This article details several methods for taking screenshots on Macintosh systems. I go in pretty great detail about all of the different options available to you, so if you're in a hurry to get started, feel free to jump directly to the part where I go over [[#Copying a Screenshot of a Selected Portion of the Screen to the Clipboard|my favorite approach]]. If you are on Windows you can use the [Snipping tool](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/use-snipping-tool-to-capture-screenshots-00246869-1843-655f-f220-97299b865f6b). # Taking a Screenshot of the Entire Screen The shortcut for capturing a screenshot of the entire screen on a Mac is **Cmd + Shift + 3**. This saves the screenshot directly to your Desktop folder. Additionally, you'll see a thumbnail of the image appear momentarily at the edge of your screen, which provides an opportunity to click on it for immediate editing or sharing, or to drag it into a document or other application. ![[Taking Screenshot of Entire Screen.mov]] # Copying a Screenshot of the Entire Screen to the Clipboard If you're looking to avoid cluttering your desktop with temporary screenshots, you can opt to copy screenshots directly to the clipboard instead. This method is great if you need to paste the image right away, which is what I’m doing now. It streamlines the process, allowing you to quickly move the image to its destination with a simple paste action. However, keep in mind you won't be able to drag the image around like a traditional screenshot. This is because the screen capture isn't saved to your file system but is instead stored on the clipboard, so you'll need to paste it somewhere immediately after using this shortcut. To do this, use the shortcut **Control + Command + Shift + 3**. This is very similar to the regular screenshot shortcut for capturing the entire screen, but it includes an extra "control" key press to direct the capture to the clipboard. ![[Copying a Screenshot of Entire Screen to Clipboard.mov]] # Taking a Screenshot of a Selected Portion of the Screen I seldom need to capture the entire screen in a screenshot. Instead, I prefer to capture a specific portion of the screen, allowing me to share just that section. To avoid editing in an image editing software, I aim to capture it correctly from the start, much like the Snip tool in Windows. On a Mac, you can achieve this by pressing **Command + Shift + 4**, which turns your mouse cursor into a crosshair. Then, simply click and drag to select the desired area for the screenshot. Once you release the mouse, the screenshot will appear as an image on your desktop. ![[Taking a Screenshot of the Selected Portion of the Screen.mov]] # Copying a Screenshot of a Selected Portion of the Screen to the Clipboard My preferred workflow involves taking a screenshot of a specific area and copying it directly to the clipboard. This prevents cluttering my file system with extra files, as I usually just intend to paste the image somewhere immediately. I used the **Control + Command + Shift + 4** shortcut. ![[Coping a Screenshot of a Selected Portion of the Screen to the Clipboard.mov]]