How to Screenshot Your Mac Desktop

How to Screenshot Your Mac Desktop

macOS provides powerful and flexible screenshot capabilities with intuitive keyboard shortcuts. Whether you need to capture the entire screen, a specific window, or a custom selection, Mac offers precise control over your screenshots with built-in editing options. For other Apple devices, see our guides on iPhone screenshots and iPad screenshots.

Method 1: Full Screen Screenshot

Capture your entire screen with all displays.

Steps:

1. Press Command (?) + Shift + 3 simultaneously
2. You"ll hear a camera sound (if sound effects are enabled)
3. The screenshot appears as a thumbnail in the corner of your screen
4. Click the thumbnail to edit, or wait for it to save automatically to your desktop
5. The file is saved as "Screen Shot [date] at [time].png"

?? Pro Tip: If you have multiple displays, this captures all screens. Each display will be saved as a separate file.

Method 2: Selected Area Screenshot

Capture a specific portion of your screen.

Steps:

1. Press Command (?) + Shift + 4
2. Your cursor changes to a crosshair pointer
3. Click and drag to select the area you want to capture
4. Release the mouse button to take the screenshot
5. The selected area is captured and saved to your desktop

?? Pro Tip: While dragging, you can hold Shift to lock one dimension, or hold Option to resize from the center.

Method 3: Specific Window Screenshot

Capture a single window with a clean background.

Steps:

1. Press Command (?) + Shift + 4
2. When the crosshair appears, press the Spacebar
3. The cursor changes to a camera icon
4. Move the camera over the window you want to capture (it will be highlighted)
5. Click to capture the window
6. The window screenshot is saved with a transparent background

?? Pro Tip: This method automatically excludes shadows. Hold Option while clicking to include the window shadow.

Method 4: Screenshot and Markup

Use the Screenshot app for advanced options and editing.

Steps:

1. Press Command (?) + Shift + 5
2. The Screenshot toolbar appears at the bottom of your screen
3. Choose from: Capture Entire Screen, Capture Selected Windows, or Capture Selected Portion
4. Click "Options" to set timer, save location, and other preferences
5. Click "Capture" or make your selection
6. Use the markup tools to edit before saving

?? Pro Tip: The Screenshot app also allows you to record your screen and set a timer for delayed captures.

Method 5: Touch Bar Screenshot (MacBook Pro)

Capture the Touch Bar on compatible MacBook Pro models.

Steps:

1. Press Command (?) + Shift + 6
2. The Touch Bar content is captured
3. The screenshot is saved to your desktop
4. The file shows exactly what was displayed on your Touch Bar

?? Pro Tip: This only works on MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar (2016-2021 models).

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Screenshots saving to wrong location

Solution: Use Command + Shift + 5, click Options, and choose your preferred save location. You can also change the default location in Terminal with defaults commands. For detailed instructions, see our guide on changing screenshot locations on Mac.

No sound when taking screenshots

Solution: Check System Preferences > Sound > Sound Effects and ensure "Play user interface sound effects" is enabled.

Screenshot shortcuts not working

Solution: Check System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Screenshots to ensure the shortcuts are enabled and not conflicting with other apps.

Conclusion

Mac's screenshot capabilities are among the most intuitive and powerful available, with flexible keyboard shortcuts and built-in editing tools. The Screenshot app provides professional-level control over capture settings and markup options. For other Apple devices, check out our guides for iPhone screenshots and iPad screenshots. You can also learn about changing screenshot save locations, where screenshots are saved by default, or explore our online tools for editing, converting to different formats, and organizing screenshots automatically.