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.
On Windows the dedicated key is covered in detail in the Print Screen (PrtScn) guide.
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.