Here’s a quick, clear guide on how to take screenshots on a Mac, including the main keyboard shortcuts, where your screenshots are saved, and how to change settings.

1. Basic Screenshot Shortcuts on Mac

Capture the entire screen

  • Shortcut: Shift + Command (⌘) + 3
  • Result:
    • Captures all displays.
    • Saves a PNG file to your desktop by default.
  • Tip: Hold Control as well (Control + Shift + Command + 3) to copy the screenshot to the clipboard instead of saving it as a file.

Capture a selected portion of the screen

  • Shortcut: Shift + Command (⌘) + 4
  • How to use:
    1. Press Shift + Command + 4.
    2. Your cursor turns into a crosshair.
    3. Click and drag to select an area.
    4. Release the mouse/trackpad to capture.
  • Options while dragging:
    • Hold Space to move the selection.
    • Hold Shift to lock one axis (horizontal/vertical).
    • Hold Option to resize from center.
  • Clipboard version:
    Control + Shift + Command + 4 to copy to clipboard.

Capture a specific window (or menu)

  • Shortcut: Shift + Command (⌘) + 4, then tap Space
  • How to use:
    1. Press Shift + Command + 4.
    2. Tap Space. The cursor becomes a camera.
    3. Hover over a window or menu (it highlights).
    4. Click to capture.
  • Clipboard version:
    Control + Shift + Command + 4, tap Space, then click.

2. Use the Screenshot Toolbar (More Options)

For more control (timers, where to save, screen recording):

  • Shortcut: Shift + Command (⌘) + 5

You’ll see a toolbar at the bottom of the screen with options to:

  • Capture the entire screen
  • Capture a selected window
  • Capture a selected portion
  • Record the entire screen (video)
  • Record a selected portion (video)
  • Choose:
    • Save to: Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview, etc.
    • Timer: 5s or 10s delay
    • Options: Show floating thumbnail, remember last selection, show mouse pointer

For Apple’s official guide, see Apple Support:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201361

3. How to Screenshot the Touch Bar (if your Mac has one)

  • Shortcut: Shift + Command (⌘) + 6
  • Captures everything currently displayed on the Touch Bar.

4. Where Screenshots Are Saved (and How to Change It)

Default location

By default, screenshots are saved as .png files on your Desktop, named like:

  • Screenshot 2025-12-05 at 12.34.56.png

Change the save location (easy way)

  1. Press Shift + Command (⌘) + 5.
  2. Click Options.
  3. Under Save to, choose:
    • Desktop
    • Documents
    • Clipboard
    • Mail
    • Messages
    • Preview
    • Or Other Location… to pick any folder.

Change the save location (using Terminal, optional)

If you prefer the command line:

  1. Create a folder, for example: ~/Pictures/Screenshots

  2. Open Terminal.

  3. Run:

    defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Pictures/Screenshots
killall SystemUIServer

More Terminal options are documented in many macOS power-user guides, e.g.:
https://ss64.com/osx/screencapture.html

5. Edit, Crop, and Mark Up Screenshots Quickly

After taking a screenshot in recent macOS versions, you’ll see a small floating thumbnail in the corner.

  • Click it to open the Markup tools:
    • Crop
    • Draw, highlight
    • Add text, shapes, signatures
    • Share directly (Mail, Messages, AirDrop, etc.)

If you don’t want this thumbnail:

  1. Press Shift + Command + 5.
  2. Click Options.
  3. Uncheck Show Floating Thumbnail.

You can also open screenshots directly in Preview for more editing:
https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/welcome/mac

6. How to Copy a Screenshot to the Clipboard (Instead of Saving a File)

Add Control to your shortcut:

  • Entire screen to clipboard:
    Control + Shift + Command (⌘) + 3
  • Selected area to clipboard:
    Control + Shift + Command (⌘) + 4
  • Selected window to clipboard:
    Control + Shift + Command (⌘) + 4, tap Space, then click.

Then you can paste (Command + V) into:

  • Pages, Word, Google Docs
  • Notes
  • Mail or Messages
  • Image editors (Photoshop, Pixelmator, etc.)

7. How to Screen Record on Mac (Bonus Tip)

The Screenshot toolbar also handles screen recordings:

  1. Press Shift + Command (⌘) + 5.
  2. Choose:
    • Record Entire Screen
    • Record Selected Portion
  3. Click Record.
  4. To stop:
    • Click the Stop icon in the menu bar, or
    • Use Command (⌘) + Control + Esc.

For more advanced recording and editing, many people also use tools like QuickTime Player or third-party apps (e.g., OBS Studio).

Apple’s QuickTime recording guide:
https://support.apple.com/guide/quicktime-player/record-your-screen-qtp97b08e666/mac

8. Common Questions About Mac Screenshots

“How do I take a screenshot on a MacBook like Print Screen on Windows?”
Use Shift + Command + 3 for the whole screen, or Shift + Command + 4 to select an area. That’s the macOS equivalent of Print Screen.

“Why aren’t my Mac screenshots showing up on the desktop?”
Check:

  1. You might have changed the save location (see section 4).
  2. Use Spotlight (Command + Space) and search Screenshot to find them.
  3. Confirm the shortcuts under System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Screenshots.

“Can I change the screenshot file format?”
Yes, with Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg   # or pdf, gif, tiff, heic, etc.
killall SystemUIServer

For complete, official documentation, see Apple’s support article on screenshots:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201361