Mac Screenshot Shortcuts: Every Way to Capture Your Screen
Every way to capture your Mac's screen from the keyboard, from Apple's own guide, checked October 27, 2026. Part of the Mac keyboard shortcuts guide.
The four screenshot shortcuts
| Shortcut | What it captures |
|---|---|
| Shift-Command-3 | The whole screen |
| Shift-Command-4 | The area you drag across. Press Esc to cancel |
| Shift-Command-4, then Space | One window or menu, the one you click |
| Shift-Command-5 | Opens the Screenshot app for screenshots and screen recordings |
To the clipboard instead of a file
Add Control to any of them. Control-Shift-Command-4, for example, copies the area you drag straight to the clipboard, so you can paste it into a message or a document without a file landing on your desktop.
You can also Control-click the thumbnail that appears in the corner after a screenshot and choose to save it to the clipboard.
Small tricks that save a retake
Leave out the shadow. When you capture a window with Shift-Command-4 and Space, hold Option as you click and the window comes without its drop shadow.
Set a timer. Press Shift-Command-5, click Options, and pick a timer. Handy for capturing a menu that closes the moment you press a key.
Change where they're saved. In the same Options menu, choose a folder other than the desktop.
Hide the pointer, or show it. Options also decides whether the mouse pointer appears in the shot.
On supported Macs with macOS Tahoe 26 or later, Options can also choose the format: the most compatible option saves PNG files, and HDR saves HEIF.
Finding a screenshot again
Screenshots pile up fast, and their names are only a date and a time. Two ways to find the one you need:
- Spotlight. Press Command-Space and type a word you remember from the screenshot. Spotlight can match text inside images.
- A clipboard history. If you copied it with Control, it isn't a file at all. TypeFire keeps what you copy, screenshots included, and reads the text inside each one, so searching for a phrase that appeared in the picture brings it back. See the Mac clipboard manager.
More shortcuts by task: text editing, Finder, and all of them.
Every way to capture your Mac's screen from the keyboard, from Apple's own guide, checked October 27, 2026. Part of the Mac keyboard shortcuts guide.
The four screenshot shortcuts
| Shortcut | What it captures |
|---|---|
| Shift-Command-3 | The whole screen |
| Shift-Command-4 | The area you drag across. Press Esc to cancel |
| Shift-Command-4, then Space | One window or menu, the one you click |
| Shift-Command-5 | Opens the Screenshot app for screenshots and screen recordings |
To the clipboard instead of a file
Add Control to any of them. Control-Shift-Command-4, for example, copies the area you drag straight to the clipboard, so you can paste it into a message or a document without a file landing on your desktop.
You can also Control-click the thumbnail that appears in the corner after a screenshot and choose to save it to the clipboard.
Small tricks that save a retake
Leave out the shadow. When you capture a window with Shift-Command-4 and Space, hold Option as you click and the window comes without its drop shadow.
Set a timer. Press Shift-Command-5, click Options, and pick a timer. Handy for capturing a menu that closes the moment you press a key.
Change where they're saved. In the same Options menu, choose a folder other than the desktop.
Hide the pointer, or show it. Options also decides whether the mouse pointer appears in the shot.
On supported Macs with macOS Tahoe 26 or later, Options can also choose the format: the most compatible option saves PNG files, and HDR saves HEIF.
Finding a screenshot again
Screenshots pile up fast, and their names are only a date and a time. Two ways to find the one you need:
- Spotlight. Press Command-Space and type a word you remember from the screenshot. Spotlight can match text inside images.
- A clipboard history. If you copied it with Control, it isn't a file at all. TypeFire keeps what you copy, screenshots included, and reads the text inside each one, so searching for a phrase that appeared in the picture brings it back. See the Mac clipboard manager.
More shortcuts by task: text editing, Finder, and all of them.
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