How to Take a Screenshot on Mac

Learn all the ways to capture screenshots on Mac using keyboard shortcuts, Screenshot app, and editing tools. Complete guide for macOS users.

1. Capture the entire screen. Press Command + Shift + 3 simultaneously. Your Mac will play a camera shutter sound and save the screenshot as a PNG file to your desktop. The image captures everything visible on your screen at that moment.
2. Select a specific area to capture. Press Command + Shift + 4 to activate the crosshair cursor. Click and drag to select the area you want to capture, then release to take the screenshot. The selected region will be saved to your desktop.
3. Use the Screenshot app for advanced options. Press Command + Shift + 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar. Choose from capture entire screen, selected windows, or selected portion options. Set a timer delay or choose where to save files using the Options menu.
4. Capture a specific window. Press Command + Shift + 4, then press Space. Your cursor changes to a camera icon. Click on any window to capture just that window with a subtle drop shadow effect.
5. Edit your screenshot immediately. After taking any screenshot, a thumbnail appears in the bottom-right corner of your screen for 5 seconds. Click the thumbnail to open the built-in markup editor where you can crop, annotate, or add text before saving.
6. Change default screenshot location. Open Screenshot app with Command + Shift + 5, click Options, then select a new save location under Save to. Choose Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, or Other Location to specify a custom folder.