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How to Screenshot on Mac: Every Shortcut (macOS 27)

How to screenshot on a Mac: Shift-Command-3, 4 and 5, window and clipboard shortcuts, screen recording, Control Center and Windows keyboards in macOS 27.

8 min read
Muhammed BasilFounder & maker of Pizazoo

To take a screenshot on a Mac, press Shift-Command-3 to capture the whole screen or Shift-Command-4 to drag over the part you want. Press Shift-Command-5 to open the Screenshot app, which adds a timer, screen recording and a choice of where files go. Add Control to any of these shortcuts to copy the screenshot to the clipboard instead of saving a file.

The shortcuts are the same on every Mac (MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini and Mac Studio), and Apple's Mac User Guide lists them unchanged in macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS Tahoe 26.

What are the screenshot shortcuts on a Mac?

To capture Press Good to know
The entire screen Shift-Command-3 Saves a file to the desktop
Part of the screen Shift-Command-4, then drag Hold the Space bar while dragging to move the selection
One window or the menu bar Shift-Command-4, then Space bar, then click Hold Option as you click to leave out the window shadow
An open menu Open the menu, press Shift-Command-4, then drag over it Or press Space bar and click the menu
Anything, with options Shift-Command-5 Opens the Screenshot app: capture, record, timer, save location
The Touch Bar Shift-Command-6 Only MacBook Pro models with a Touch Bar
Any of the above, to the clipboard Add Control, for example Control-Shift-Command-4 No file is saved; paste with Command-V
Stop a screen recording Command-Control-Esc Or click the Stop button in the menu bar

Press Esc at any point to cancel. The shortcuts come from Apple's Take a screenshot on Mac and the Mac User Guide; the stop shortcut is from How to record the screen on Mac.

How do I screenshot the whole screen on a Mac?

Press and release Shift, Command and 3 together. If a thumbnail appears in the corner of the screen, click it to edit the screenshot, or wait and it saves to your desktop (Apple). This is the Mac's version of the Print Screen key.

How do I screenshot part of the screen on a Mac?

This is the shortcut most people mean when they ask for the Mac screenshot command:

  • Press Shift-Command-4. The pointer turns into a crosshair.
  • Drag over the area you want, then release the mouse or trackpad button to take the screenshot.
  • To move the selection without changing its size, hold the Space bar while you drag. To cancel, press Esc.

How do I screenshot one window on a Mac?

Press Shift-Command-4, then press and release the Space bar. The pointer turns into a camera. Move it over the window you want so it highlights, then click. Hold Option while you click to leave out the window's shadow (Apple).

The camera pointer also captures the menu bar. For a menu, open it first, press Shift-Command-4, then drag over the menu items (Mac User Guide). Some apps, such as the Apple TV app, do not let you capture their windows.

How do I use the Screenshot app (Shift-Command-5)?

The Screenshot app has been part of macOS since Mojave 10.14. Open it with Shift-Command-5, with Spotlight, or from the Utilities folder inside Applications (Apple). A control bar appears with tools to capture the entire screen, a window or a portion, plus three matching tools to record them. Click Options to set (Mac User Guide):

  • Save to: a preset location such as Desktop, Documents or Clipboard, or Other Location for any folder.
  • Timer: a delay before the capture. Macworld lists None, 5 seconds and 10 seconds. Handy for menus and hover effects.
  • Microphone: for screen recordings only.
  • Show Floating Thumbnail: the preview in the bottom-right corner (more below).
  • Remember Last Selection: sets up your last selected area again for the next capture.
  • Capture Format: on supported Macs with macOS Tahoe 26 or later, SDR (Most Compatible) saves PNG files and HDR saves HEIF files (Apple). You need an HDR display to see the difference.
  • Show Mouse Pointer: includes the pointer in the picture.

Then click Capture, or click a window if you chose the window tool.

How do I copy a screenshot to the clipboard on a Mac?

Hold Control with any shortcut: Control-Shift-Command-3 copies the whole screen and Control-Shift-Command-4 copies a selected area (press the Space bar after it to copy a window). Paste with Command-V into a document, email or chat. You can also Control-click the floating thumbnail and choose Save to Clipboard (Apple).

To send every screenshot to the clipboard, choose Clipboard under Save to in the Screenshot app's Options. If a screenshot will not paste, it was probably taken without Control, so it went to a file instead. If screenshots never show up as files, check whether Clipboard is selected.

How do I record my screen on a Mac?

Use the same Screenshot app. These steps are from Apple's screen recording article, updated for macOS 27:

  • Press Shift-Command-5 and choose Record Entire Screen, Record Selected Window (macOS Tahoe 26 or later) or Record Selected Portion.
  • Click Options to pick a microphone, Include System Audio (new in macOS 27 Golden Gate), Show Mouse Clicks, a timer and the save location. On supported Macs with Tahoe 26 or later, SDR records H.264 video and HDR records HEVC.
  • Click Record. To stop, click the Stop button in the menu bar or press Command-Control-Esc.

Recordings save as .mov files named "Screen Recording" with the date and time. QuickTime Player has File > New Screen Recording (Control-Command-N) too; if the Screenshot controls appear when you choose it, the Screenshot app is doing the recording.

Can I take a screenshot without keyboard shortcuts?

