Take a screenshot on your Mac
You can capture an entire screen, window, or part of the screen.
How to take a screenshot on your Mac
To take a screenshot, press and hold the three buttons together: Shift, Command, and 3.
When you see an icon in the corner of your screen, click it to edit the screenshot. Or wait for the screenshot to be saved to your desktop.
How to capture part of the screen
Press and hold these three buttons together: Shift, Command, and 4.
Drag the crosshair to select a screen location to capture. To move a selection, press and hold the space bar while dragging. To cancel a screenshot, press the Esc key (Escape).
To take a screenshot, release your mouse or trackpad button.
When you see an icon in the corner of your screen, click it to edit the screenshot. Or wait for the screenshot to be saved to your desktop.
How to screenshot a window or menu
Open the window or menu you want to screenshot.
Press and hold these keys together: Shift, Command, 4, and Space bar. The identifier changes to the camera icon. To cancel a screenshot, press the Esc key (Escape).
Click a window or menu to scan it. To remove a window shadow from the screenshot, press and hold the Option button while clicking.
When you see an icon in the corner of your screen, click it to edit the screenshot. Or wait for the screenshot to be saved to your desktop.
Where you can find Mac screenshots
By default, screenshots are stored on your desktop labeled "Screen Shot [date] at [time] .png."
In macOS Mojave or later, you can change the default location of the screenshots saved in the Options menu in the Screenshot application. You can also drag an icon to a folder or document.
Learn more
In macOS Mojave or later, you can also set the timer and select where the screenshots are saved with the Screenshot app. To open the app, press and hold the three keys together: Shift, Command, and 5. Learn more about the screenshot app.
Some apps, like the Apple TV app, may not allow you to take screenshots of their windows.
To copy a screenshot to a clipboard, press and hold the Control button while taking a screenshot. Then you can attach the screenshot to another location. Or use Universal Clipboard to attach it to another Apple device.