macOS keyboard shortcuts for screen capturing the entire screen, a window, or just a selected portion of the screen.
---
title: macOS Screenshot Keyboard Shortcuts
subtitle: "macOS keyboard shortcuts for screen capturing the entire screen, a window, or just a selected portion of the screen."
author: Apple
date: January 28, 2020
source: https://jonlabelle.com/snippets/view/markdown/macos-screenshot-keyboard-shortcuts
original: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201361
notoc: false
---
## To capture the entire screen
<kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>Command</kbd> + <kbd>3</kbd>
If you see a thumbnail in the corner of your screen, click it to edit the screenshot. Or wait for the screenshot to save to your Desktop.
## To capture a selected portion of the screen
<kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>Command</kbd> + <kbd>4</kbd>
1. Drag the cross-hair to select the area of the screen to capture. To move the selection, press and hold Space bar while dragging. To cancel taking the screenshot, press the <kbd>Esc</kbd> (Escape) key.
2. To take the screenshot, release your mouse or track-pad button.
3. If you see a thumbnail in the corner of your screen, click it to edit the screenshot. Or wait for the screenshot to save to your Desktop.
## To capture a window or menu
<kbd>Shift</kbd> + <kbd>Command</kbd> + <kbd>4</kbd> + <kbd>Space bar</kbd>
1. Open the window or menu that you want to capture.
2. Press and hold these keys together: Shift, Command, 4, and Space bar. The pointer changes to a camera icon. To cancel taking the screenshot, press the <kbd>Esc</kbd> (Escape) key.
3. Click the window or menu to capture it. To exclude the window's shadow from the screenshot, press and hold the Option key while you click.
4. If you see a thumbnail in the corner of your screen, click it to edit the screenshot. Or wait for the screenshot to save to your Desktop.
## Additional
### Where to find screenshots
By default, **screenshots save to your Desktop** with the name `"Screen Shot [date] at [time].png."`
**Changing the default location**
In macOS Mojave or later, you can **change the default location of saved
screenshots** from the Options menu in the [Screenshot app](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/take-screenshots-or-screen-recordings-mh26782/mac).
You can also drag the thumbnail to a folder or document.
### Some apps might restrict screenshots
Some apps, such as the Apple TV app, might not let you take screenshots of their windows.
### To copy a screenshot to the Clipboard
To copy a screenshot to the Clipboard, press and hold the Control key while you
take the screenshot. You can then paste the screenshot somewhere else. Or use
[Universal Clipboard](https://support.apple.com/kb/HT209460) to paste it on
another Apple device.