How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac (Every Method That Exists)

Originally published on Tutomod.

Macs have no Print Screen key, so the screenshot question trips up every Windows convert at least once.

Updated August 08, 2026, after a fresh review, with updated visuals and links.

Once you learn the three shortcuts, though, macOS actually screenshots better than almost anything else, no extra apps needed.

Short version: Whole screen: Command + Shift + 3 first, then just a portion: command + shift + 4. Details below.

Here's how it works

Whole screen: Command + Shift + 3. The classic. You hear a camera click and the file lands on your desktop as a PNG, named with the date and time.
Just a portion: Command + Shift + 4. Your pointer becomes a crosshair. Drag over the part you want, release, done. Press Esc to cancel if you change your mind.
- Hold Space after pressing it to screenshot a single window with a nice shadow
- Hold Spacebar... no wait: tap Space once, the crosshair becomes a camera, then click the window
The control panel: Command + Shift + 5. A small toolbar appears with every option: full screen, window, selection, and screen recording. The Options button lets you pick where files save, set a timer, and whether to show the mouse pointer.
Copy instead of saving. Add Control to any shortcut (for example Control + Command + Shift + 4) and the screenshot goes to the clipboard instead of the desktop. Paste it straight into a message or document.
On a MacBook with Touch Bar. Command + Shift + 6 captures the Touch Bar itself. Rare, but the day you need it, nothing else works.

Photo by Кирилл Абрамов on Pexels

Screenshots stack on the desktop bottom right for a few seconds before landing. Drag the thumbnail straight into an app to skip the file entirely.
Change the default save folder once in the Shift + Command + 5 panel, Options. Your desktop will thank you.
PNG files are crisp but heavy. For long documents, convert a batch to JPG in Preview.