Cheat sheet
Every macOS screenshot shortcut, in one place
Three shortcuts cover the basics, and a handful of modifiers turn them into a full capture toolkit. This is the whole list, plus the Shotnix defaults if you want a menu bar app on top.
The three main shortcuts
- ⌘⇧3: capture the entire screen. On multiple displays, one file per display.
- ⌘⇧4: drag to capture an area.
- ⌘⇧5: open the Screenshot toolbar with capture, recording, and Options.
Modifiers while using ⌘⇧4
- Space: switch to window mode, then click a window to capture it with its shadow. Hold Option while clicking to omit the shadow.
- Space while dragging: move the selection instead of resizing it.
- Shift while dragging: lock one axis so only width or height changes.
- Option while dragging: resize the selection from the center.
- Escape: cancel the capture.
Copy to clipboard instead of saving
Hold Control with any of the shortcuts: ⌃⌘⇧3, ⌃⌘⇧4, or ⌃⌘⇧5. The capture goes to the clipboard and no file is written. You can also set Clipboard as the default save location in the ⌘⇧5 Options menu.
The ⌘⇧5 toolbar options
- Save to: Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview, or a folder you choose.
- Timer: none, 5 seconds, or 10 seconds.
- Show Floating Thumbnail: the small preview in the corner you can click to mark up.
- Remember Last Selection and Show Mouse Pointer.
- Microphone: choose an input for screen recordings. There is no system audio option.
Screen recording shortcuts
- ⌘⇧5, then Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion.
- Stop: click the stop icon in the menu bar or press ⌘⌃Esc.
Touch Bar
⌘⇧6 captures the Touch Bar on Macs that have one. Add Control to copy it to the clipboard.
Change the default shortcuts
Open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Screenshots. Each shortcut can be reassigned or disabled. Disable them here if you want a third-party app to own ⌘⇧3, ⌘⇧4, and ⌘⇧5.
Where screenshots save and how to change it
By default, screenshots save to the Desktop as PNG files named with the date and time. Change the folder in the ⌘⇧5 Options menu. Terminal users can also set it with the com.apple.screencapture defaults domain.
Shotnix default shortcuts
- ⌘⇧4: area capture. ⌘⇧5: window capture. ⌘⇧3 and ⌘⇧6: fullscreen capture.
- ⌘⇧7: capture the previous area again.
- ⌘⇧O: OCR text extraction. ⌘⇧S: scrolling capture.
- On the overlay: ⌘C copy, ⌘S save, ⌘E edit, Escape dismiss.
- Recording: Record Area, Record Window, Record Fullscreen, and Stop Recording are assignable. Escape stops a recording.
- Every shortcut is customizable in Preferences → Shortcuts. On first launch Shotnix offers to disable Apple's defaults and can restore them later.
Questions
How do I take a screenshot straight to the clipboard on Mac?
Hold Control with the shortcut: ⌃⌘⇧4 for an area, ⌃⌘⇧3 for the whole screen. Or set Clipboard as the save location in ⌘⇧5 → Options.
How do I screenshot a single window on Mac?
Press ⌘⇧4, press Space, then click the window. Hold Option while clicking to omit the drop shadow.
Why do my screenshot shortcuts not work?
Another app may own them, or they may be disabled in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Screenshots. Apps like Shotnix ask before taking them over and can hand them back.
How do I take a screenshot with a timer on Mac?
Press ⌘⇧5, click Options, and choose 5 or 10 seconds. Shotnix adds a 3-second option and a cancellable countdown.
Try it on your own screen.
Shotnix is free, open source, and local. Download the notarized DMG, or star the repository if you want to follow along.
8.4 MB · macOS 13+ · signed and notarized by Apple · MIT license