Screenshot guides for Mac

Short answers to what people ask about screenshots and screen recording on a Mac: the built-in way first, then how SimpleShot makes it quicker.

• How to screenshot on a Mac

  Press ⇧⌘3 for the whole screen, ⇧⌘4 for a part, ⇧⌘4 then Space for a window, ⇧⌘5 for every option. Where the file goes, and a faster way.

• How to screenshot on a MacBook Neo

  On a MacBook Neo, press Shift-Command-3 for the whole screen, or Shift-Command-4 and drag for a part. No Print Screen key: here is where each key is.

• Mac screenshot shortcuts: the complete list

  Every screenshot and screen recording shortcut on a Mac in one table: ⇧⌘3, ⇧⌘4, ⇧⌘5, ⇧⌘6, Control for the clipboard, and the keys to hold while you drag.

• Where do screenshots go on a Mac?

  Mac screenshots go to the desktop as “Screenshot [date] at [time].png”. Change the folder in ⇧⌘5 › Options, and find old ones with Spotlight.

• Screenshot not working on Mac: 8 fixes

  If ⇧⌘4 does nothing or no file appears, check the keyboard shortcuts, the save folder, apps that take the keys and the Screen Recording permission.

• How to screenshot to the clipboard on Mac

  Add Control: ⌃⇧⌘4 copies a part of the screen and ⌃⇧⌘3 the whole screen, with no file. Then paste it with ⌘V into a chat, an e-mail or a document.

• How to screenshot a window on Mac

  Press ⇧⌘4, then Space, then click the window. Hold ⌥ (Option) as you click to leave out the shadow, or make no-shadow the default.

• How to screenshot on a Mac with a Windows keyboard

  On a Windows keyboard, the Windows key works as ⌘ and Alt as ⌥: press Shift + Windows + 4 for a part of the screen, Shift + Windows + 3 for all of it.

• How to copy text from a screenshot on Mac

  Open the screenshot in Preview, select the text like in a document (Live Text) and press ⌘C. Or copy the words of any part of the screen with one shortcut.

• OCR on Mac: free ways to get text from an image

  Macs have OCR built in: Live Text in Preview, Photos and Safari, and Extract Text from Image in Shortcuts. How each works, their limits, and a faster way.

• How to blur part of a screenshot on Mac

  Preview has no blur tool. Cover the part with a filled shape there, or blur it in SimpleShot with one drag; for passwords and numbers, use a solid box.

• How to take a full-page screenshot on Mac

  Safari saves a whole web page from its Web Inspector or as a PDF; other browsers from their developer tools. For chats and documents, use a scrolling capture.

• How to screen record on a Mac

  Press ⇧⌘5, choose the whole screen or a part, click Record, and stop from the menu bar. Where the video goes, how to trim it, and how to record a GIF.

• How to screen record on Mac with sound

  In ⇧⌘5 › Options, choose a microphone for your voice and, on macOS 27, Include System Audio. Or switch on Computer audio in SimpleShot’s recording bar.

• How to record a GIF of your screen on Mac

  macOS records video, not GIFs. SimpleShot records a part of the screen straight to GIF (15 fps, up to 1200 px wide), or turns a recording into one.

• Win + Shift + S on a Mac: the screenshot tool for Windows users

  On a Mac, ⇧⌘4 does what Win + Shift + S does on Windows, and ⇧⌘5 opens a screenshot toolbar with every mode, a timer and screen recording.

• A free screenshot app for Mac

  macOS has a free screenshot tool built in. For scrolling capture, an editor, text from the screen and covering private details, SimpleShot is free too.

• The best screenshot app for Mac: what to look for

  What makes a good Mac screenshot app: fast capture, scrolling capture, a real editor, covering private data, OCR, recording, sharing and a fair price.

• How to annotate a screenshot on Mac

  Click the thumbnail after a screenshot to mark it up, or open it in Preview › Markup. Or use an editor with arrows, numbered steps and a text highlighter.

• How to crop a screenshot on Mac

  Click the screenshot’s thumbnail and use the crop tool, or open it in Preview, select an area and press ⌘K. Or crop to 1:1, 4:5, 16:9 or 9:16 in one click.

• How to change the screenshot format on Mac

  Mac screenshots are PNG. One Terminal command makes them JPG or PDF; Finder’s Convert Image changes existing files. In SimpleShot it’s a setting.

• How to keep a screenshot on top of every window on Mac

  macOS can’t keep a picture above other windows. SimpleShot pins a capture on top: move it, resize it, make it see-through or let clicks pass through.

• How to take a delayed screenshot on Mac

  Press ⇧⌘5, open Options, choose a 5 or 10 second timer, then capture. Handy for menus and hover states. SimpleShot also counts down 3, 5 or 10 seconds.

• How to hide desktop icons and notifications in screenshots

  Untick Show Items on Desktop in System Settings, and turn on Do Not Disturb for notifications. Or let SimpleShot leave both out of every capture.

• How to share a screenshot as a link on Mac

  Press Link on SimpleShot’s thumbnail: the link is on your clipboard at once, the image uploads without its metadata. Delete the link to remove it.