Taking screenshots on a Mac is fast, intuitive, and flexible. Whether you want the full screen, a specific area, or just one window — macOS has built-in shortcuts to get it done.

🖥 Method 1: Capture Entire Screen

  • Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 3
  • A thumbnail will appear in the bottom-right corner.
  • Click to edit or wait for it to save automatically.

📁 Saved to: Desktop by default as a PNG file.

📐 Method 2: Capture a Selected Area

  1. Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 4
  2. Your cursor will change to a crosshair.
  3. Click and drag to select the area you want to capture.
  4. Release the mouse to take the screenshot.

🎯 Perfect for capturing just part of your screen.

🗂 Method 3: Capture a Specific Window

  1. Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 4, then hit Spacebar
  2. Your cursor will become a camera icon.
  3. Click on the window you want to capture.

✨ This method includes a nice shadow effect on the window.

🎥 Method 4: Use Screenshot Toolbar (macOS Mojave and later)

  1. Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 5
  2. This opens the screenshot toolbar with options to:
  • Capture entire screen
  • Capture window
  • Capture portion of screen
  • Record screen (video)
  1. Choose your option and click Capture.

⚙️ Click “Options” to set timers, choose where to save, and more.

🎤 Bonus: Record Screen with Audio

  1. Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 5
  2. Choose one of the record options (entire or portion)
  3. Click Options → Select Microphone to enable voice recording
  4. Click Record

📹 Useful for tutorials or walkthroughs with voice.

📦 Where Screenshots Are Saved on Mac

By default, screenshots save to your Desktop with the filename:
Screen Shot [date] at [time].png

You can change this by:

  • Opening Screenshot Toolbar (⌘ + Shift + 5)
  • Click Options → Choose new save location

✅ Summary

ActionShortcutSaves Automatically?
Full Screen⌘ + Shift + 3✅
Selected Area⌘ + Shift + 4✅
Specific Window⌘ + Shift + 4, then Spacebar✅
Screenshot Toolbar⌘ + Shift + 5✅
Record Screen⌘ + Shift + 5 (record mode)✅

Need help with Windows too?
👉 Screenshot Guide for Windows 11
👉 How to Screenshot on Windows 10