Screenshot Shortcut
Region screenshot: ⌘⇧4 on Mac, Win+Shift+S on Windows. Every capture shortcut, side by side.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capture selected region | ⌘⇧4 | Win+Shift+S | |
| Capture whole screen | ⌘⇧3 | PrtScn | |
| Capture a single window | ⌘⇧4 then Space | Alt+PrtScn | |
| Region to clipboard | ⌃⌘⇧4 | Win+Shift+S | |
| Whole screen to file | ⌘⇧3 | Win+PrtScn | |
| Open capture tool | ⌘⇧5 | Win+Shift+S | |
| Start screen recording | ⌘⇧5 | Win+Alt+R |
Region capture is the one to learn
On the Mac, ⌘⇧4 turns the cursor into a crosshair — drag to grab any region, and it saves to the desktop. Add ⌃ (⌃⌘⇧4) to copy it to the clipboard instead. On Windows, Win+Shift+S opens Snip & Sketch for the same crosshair capture, copied to the clipboard ready to paste.
Whole screen and windows
⌘⇧3 (Mac) or PrtScn (Windows) grabs everything. To capture just one window, use ⌘⇧4 then Space on the Mac, or Alt+PrtScn on Windows. Press Win+PrtScn to save a full-screen shot straight to the Pictures\Screenshots folder.
FAQ
What is the screenshot shortcut on Windows?
Press Win+Shift+S to capture a region to the clipboard, PrtScn for the whole screen, or Win+PrtScn to save a full-screen shot to Pictures\Screenshots.
How do I take a screenshot on a Mac?
Press ⌘⇧4 to drag-select a region, ⌘⇧3 for the whole screen, or ⌘⇧5 to open the capture toolbar with recording options. Add Control to copy to the clipboard.
How do I screenshot just one window?
On the Mac press ⌘⇧4 then Space and click the window. On Windows press Alt+PrtScn to copy the active window to the clipboard.