How to Screenshot on Mac?

Taking a screenshot on your Mac is easier than you might think, and knowing the right shortcuts can save you tons of time. Whether you need to capture your entire screen, just a selected portion, or a specific window, macOS offers built-in tools to do it all no additional software required.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Screenshots on Mac

Wondering about Keyboard Shortcuts for screenshots on a Mac! Whether you’re using a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or an iMac, macOS offers several built-in methods to take screenshots quickly and easily any third-party apps. Here’s how:

1. Take a Screenshot of the Entire Screen

• Shortcut: Shift + Command (⌘) + 3

• Instantly captures everything visible on your screen.

• The screenshot is automatically saved to your desktop.

2. Capture a Selected Portion of the Screen

• Shortcut: Shift + Command (⌘) + 4

• Your cursor turns into a crosshair. Click and drag to select the area you want.

• Release the mouse to take the screenshot.

• The image is saved to your desktop by default.

3. Capture a Specific Window or Menu

• Shortcut: Shift + Command (⌘) + 4, then press Spacebar

• The cursor becomes a camera icon. Click on the window you want to capture.

• Great for clean, window-only screenshots with shadows included.

4. Use the Screenshot Toolbar (macOS Mojave or later)

• Shortcut: Shift + Command (⌘) + 5

• Opens the macOS Screenshot Toolbar with options to:

  • Capture entire screen, selected window, or custom portion

  • Record the screen (full or partial)

  • Set timer or change save location

5. Take a Screenshot of the Touch Bar (if available)

• Shortcut: Shift + Command (⌘) + 6

Screenshot Toolbar (macOS Mojave and later)

If you’re using macOS Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, or later, the Screenshot Toolbar is the easiest way to capture exactly what you need, whether it’s a full screen, a window, a portion of your screen, or even a screen recording.

How to Open the Screenshot Toolbar

• Keyboard Shortcut: Shift + Command (⌘) + 5

• Once pressed, a toolbar appears at the bottom of the screen with multiple screenshot and recording options.

Screenshot Toolbar Options

The macOS Screenshot Toolbar includes the following tools:

1. Capture Entire Screen: Takes a screenshot of everything visible on your display.

2. Capture Selected Window: Let’s you click to screenshot of a specific open window.

3. Capture Selected Portion: Allows you to drag and select a custom area of the screen to capture.

4. Record Entire Screen: Starts a full-screen video recording (great for tutorials).

5. Record Selected Portion: Lets you record just a section of your screen.

Customize Settings with the “Options” Menu

Click Options on the toolbar to configure:

• Save Location: Choose where your screenshots or videos are saved (Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, etc.).

• Timer: Add a delay of 5 or 10 seconds before the screenshot is taken.

• Microphone Input: Useful for screen recordings with narration.

• Show Floating Thumbnail: Enables quick preview/edit before saving.

• Remember Last Selection: Keeps your selection area for faster repeated screenshots.

Touch Bar Screenshot (if applicable)

If you’re using a MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, macOS allows you to take a screenshot of just the Touch Bar itself. This is useful for developers, designers, or anyone who wants to share or document what appears on the Touch Bar, such as app shortcuts, sliders, or controls.

How to Take a Screenshot of the Touch Bar

• Keyboard Shortcut: Shift + Command (⌘) + 6

• Pressing this combination captures an image of the entire Touch Bar as it appears at that moment.

• The screenshot is automatically saved to your desktop as a PNG file.

When Is a Touch Bar Screenshot Useful?

• Demonstrating custom Touch Bar layouts

• Capturing media controls or app-specific shortcuts

• Documenting errors or bugs for tech support

• Sharing visual Touch Bar configurations in tutorials

Where Screenshots Are Saved?

By default, screenshots taken on a Mac are automatically saved to your desktop as PNG image files. The file name format typically looks like this:
Screenshot [date] at [time].png

This makes it easy to find your screenshots quickly without needing to browse through folders, especially for casual or frequent use.

Default Save Location:

• Desktop
  Example: Screenshot 2025-07-22 at 10.45.23 AM.png

How to Change Where Screenshots Are Saved?

If you’re using macOS Mojave or later, you can easily change the screenshot save location using the built-in Screenshot Toolbar:

1. Press Shift + Command (⌘) + 5 to open the toolbar.

2. Click Options.

3. Under Save to, choose a new location:

   • Desktop

   • Documents

   • Clipboard

   • Mail

   • Messages

   • Preview

   • Other Location… (lets you choose a custom folder)

Save Screenshots to a Dedicated Folder

To stay organized, create a custom folder (e.g., Screenshots) and set it as the default save location. This is especially helpful if you take screenshots regularly for work, school, or content creation.

Copy Instead of Save:

If you’d rather copy a screenshot to your clipboard instead of saving it as a file:

• Add the Control Key to your shortcut
  Example: Control + Shift + Command + 4

Then you can paste it directly into apps like:

• Notes

• Messages

• Email

• Google Docs

• Photoshop

Editing and Annotating Screenshots

After taking a screenshot on your Mac, you can easily edit, crop, or annotate it using macOS’s built-in tools, no third-party apps required. Whether you’re highlighting text, adding arrows, or blurring sensitive info, macOS makes screenshot editing fast and intuitive.

Instant Markup: Edit Screenshots Immediately

When you take a screenshot, a thumbnail preview appears in the bottom-right corner of your screen. Click it before it disappears (within a few seconds) to open the Markup editor.

From there, you can:

• Draw or write using the pen, pencil, or highlighter

• Add text boxes and change font styles

• Insert shapes like rectangles, circles, arrows, and speech bubbles

• Change stroke color, fill color, and thickness

• Blur or redact sensitive information (via shape fill or crop)

• Crop the screenshot to focus on a specific area

Once done, click “Done” to save, or “Share” to send it directly via Mail, Messages, AirDrop, etc.

How to Edit Screenshots Later

If you missed the thumbnail preview or want to annotate an older screenshot:

1. Locate the screenshot (usually on your Desktop).

2. Right-click and choose “Open With” → “Preview.”

3. In Preview, click the Markup Toolbar button (a pen-tip icon).

4. Use tools to annotate, crop, or export your edited image.

Conclusion

Taking a screenshot on a Mac is quick, simple, and doesn’t require any extra software. Whether you want to capture your entire screen, a specific window, or a custom selection, macOS provides multiple built-in tools and keyboard shortcuts to get the job done efficiently.

With features like the Screenshot Toolbar, Touch Bar capture, and Instant Markup, macOS makes it easy to not only take screenshots but also edit and share them in seconds. And by customizing your save location and mastering keyboard shortcuts, you can streamline your workflow even further.

Whether you’re a casual user or a professional, knowing how to screenshot on a Mac is a valuable skill, and now, you’re equipped to do it like a pro.