Here’s a concise guide to taking screenshots on a Mac, using built‑in macOS tools and keyboard shortcuts.

# 1. Screenshot the Entire Screen

Shortcut:
Shift + Command (⌘) + 3

What it does:

  • Captures everything on your screen.
  • Saves as a file (by default) to your desktop (usually named Screenshot YYYY-MM-DD at HH.MM.SS.png).

Tip:
Hold Control at the same time to copy it to the clipboard instead of saving to a file:

  • Shift + Command (⌘) + Control + 3
    → Paste directly into apps with Command (⌘) + V.

# 2. Screenshot a Selected Portion of the Screen

Shortcut:
Shift + Command (⌘) + 4

What it does:

  • Turns your cursor into a crosshair.
  • Click and drag to select an area.
  • Release the mouse/trackpad to capture.

Extra options while dragging:

  • Hold Space (after starting to drag): Move the selection area.
  • Hold Option (⌥): Resize from the center.
  • Press Esc before releasing: Cancel.

Copy instead of save:

  • Shift + Command (⌘) + Control + 4
    → Sends the screenshot to your clipboard.

# 3. Screenshot a Specific Window

Shortcut:

  1. Press Shift + Command (⌘) + 4
  2. Press the Space bar

What it does:

  • Cursor turns into a camera icon.
  • Hover over a window (or menu, Dock, etc.) to highlight it.
  • Click to capture that specific window.

Copy to clipboard version:

  • Shift + Command (⌘) + Control + 4, then Space, then click the window.

# 4. Use the Screenshot Toolbar (More Options)

Shortcut:
Shift + Command (⌘) + 5

Available on macOS Mojave (10.14) and later.

What you can do:

  • Capture entire screen
  • Capture selected window
  • Capture selected portion
  • Record screen (entire or portion) as video

You’ll also see Options, such as:

  • Choose save location (Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview, etc.)
  • Set a timer (5 or 10 seconds)
  • Show/hide mouse pointer
  • Show floating thumbnail

# 5. Record Your Screen (Video Capture)

Also using Shift + Command (⌘) + 5:

  • Click Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion.
  • Click Record.
  • To stop recording, click the Stop button in the menu bar.

This is great for tutorials, bug reports, and demos.

# 6. Screenshot the Touch Bar (MacBook Pro with Touch Bar)

If you have a MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar:

Shortcut:

  • Shift + Command (⌘) + 6
    → Captures the Touch Bar content as an image.

Use Control as well to copy to clipboard:

  • Shift + Command (⌘) + Control + 6

# 7. Change Screenshot Save Location

  1. Press Shift + Command (⌘) + 5.
  2. Click Options.
  3. Under Save to, choose:
    • Desktop
    • Documents
    • Clipboard
    • Mail
    • Messages
    • Preview
    • Or Other Location… to pick any folder

You can, for example, create a Screenshots folder and set that as default.

# 8. Use the Floating Thumbnail (Quick Edit)

On newer macOS versions, when you take a screenshot:

  • A small thumbnail appears in the bottom-right corner.
  • Click it quickly to:
    • Crop
    • Draw/annotate
    • Add text or shapes
    • Share (Mail, Messages, etc.)
  • It automatically saves after a few seconds if you ignore it.

# 9. Change Screenshot Settings via Terminal (Advanced)

If you want more control, you can use Terminal.

# Change the default save format (PNG, JPG, PDF, etc.)

Open Terminal and run, for example:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
killall SystemUIServer

Replace jpg with png, pdf, tiff, or gif.

# Change the default save location

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location "/path/to/your/folder"
killall SystemUIServer

Replace the path with your chosen folder path.

# 10. Common Screenshot Problems and Fixes

1. Screenshots not appearing on Desktop

  • Check Desktop, Documents, or your custom folder.
  • Or press Shift + Command (⌘) + 5 → Options → check Save to setting.

2. Shortcut not working

  • Go to Apple menu  → System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Screenshots and confirm shortcuts are enabled and not changed.

3. Need to paste into an app (not save file)

  • Use the Control key:
    • Entire screen to clipboard:
      Shift + Command (⌘) + Control + 3
    • Selected area to clipboard:
      Shift + Command (⌘) + Control + 4

Then paste with Command (⌘) + V.

# Helpful Apple Documentation

For more details and the latest updates, see Apple’s official guides:

In summary, the most useful shortcuts to remember for taking a screenshot on a Mac are:

  • Entire screen: Shift + Command (⌘) + 3
  • Selected area: Shift + Command (⌘) + 4
  • Screenshot toolbar (more options & screen recording): Shift + Command (⌘) + 5