A free screenshot app for Mac
Every Mac comes with a free screenshot tool: ⇧⌘3 for the screen, ⇧⌘4 for a part, ⇧⌘5 for the toolbar. When you need more, such as scrolling capture, an editor with arrows and blur, text copied from the screen or private details covered before you send, SimpleShot is a free Mac app with no account, no watermark and no limit on captures. Your captures stay on your Mac.
Updated
What the free tool in macOS already does
- The whole screen, a part, a window or a menu, saved as PNG or copied to the clipboard.
- A thumbnail to mark up and crop right after the capture.
- A 5 or 10 second timer, and screen recording as video, in ⇧⌘5.
For a quick picture now and then, that is enough. How to use it: how to screenshot on a Mac.
What a free screenshot app adds
| Built into macOS | SimpleShot (free) | |
|---|---|---|
| Long pages and chats | No | Scrolling capture in any app, up to 40,000 px |
| Editor | Markup: pen, shapes, text | Arrows, numbered steps, a highlighter that snaps to text, blur, pixelate, spotlights, magnifier, crop to 1:1, 4:5, 16:9 |
| Private details | Cover them by hand | Hide Sensitive Data finds e-mails, phone and card numbers, IBANs and keys, and covers them in one click |
| Text from the screen | Live Text in an opened picture | ⌥⇧⌘T: the words of any area on the clipboard |
| Find an old capture | By file name | The Library, searchable by the words on each capture |
| Recording | Video (.mov) | MP4 or GIF, computer audio and microphone, clicks and keystrokes |
| Keep on top | No | Pin a capture above every window |
What “free” means in SimpleShot
Everything SimpleShot does on your Mac is free, with updates included: no trial, no watermark, no account and no limit on captures. The only paid part is SimpleShot Premium ($3 a month or $24 a year), and it is only for what lives on our servers: unlimited share links, passwords, end dates and view counts on links, and longer videos by link. Ten links at a time are free.
Before you press Upload in any screenshot app
Many free screenshot tools have an Upload button that puts the picture on a public server and gives you a short link. Anyone who has the link can open it, and you may not be able to delete it later. Before you use one, check three things: what is uploaded (only the picture, or its metadata too), who can open the link, and whether deleting the link removes the picture. SimpleShot uploads nothing unless you press Link, sends only that capture without its metadata, and removes it the moment you delete the link.
Questions
Is there a free screenshot app for Mac?
Yes, two: the screenshot tool built into macOS (⇧⌘3, ⇧⌘4, ⇧⌘5) and, for more tools, SimpleShot, which is free on the Mac.
Does SimpleShot add a watermark?
No. Captures, recordings and GIFs are yours as they are.
Do I need an account?
No. Download it, open it and take a screenshot.
Does a free screenshot app upload my screenshots?
Some do, when you press their upload or share button. SimpleShot keeps captures on your Mac; one leaves it only when you make a link to it.
Which Macs does SimpleShot run on?
Macs with Apple silicon running macOS 26 or later.
Related
- The best screenshot app for Mac: what to look for
- A private screenshot app for Mac
- How to share a screenshot as a link
Free on your Mac,
for good.
Free · macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon