How to Take Screenshots on Mac: Keyboard Shortcuts for Beginners

Quick Answer

Mac does not use a Windows-style Print Screen key, but its screenshot shortcuts are more flexible.

The three most useful shortcuts are:

Action	Mac shortcut
Capture the entire screen	Shift + Command + 3
Capture a selected area	Shift + Command + 4
Open screenshot and recording controls	Shift + Command + 5

1. Mac does not have Print Screen. So how do screenshots work?

Many Windows users look for the Print Screen key when they first use a Mac.

Mac works differently.

Instead of one Print Screen key, macOS uses several shortcuts for different screenshot tasks:

• Capture the full screen
• Capture a selected area
• Capture a single window
• Record the screen
• Change where screenshots are saved
• Set a screenshot timer

It may feel unfamiliar at first, but once you learn the shortcuts, Mac screenshots are very fast.

2. Capture the entire screen: Shift + Command + 3

To capture everything on your screen, press:

Shift + Command + 3

Your Mac will immediately take a screenshot of the entire screen.

If you use multiple displays, macOS may create one screenshot for each display.

3. Capture a selected area: Shift + Command + 4

To capture only part of the screen, press:

Shift + Command + 4

Your pointer will turn into a crosshair.

Drag over the area you want to capture, then release your mouse or trackpad.

This is one of the most useful screenshot shortcuts for daily work.

4. Capture a single window: Shift + Command + 4, then Space

To capture one app window:

1. Press Shift + Command + 4
2. Press Space
3. Move the pointer over the window you want
4. Click the window

Your Mac will capture that window automatically, usually with a clean shadow effect.

5. Open the screenshot toolbar: Shift + Command + 5

For a more visual screenshot tool, press:

Shift + Command + 5

This opens the screenshot and screen recording toolbar.

From there, you can:

• Capture the entire screen
• Capture a selected window
• Capture a selected area
• Record the entire screen
• Record a selected area
• Set a timer
• Change where screenshots are saved

If you are a beginner, this is the shortcut to learn first.

6. Where do Mac screenshots go?

By default, Mac screenshots are usually saved to the desktop.

The filename often looks like this:

Screenshot 2026-07-06 at 10.30.00 AM.png

If your desktop gets messy, you can change the save location.

Change the screenshot save location

1. Press Shift + Command + 5
2. Click Options
3. Under Save to, choose Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, or another location

Future screenshots will be saved to the location you choose.

7. What is the thumbnail in the corner?

After taking a screenshot, you may see a small thumbnail in the corner of the screen.

You can:

• Click it to edit, crop, or mark up the screenshot
• Drag it into a document or chat window
• Ignore it and let it save automatically

This is similar to the screenshot thumbnail on iPhone.

8. Can Mac record the screen?

Yes.

Press:

Shift + Command + 5

Then choose:

• Record the entire screen
• Record a selected portion

This is useful for tutorials, bug reports, and showing someone how to do something on your Mac.

9. Windows to Mac screenshot comparison

What you want to do	Common Windows method	Mac method
Capture the full screen	Print Screen	Shift + Command + 3
Capture part of the screen	Snipping Tool	Shift + Command + 4
Open screenshot tool	Snipping Tool	Shift + Command + 5
Record the screen	Xbox Game Bar / other tools	Shift + Command + 5
Mark up after capture	Snipping Tool editor	Click the thumbnail in the corner

Summary

If you are switching from Windows to Mac, do not look for a Print Screen key.

Remember these three shortcuts:

1. Shift + Command + 3: capture the entire screen
2. Shift + Command + 4: capture a selected area
3. Shift + Command + 5: open screenshot and recording controls

For beginners, Shift + Command + 5 is the best place to start because it gives you a visual toolbar for screenshots, recordings, save location, and timer options.