Guides

Mac screenshot guides

Every shortcut macOS gives you, what each one is actually for, and what to do when one stops working. Written and tested against current macOS.

Start Here

How to Screenshot on Mac: The Complete Guide

Every capture mode, one hotkey each — and what happens to a capture after you take it.

8 min read
Start Here

Every Mac Screenshot Keyboard Shortcut, in One Cheat Sheet

Every capture hotkey in one table, with what each is for and which are free.

6 min read
Capture

How to Screenshot Part of the Screen on Mac

A dragged rectangle, an exact reusable size, a circle, or a freehand shape with real transparency.

7 min read
Capture

How to Screenshot a Single Window on Mac

One window, exact bounds — and what to do when the window is taller than the screen.

7 min read
Capture

How to Take a Full-Screen Screenshot on Mac

One display, or every connected screen composed into a single image.

6 min read
Capture

How to Take a Delayed or Timed Screenshot on Mac

Three, five or ten seconds, chosen per capture — the only way to catch something that vanishes.

6 min read
Capture

How to Screenshot a Dropdown Menu or Hover State on Mac

Menus vanish when you touch the keyboard. Two ways to catch them anyway.

6 min read
Capture

How to Take a Scrolling Screenshot on Mac

A whole page as one image — scrolled, stitched, with repeating headers removed.

7 min read
Capture

How to Take Screenshots in Safari, Including Full Pages

Every capture mode you have on the desktop, inside the browser — and whole pages in one image.

7 min read
After the Capture

How to Annotate and Mark Up Screenshots on Mac

Eighteen annotation tools, numbered steps that count themselves, and three ways to hide what's private.

8 min read
After the Capture

How to Blur or Redact Sensitive Information in a Screenshot on Mac

Blur, pixelate or blackout — with the sensitive parts found for you, and flattened so they can't come back.

8 min read
After the Capture

How to Extract Text from a Screenshot on Mac

Copy the words, not the picture — recognised on your Mac the moment you capture.

7 min read
After the Capture

How to Copy a Screenshot Straight to the Clipboard on Mac

Copy the image, the text inside it, or a redacted version — with the capture still kept.

7 min read
After the Capture

How to Change Screenshot Format on Mac (PNG, JPG, WebP, PDF)

Five formats, chosen when you export — and which one actually suits which job.

7 min read
After the Capture

Where Do Screenshots Go on Mac — and How to Change the Location

A searchable library instead of a folder — and files written only when you actually want one.

7 min read
After the Capture

How to Search Your Screenshots by What's Inside Them on Mac

Find a capture by a phrase that was in it, not by guessing at a timestamp.

7 min read
Recording

How to Record Your Screen on Mac

Six shapes, system audio as well as mic, and exports with a genuine alpha channel.

8 min read
Recording

How to Record a GIF on Mac

Straight to GIF, in any shape, with a genuinely transparent background.

7 min read
Automate

How to Automate Screenshots on Mac

Trigger, conditions, actions — set once, and captures start filing themselves.

8 min read
Troubleshooting

Mac Screenshot Not Working? 12 Fixes

Twelve fixes in order of likelihood — start at the top and stop when it works.

8 min read
Switching to Mac

The Windows Snipping Tool Equivalent We Propose

Every Snipping Tool habit, translated — and what Snip Studio does with it once you land.

7 min read