How to Take a Screenshot on Mac

This article covers how to take screenshots on a Mac with key combinations and the screenshot app built into macOS. You've always been able to take screenshots on a Mac, but Apple included some dedicated software with macOS Mojave (10.14).

How to Take a Screen Grab on Mac

There are several key combinations that you can use to take screenshots on Mac, with shift + command + 3 being the most commonly used. This key combination immediately snaps a screenshot of your entire screen, including all visible windows, the desktop, the dock, and any other visible elements.

1. Open the window you want to screenshot or otherwise arrange the screen to your liking.

2. Press and hold shift + command + 3.

   The Command key on the Mac typically has the word Command written on it, but sometimes it looks like a clover with no text. The Command key is directly to the left of the spacebar.

3. You will hear a snapshot sound, and a small image of your screenshot will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen.

4. If you click the thumbnail in the bottom right corner of the screen, you can open a preview of the screenshot.

How to Screenshot Part of the Screen on Mac

If you only want to capture part of the screen, the most flexible option is to use the shift + command + 4 key combination. Using this combination changes your mouse cursor into crosshairs, allowing you to select any portion of the screen to capture.

1. Press and hold shift + command + 4.

2. When the mouse cursor changes into a crosshair, place the crosshair at the upper left corner of the area you want to capture.

3. Click your mouse, and drag a box to cover the area you want to capture.

4. When you release the mouse button, your Mac will capture a screenshot of the highlighted area.

How to Capture a Single Window on Mac

If you want to screenshot a single window, you can use a variation on the previous key combination. This option changes your cursor into a camera icon and lets you snap a shot of any active window.

1. Open the window you need a screenshot of, then press and hold shift + command + 4. Then immediately press the spacebar.

2. Your cursor will turn into a camera.

3. Move the camera icon over the window you want to capture, and click.

   As you move the camera icon over different windows, the window will darken to visually show you which window will be captured.

4. Your Mac will take a screenshot of the window you clicked, and a preview will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen.

How to Use the Screenshot App on Mac

Your Mac also has a screenshot app that provides more advanced options if you have upgraded the operating system to Mojave (10.14) or newer. This compact app gives you access to the same basic capture options you can achieve with key combinations, but it also allows you to delay your screenshot and provides some other options.

1. Press and hold shift + command + 5 to open the screenshot app.

2. To screenshot the entire screen, click the left screenshot icon that looks like a box with a line at the bottom, then click anywhere on the screen.

3. To screenshot a window, click the middle screenshot icon that looks like a window, then click the window you want to capture.

4. To capture a specific area of your screen, click the right screenshot icon, click and drag the highlighted area, then click capture to screenshot the specified area.

5. You can also click Options to access a variety of settings.

6. Within the options menu, you can:

   • Choose the location where your screenshots are saved.
   • Set a delay timer for your screenshots.
   • Choose a microphone for video recordings.
   • Set advanced options.

Where Are Screenshots Stored on Mac?

By default, your screenshots are saved directly to your desktop. If you don't see them there, then you or someone else changed the location where screenshots are saved at some point in the past.

If you can't find your screenshots, try this:

1. Press shift + command + 5 to open the screenshot app, then click Options.

2. In the Save to section, note the option that has a checkmark next to it. That is where you will find your screenshots.

   Use Spotlight to search for "screenshot" if you suspect you may have screenshots stored in various locations. This search will turn up every screenshot that's stored on your computer.