All the ways to take a screenshot on your Mac

Want to take a screenshot on Mac but can't find the print screen key? On a Mac, you can't just hit one key to take a screenshot like on a Windows computer. But once you know the right keys to press or where to find the option, it's pretty easy to capture the screen. And if you want it to be even easier, there are apps you can use for that. Let's go.

Take a screenshot on Mac: Quick solutions

There are a bunch of built-in tools and shortcuts, plus third-party apps that can really save you time and effort when you're trying to take a screenshot on your Mac. The table below lays out some recommended ways to help you figure out the best method for snagging that screenshot:

I want to…	What to do
Take a screenshot of the entire screen	Press Command + Shift + 3.
Keep screenshots in one place	Use Capto to keep all screenshots in the app’s library.
Screenshot a selected area	Press Command + Shift + 4.
Take and copy screenshots to the clipboard	Press Shift + Command + 5 > Options > Under Save to, choose Clipboard.
Recover screenshot	Use Xnapper to take a screenshot and look for the old ones in Screenshot History.
Easily take customized screenshots	Use CleanShot X to take a scrolling capture, capture area, fullscreen, window, and more.
Save screenshots to cloud storage immediately	Use Dropshare to capture and store screenshots in the cloud storage with shareable links. Alternatively, use CleanShot X.
Take quality screenshots from a video	Use SnapMotion or Elmedia Player.
Take a screenshot with Preview	Go to Preview > Open an image to capture > File > Take Screenshot > Choose From Selection, From Window, or From Entire Screen.
Take a screenshot with Terminal	Open Terminal > Type screencapture ~/Desktop/picture.png > Press Return.

How to take a screenshot of the entire Mac screen

Like I said, you can’t print screen on Mac as you did on a Windows computer. But Command + Shift + 3 will let you do the same. 

By default, the shortcut will capture the entire screen as an image and save it to the Mac’s desktop. The only problem with this method is that you’ll soon get cluttered with screenshots. 

One way to prevent that is to use Capto. Besides taking a fullscreen screenshot, the app lets you capture a window or menu on the Mac. The great thing is it saves all the files in the app, so your Mac stays clutter-free. 

To take a screenshot of the entire screen with Capto:

1. Install and opne the app.
2. Click the Capto icon in the menu bar.
3. Choose Capture Fullscreen (or press Control + Command +3).

After capturing, the screenshot will appear in the app’s window and doesn’t pile up with other files on my Mac. It’s so quick and easy, that I use it all the time.

How to screenshot a selected area

Sometimes, you only want to capture a portion of the Mac screen. In that case, try the Command + Shift + 4 shortcut. It turns your mouse cursor into a crosshair, which you can click and drag across the screen. Once released, your Mac takes a snapshot of the area.

If you need more help with shortcuts, check out this guide on screenshot on Mac.

Take a screenshot and copy it to the Mac clipboard

When you use a Mac screenshot shortcut, the image doesn’t automatically go to the clipboard. An unexpected hassle, but not without a workaround. 

If you want to save the screenshots in the clipboard, you need to change the screenshot options on a Mac. 

To do that:

1. Press Shift + Command + 5 to open the Screenshot app.
2. Click Options. 
3. Under Save to, choose Clipboard.

Now, any screenshot you capture will be saved in your Mac’s clipboard.

Tip: Mac’s Screenshot app doesn’t keep a copy of the screenshot if you choose to save it to the clipboard. And this means you can’t recover the screenshot if you’ve accidentally copied something else to the clipboard. 

To prevent that, I use Xnapper.  This tool not only lets you take a custom screenshot on Mac, but it also saves them in Screenshot History. The best thing is, you can bring up the last screenshot you took with a single click. 

Another reason I love this app is because Xnapper can easily redact sensitive information like IP address or credit card number right after you took the screenshot.

Is there an easier way to take a screenshot?

Mac’s screenshot shortcuts are helpful for capturing entire or partial screens. But they’re pretty limited if you want to do more than basic image capturing. Let’s say you quickly screenshot a meme on Reddit, save it to the cloud, and share the link with your friends. You can’t do all that just with Shift + Command + 5.

