How to Screenshot on a Mac

Capture your entire screen, a selected area, or use the screenshot toolbar with simple keyboard shortcuts.

1. Press Shift + Command + 3 to capture the entire screen

   The screenshot saves to your desktop as a .png file by default. A thumbnail preview appears briefly in the corner — click it to annotate or share.

2. Press Shift + Command + 4 to capture a selected area

   Your cursor turns into a crosshair. Click and drag to select the area you want. Release to capture. Press Escape to cancel. Hold Space while dragging to reposition the selection.

3. Press Shift + Command + 5 to open the screenshot toolbar

   This gives you buttons for full screen, window, or selected area capture — plus screen recording. Click Options to change the save location, set a timer, or toggle the floating thumbnail.