointer. On macOS Tahoe, supported Macs can also choose between HDR and SDR under Capture Format.
The thumbnail in the corner
With Show Floating Thumbnail on, a small picture of the screenshot stays in the bottom-right corner for a few seconds. Click it to mark it up or share it. Drag it into a document, an email, a note or a Finder window. Or swipe right to save it right away.
Change the shortcuts
Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click Keyboard, click Keyboard Shortcuts, then select Screenshots.
In the notch, with Tilora
Tilora holds a screenshot in the notch. Hold ⇧⌥Space for the action ring, let go on capture, and choose an area. The screenshot is in the notch and on the clipboard, ready to paste into a chat or drop into Finder. It’s saved where your Mac saves its own screenshots.
Capturing needs Screen Recording access, which the notch asks for the first time. Tilora is $9.99 once, for three Macs, and free for 7 days. It needs macOS 14 or later.
Questions
Where do screenshots go on a Mac?
Screenshots taken with the keyboard shortcuts go to your desktop. Ones taken from the Screenshot panel go to the location chosen under Save to, in Options.
What format are Mac screenshots?
PNG. On macOS Tahoe, an HDR capture on a supported Mac is saved as HEIF.
Why can’t I capture a window?
Some apps, such as DVD Player, may not let you capture their windows.