Need to save what’s displayed on your computer screen? On a PC you use the Print Screen key to take a screenshot, while on a Mac you need to press several keys at the same time to do so. Learn at a glance how to take a screenshot on a Mac computer or an Apple MacBook laptop.
Keyboard shortcuts for taking screenshots
Simply use the correct combination of keys to take a picture of the entire screen, part of the screen, window, or menu.
Take a screenshot of the entire screen
Simultaneously press:
SHIFT + COMMAND + 3
Take a screenshot of part of the screen
Simultaneously press:
SHIFT + COMMAND + 4
A cross cursor is displayed. Drag to select the area you want to capture, then release the mouse button to take a screenshot.
Want to start over or cancel the screenshot? Press the Escape (ESC) key.
Take a screenshot of a window or menu
Open the window you want to capture. Simultaneously press:
SHIFT + COMMAND + 4 + SPACE BAR
When you release the space bar, the cursor changes to a camera. Click once to take a screenshot of the window.
Pro tip
Want to change these keyboard shortcuts? You can do that in the keyboard settings. Go to the Apple Menu > System Settings > Keyboard, then select Shortcuts and Screenshots.
For more information, see Take a screenshot on Mac on the Apple Help page.
Where are screenshots saved?
Screenshots are saved on your desktop in PNG format. They are named in a similar way by default: “Screen Shot [Date] at [Time].png.”
Just want to copy the screenshot, not keep it on your desktop? To save the screenshot to the clipboard, press the Control key with the chosen combination. For example:
SHIFT + COMMAND + 3 + CTRL
or
SHIFT + COMMAND + 4 + CTRL
You can also quickly navigate to the image by clicking on the thumbnail that appears in the corner of the screen right after you take a screenshot, then drag and drop it where you want.
Need more advanced features?
The Screenshot tool, built into a number of Mac devices, offers a variety of more advanced features for taking screenshots. For example, you can take a delayed screenshot using a timer, record a video from your screen, and even use the microphone while recording.
To launch the Screenshot tool, simultaneously press:
SHIFT + COMMAND + 5
Learn more about the Screenshot tool on Mac.
A key tool
Screenshots are useful when you need to show exactly what’s happening on your computer. They’re especially helpful if you want to show steps to take or get troubleshooting help, for example. Feel free to explore this feature!
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Publié 03-28-2025
Version 1.0
