If you come from Windows, you will look for a Print Screen key on a MacBook in vain. A Mac does not have one. Instead you take a screenshot with a few fixed keyboard shortcuts, or with the Screenshot app built into macOS. Everything is below: the whole screen, part of it, a single window, straight to the clipboard, and where the files end up. It works on every MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, and on an iMac, Mac mini or Mac Studio too.
If a key on your keyboard no longer works, no shortcut will help. Blue Apple repairs MacBooks at Rijnstraat 76-H in Amsterdam, see MacBook repair in Amsterdam.
The three shortcuts to know
- Shift + Command + 3: the whole screen. Press the three keys together and the Mac immediately captures everything on the screen. With a second monitor you get a separate file for each screen.
- Shift + Command + 4: part of the screen. The pointer turns into a crosshair. Drag across the area you want and let go. Hold the Space bar while dragging to move the selection without changing its size. Press Esc to cancel.
- Shift + Command + 4, then the Space bar: one window or menu. The pointer turns into a camera. Click the window you want to capture. Hold Option while you click if you do not want the shadow around the window.
Shift + Command + 5: the Screenshot app
Shift + Command + 5 opens the Screenshot app. A bar appears at the bottom of the screen with buttons for the whole screen, a window or a selection, and for a screen recording: a video of your screen. You also find the same app in the Applications folder, under Utilities.
In the Options menu of that bar you set:
- Where the files are saved, for example the Documents folder, the clipboard or straight into Mail or Messages.
- A timer of a few seconds, handy when you want a menu open in the picture.
- The floating thumbnail, the small preview that stays in the bottom-right corner for a moment.
- Whether the mouse pointer appears in the picture.
From macOS Tahoe 26, on a Mac with an HDR display, you can also choose here between a standard picture (SDR, saved as PNG) and an HDR picture (saved as HEIF).
Straight to the clipboard, without a file
Want to paste the screenshot straight into an email, chat or document? Also hold Control: Control + Shift + Command + 3 or Control + Shift + Command + 4. No file is created, the picture is on the clipboard and you paste it with Command + V.
Where are your screenshots?
On your desktop by default. The file is called "Screenshot" followed by the date and time, for example Screenshot 2026-11-01 at 10.15.30.png. If you cannot see them on the desktop, check whether you chose another location in the Options menu of Shift + Command + 5. If you use iCloud for your desktop and documents, they are in iCloud Drive as well. You can always find them with Spotlight (Command + Space bar) by searching for screenshot.
Edit or share straight away
Click the floating thumbnail in the bottom-right corner and you can crop the picture, add arrows or text, or blank something out with the markup tools. You can also drag the thumbnail straight into an email or a folder. For more editing, open the file in Preview.
With a Windows keyboard, or when the shortcut does nothing
- A Windows keyboard on a Mac. The Windows key acts as Command. So use Shift + Windows key + 3 or 4. The Print Screen key itself does nothing on a Mac by default.
- Shortcuts changed or switched off? Look under System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Screenshots. You can switch them back on there or pick your own keys.
- A black area in the picture. Some apps, such as streaming services, block screenshots of protected video. That is on purpose and not a fault.
- Using another app? Third-party programs need permission to record the screen, under System Settings > Privacy & Security.
A MacBook with a Touch Bar
On a MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, Shift + Command + 6 captures the Touch Bar itself.
Do the keys themselves not work?
If Shift, Command or the 3 do not respond, not in other apps either, the problem is the keyboard and not macOS. Read MacBook keyboard not working for what you can try yourself, or see MacBook keyboard repair.
Common questions
How do I capture a whole web page?
A screenshot only captures what is on screen. For a whole page, use File > Export as PDF in Safari.
How do I record my screen as a video?
Press Shift + Command + 5 and choose one of the record buttons. Stop recording with the button in the menu bar.
Can I get JPG instead of PNG?
Yes, with a command in Terminal: defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg. To switch back later, use png instead of jpg.
Why do I no longer see a thumbnail in the corner?
The floating thumbnail is switched off in the Options menu of Shift + Command + 5. Switch it back on there.
In short
Shift + Command + 3 for the whole screen, Shift + Command + 4 for part of it, add the Space bar for a window, and Shift + Command + 5 for the app with all the options. Add Control to copy to the clipboard. The files land on your desktop. If something is wrong with the MacBook itself, see MacBook repair in Amsterdam or call 020 239 11 93.
