How to Use the Snipping Tool on Mac

A Mac has no app called Snipping Tool, but it has the same thing built in. Press Command + Shift + 4 to capture an area, Command + Shift + 5 to open the capture toolbar, or Command + Shift + 3 to capture the whole screen.

People who move from Windows often look for the Snipping Tool. On a Mac, screen capture is part of the system and starts with a keyboard shortcut.

The built-in macOS shortcuts

1. Command + Shift + 4 (area): the cursor turns into a crosshair. Click and drag over the part of the screen you want. Press Spacebar first to capture a whole window instead. The picture is saved to your Desktop.
2. Command + Shift + 5 (toolbar): opens a small toolbar where you choose to capture the whole screen, a window or an area, or to record the screen. Its Options menu lets you change where files are saved.
3. Command + Shift + 3 (full screen): captures everything on your screen at once.

Copy a screenshot instead of saving a file

By default, screenshots land on your Desktop as files. To copy the picture to the clipboard instead, add the Control key to the shortcut:

• Command + Control + Shift + 4: captures an area and copies it, ready to paste into a message, document or email.

What the built-in tools do not do

• They do not copy the text out of a picture. You would have to retype it or use another app.
• Hiding private details means editing the picture afterwards, for example in Preview.

Using Tegaro Screenshots

Tegaro Screenshots is one of ten tools in the Tegaro menu-bar icon. It uses these shortcuts:

• ⌘⇧2: capture an area or a window.
• ⌘⇧1: capture the full screen.
• ⌃⌥T: copy text from anywhere on your screen.

Screenshots needs Tegaro Pro after the 14-day trial. Tegaro needs no account.

Frequently Asked Questions