How to Screenshot on MacBook: Every Shortcut You Need

How to screenshot on MacBook is one of the most common Mac searches because Apple uses keyboard shortcuts instead of a single Print Screen key. Once you know the shortcuts, taking screenshots is fast.

Capture the Full Screen

Press Shift-Command-3 to capture the whole screen. macOS saves the screenshot as a PNG file, usually on the Desktop unless you changed the save location.

Capture Part of the Screen

Press Shift-Command-4. Drag the crosshair over the area you want to capture, then release the trackpad or mouse. This is the best option for articles, receipts, forms and small sections of a webpage.

Capture a Window

Press Shift-Command-4, then press Space. Move the camera pointer over a window and click. macOS captures that window instead of the entire display.

Open the Screenshot Toolbar

Press Shift-Command-5 to open the Screenshot app toolbar. From there you can capture the screen, capture a window, capture a selected area or start a screen recording.

The toolbar also lets you choose where screenshots save, set a timer and decide whether to show the mouse pointer.

Copy a Screenshot Instead of Saving It

Hold Control while using a screenshot shortcut to copy the image to the clipboard. For example, Control-Shift-Command-3 copies the full screen so you can paste it into Messages, Mail, Notes or another app.

FAQ

Where do screenshots go on MacBook?

By default, screenshots save to the Desktop. You can change the location from the Shift-Command-5 toolbar.

What format are Mac screenshots?

macOS saves screenshots as PNG files by default.

Can I screenshot a menu?

Yes. Open the menu, press Shift-Command-4 and capture the area, or use the window capture method where supported.

Bottom Line

Use Shift-Command-3 for the full screen, Shift-Command-4 for a selection and Shift-Command-5 for the full Screenshot toolbar.