Rather, consider taking a screenshot on Mac with CleanShot X. In fact, the app is my go-to capturing tool. I use it to take almost any screenshots of my work. Why? Because, It can take a scrolling capture, screen recording, screenshot of the previous area, and many other things.  

Another screenshot tool worth a shoutout is Dropshare. Well, it’s more like a file-sharing app with screenshot tools. But it’ll be your favorite app if you’re, let’s say, working on a project and need to quickly share a screenshot with a colleague. Basically, you can capture a screenshot and immediately save it to the cloud storage, ready to be shared through a simple link (even with an access-restricted URL for sensitive information) from your Dropshare account. 

Take customized screenshots, screen recordings, and GIFs

If you want to capture the entire screen, Mac’s screenshot shortcuts are good enough. But if you want to take special screenshots, like making a short explainer video or screenshot a video, then you’ll need advanced screenshot tools.

Depending on your needs:

• Customized screenshots: You can use CleanShot X, Capto, Xnapper, or Dropshare.
• Screen recording: You can use CleanShot X, Capto, or Dropshare.
• Create GIFs: You can use Xnapper.

Clearly, CleanShot X is the ideal screenshot tool if versatility is what you’re looking for. That said, apps like Capto, Xnapper, and Dropshare shine in their own ways. For example, Xnapper lets you change the screenshot’s background and fit it into the resolution for various social media. 

Check out the article on best screenshot apps for your Mac to learn more.

How to take video screenshots on Mac 

Watching a TV show and wish you could instantly share an exciting scene with your friends? Sure, you can use Mac’s shortcuts to take screenshots from a movie, but be warned, it’s not so straightforward. 

To get the perfect screenshot, you’ll need to adjust the size to match the pixel. And if you messed up, you’ll need to repeat the steps again. A better way to take a screenshot of a video is SnapMotion. It has a snapshot button that lets you capture the entire frame while you’re watching the video. You can also decide the image format and destination to save the video screenshot. 

Alternatively, you can try Elmedia Player. Like SnapMotion, Elmedia Player also lets you capture screenshots of any frame in the video. On top of that, it can automatically capture a series of screenshots as you play the video. 

How to take a screenshot with Preview 

On Mac, Preview is the default app for viewing images and PDF files. It also lets you take screenshots of the document you opened. To do that, 

1. Go to the Preview app on your Mac.
2. Open an image you want to capture.
3. Click File in the menu bar > Take Screenshot.
4. Choose From Selection, From Window, or From Entire Screen.

After capturing the screen, Preview will display the screenshot in another window. From there, you can choose to save it on your Mac. 

How to take screenshots using Terminal 

If you’re used to working with the Terminal app, you can also take a screenshot by calling its screen capture utility. The command to do so is simple. Just type screencapture ~/Desktop/picture.png and press Return. Then, your Mac will capture the entire screen and save it to the picture.png on the desktop.

Tip: When you use Terminal to take screenshots, you won’t be able to capture specific windows or areas. Besides, you’ll need to manually change the filename to prevent overwriting them with subsequent screenshots. If you find these troublesome, use screenshot tools like CleanShot X. 

Now, you can easily take a screenshot on Mac

It may take time to learn Mac’s screenshot keys. But once you figure them out, taking screenshots is a breeze. Just remember these shortcuts:

• Command + Shift + 3 to capture the entire screen
• Command + Shift + 4 to screenshot the selected area.
• Command + Shift + 5 to bring up the Screenshot app.

Plus, you can use apps that let you take unique screenshots and manage them better. For example:

• CleanShot X can take scrolling capture to create long screenshots and more.
• Capto can capture the menu, window, and floating panels.
• Xnapper lets you restore screenshots from Screenshot History.
• Dropshare automatically saves screenshots in the cloud.
• SnapMotion and Elmedia Player let you take high-quality screenshots of a video.

You can find all the apps I mentioned on Setapp, along with others that help you be more productive on your Mac. Try them for seven days for free now.