Screenshots on a Mac: better than Print Screen
There's no Print Screen key on a Mac — and you won't miss it. The built-in tools are quick, precise, and better than what you're used to.
On Windows you reached for Print Screen, or Win + Shift + S for the Snipping Tool. The Mac has no Print Screen key, but its built-in capture is faster and more precise once you know the three shortcuts.
The whole screen
⌘+⇧+3Captures everything and drops a .png on your Desktop. A small thumbnail appears in the corner for a few seconds — click it to mark it up, or ignore it and it saves itself.
Just part of the screen
⌘+⇧+4This is the one you'll use most. Your cursor becomes a crosshair; drag a box over what you want and release. This is the Mac's answer to the Snipping Tool.
A single window, cleanly
⌘+⇧+4thenSpacePress the shortcut, then tap the Space bar — the crosshair turns into a camera. Click any window to capture it on its own, with a tidy drop shadow.
The one trick worth memorizing
By default, screenshots save as files to your Desktop. To copy a screenshot straight to the clipboard instead — so you can paste it into a message or doc — hold Control as well:
⌃+⌘+⇧+4Want the full toolbar — including screen recording, a timer, and a setting to change where shots are saved? Press ⌘+⇧+5.
That's the whole system. No extra apps, no Print Screen, and far less cropping than you're used to.