Yes, in three ways:

  • The Screenshot app: open it from Applications > Utilities, or search for it in Spotlight. Keep it in the Dock for a one-click screenshot button.
  • Preview: choose File > Take Screenshot, then From Selection, From Window or From Entire Screen. The picture opens in Preview as "Untitled," ready to mark up (Apple: Preview User Guide).
  • Control Center or the menu bar (macOS Tahoe 26 and later): open Control Center, click Edit Controls, and drag a control into Control Center (Apple). Pocket-lint lists Capture Screen, Capture Selection, Custom Capture, Custom Recording, Record Screen and Record Selection. Then Control-click the control and choose Add to Menu Bar (or Copy to Menu Bar) for a screenshot button in the menu bar.

Apple's guide documents Edit Controls but does not name the screenshot controls. Pocket-lint describes Custom Capture as a saved setup with its own capture type, save location and timer that leaves your keyboard shortcuts alone.

What changed for Mac screenshots in macOS 26 and macOS 27?

Change Version
HDR capture format (HEIF screenshots, HEVC recordings) macOS Tahoe 26, supported Macs
Record Selected Window macOS Tahoe 26
Screenshot controls in Control Center and the menu bar macOS Tahoe 26
Include System Audio in screen recordings macOS 27 Golden Gate
Ask Siri about a window (Shift-Command-Space bar) or an area (Shift-Command-6) macOS 27 with Siri AI (Beta)

The Siri shortcuts do not save a file. They select part of the screen so you can ask a question, take a suggested action or run an Image Search, and they need Siri AI (Beta) on a MacBook Neo or a Mac with M1 or later, in English to start (Apple).

One clash Apple does not explain: Shift-Command-6 is still the Touch Bar screenshot in the Mac User Guide, while Apple's keyboard shortcut list gives it to Siri in macOS 27 when Siri AI is turned on. On a Touch Bar MacBook Pro with Siri AI turned on, check Keyboard Shortcuts > Screenshots (below) if the Touch Bar shot stops working. More in what's new for screenshots in macOS 27.

How do I screenshot on a MacBook Neo, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?

Exactly as above. Apple's current laptops are the 13-inch MacBook Neo with the A18 Pro chip, the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air with M5, and the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5, M5 Pro or M5 Max. All of them use the same Shift-Command shortcuts and run macOS 27. Only HDR capture ("supported Mac models") and Siri's screen questions depend on the model.

None of them has a Touch Bar. MacRumors reports Apple dropped it in October 2023 with the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2, so Shift-Command-6 only matters on older MacBook Pro models. An iMac, Mac mini or Mac Studio with a Magic Keyboard works the same way.

How do I take a screenshot with a Windows keyboard on a Mac?

On a keyboard made for Windows PCs, Apple says to press the Windows logo key or Ctrl in place of Command, and Alt in place of Option (Apple). So try Shift-Windows-3, Shift-Windows-4 or Shift-Windows-5. Apple's Windows keys on a Mac keyboard page lists Shift-Command-3 and Shift-Command-4 as the Mac's Print Screen.

If the keys behave the wrong way round, go to System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Modifier Keys and choose what each modifier does (Apple). Apple does not document the PC Print Screen key itself, so try assigning it as a screenshot shortcut using the steps in the next section.

How do I change the screenshot shortcuts on a Mac?

From Apple's macOS 27 guide (Apple):

  • Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Keyboard, click Keyboard Shortcuts, then click Screenshots in the sidebar.
  • Select the checkbox next to the shortcut you want to change, double-click its key combination, then press the new one. Quit and reopen apps for it to take effect.
  • Deselect a checkbox to turn a shortcut off, useful when another screenshot app uses the same keys. Restore Defaults puts every shortcut back.

A combination already used by another command will not work. Avoid Shift-Command-S, which Apple lists as Save As in documents (Apple).

Where do screenshots go on a Mac?

To the desktop, as PNG files whose names start with "Screenshot" plus the date and time (HEIF if you chose HDR); recordings are .mov files (Mac User Guide). Apple's support article still shows the older "Screen Shot" name, so search for both. To stop screenshots landing on the desktop, change Options > Save to or follow how to change the screenshot location; for missing files, see where do screenshots go on Mac.

What is the thumbnail that appears after a screenshot?

That is the floating thumbnail. It sits in the bottom-right corner for a few seconds before the file saves: click it to mark up or share, drag it into a document, or swipe right to save at once. Holding the pointer over it keeps it on screen (Apple). To hide it, deselect Show Floating Thumbnail in Options, or read how to turn off the screenshot preview.

Why is my Mac screenshot shortcut not working?

Check these first:

  • The shortcut is still turned on in Keyboard Shortcuts > Screenshots.
  • Another app is not using the same keys.
  • The app on screen allows screenshots (some, such as Apple TV, do not).

For more fixes, see Mac screenshot not saving or working.

How do I keep track of all these screenshots?

Disclosure: we make Pizazoo. Pizazoo for Mac does not take screenshots. It watches the folder your screenshots save to, plus any others you add (such as a CleanShot X or Shottr folder), imports new ones automatically, and makes the text inside them searchable with on-device OCR, all in the free tier. Its Settings > Capture also has a "Hide macOS screenshot thumbnail preview" switch. It runs on macOS 14 Sonoma or later, through macOS 27: download Pizazoo.

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