Snipping Tool for Mac: Every Snip Mode and Its Mac Shortcut

Macs don't include an app called Snipping Tool, but macOS has the same capture modes built in, plus a toolbar that works much like Snipping Tool's. This guide matches each Snipping Tool mode to its Mac shortcut, then covers the Shift-Command-5 toolbar for delays and video, copying a snip to the clipboard, marking it up, and copying text out of an image. The last two sections cover the gaps: freeform snips and long runs of repeated captures.

Short answer: Press Shift-Command-4 and drag to snip part of the screen. Press Shift-Command-4, then Space, to capture one window, or Shift-Command-3 for the whole screen. Shift-Command-5 opens the Screenshot toolbar, the closest match to Snipping Tool, with a timer and screen recording. Add Control to the Shift-Command-3 or Shift-Command-4 shortcut to copy the snip instead of saving a file.

Snipping Tool modes and their Mac equivalents

Every Snipping Tool mode except Freeform has a direct Mac counterpart:

Snipping Tool (Windows)	On a Mac	Notes
Rectangle	Shift-Command-4, then drag	Hold Space to move the selection
Window	Shift-Command-4, then Space	Click the window or menu
Full screen	Shift-Command-3	Captures everything on the screen
Freeform	No built-in equivalent	Snip a rectangle, then crop or mark it up
Video (Windows key + Shift + R)	Shift-Command-5, then a Record button	Stop from the menu bar
Capture bar (Windows key + Shift + S)	Shift-Command-5	Opens the Screenshot app
Delay	Shift-Command-5 > Options > Timer	Choose the delay before you capture
Copy to clipboard	Add Control to the shortcut	Paste with Command-V
Pen, shapes, crop	Markup from the floating thumbnail	Or open the file in Preview
Text actions	Live Text in Preview	Select text, then Copy Text
Screenshots folder	Desktop	Change it under Options > Save to

The sections below go through these one at a time, starting with the screenshot shortcut people use most.

Snip part of the screen

Shift-Command-4 is the Mac shortcut most people want when they look for Snipping Tool. It takes an area screenshot, the same result as Snipping Tool's Rectangle mode:

1. Press Shift-Command-4. The pointer turns into a crosshair.
2. Drag across the part of the screen you want.
3. Release the mouse or trackpad button to take the screenshot.

To move the selection while you drag, hold the Space bar. To cancel, press Esc.

The screenshot saves to your desktop. If a thumbnail appears in the corner of the screen, you can click it to edit the snip before it saves.

Capture a window or menu

Snipping Tool's Window mode has a Mac counterpart too. For a window capture:

1. Open the window or menu you want.
2. Press Shift-Command-4, then press the Space bar. The pointer changes to a camera icon.
3. Click the window or menu.

macOS includes the window's shadow by default. To leave it out, hold Option while you click. Some apps don't allow screenshots of their windows.

Capture the full screen

Press Shift-Command-3 to capture everything on the screen, the same as Snipping Tool's Full screen mode. Like the other shortcuts, it saves to the desktop unless you click the thumbnail to edit it first.

Open the Screenshot toolbar with Shift-Command-5

Windows key + Shift + S brings up Snipping Tool's capture bar. On a Mac, Shift-Command-5 opens the Screenshot app, which shows a similar toolbar. You can also open Screenshot from the Utilities folder inside Applications.

On macOS Tahoe 26 and later, the toolbar has six buttons:

• Capture Entire Screen
• Capture Selected Window
• Capture Selected Portion
• Record Entire Screen
• Record Selected Window
• Record Selected Portion

Earlier versions of macOS don't have Record Selected Window, so they show five.

Pick a button, adjust the selection if there is one, then click Capture or Record. The Options menu next to them holds the settings below.

Set a delay before the capture

Snipping Tool can wait a few seconds before it snips, so you have time to open a menu or hover over something. The Mac's screenshot timer sits in the same toolbar: click Options, choose a delay under Timer, then start the capture. It helps with tooltips and hover states that disappear as soon as you press a key.

Record a video snip

To record the screen instead of capturing a still image:

1. Press Shift-Command-5 and click Record Entire Screen, Record Selected Window, or Record Selected Portion.
2. Under Options, choose a microphone if you want sound, and turn on Show Mouse Clicks if viewers should see where you click.
3. Click Record.
4. To stop, click the Stop Recording button in the menu bar.

The recording saves to the same place as your screenshots. Click its thumbnail if you want to trim it first.

Choose where screenshots are saved

Snipping Tool saves snips to a Screenshots folder. A Mac saves them to the desktop by default. To change that, press Shift-Command-5, click Options, and choose a location under Save to.

Copy a snip to the clipboard

To paste a snip into a chat or document without saving a file, add Control to the shortcut:

• Control-Shift-Command-4: copy part of the screen
• Control-Shift-Command-4, then Space: copy a window
• Control-Shift-Command-3: copy the whole screen

Then paste with Command-V. If you already took the screenshot, Control-click its thumbnail and choose Save to Clipboard.

Mark up, crop, or share a snip

Snipping Tool's editor has a pen, a highlighter, shapes, and crop. On a Mac, the floating thumbnail does that job:

1. Take a screenshot, then click the thumbnail that appears in the corner of the screen.
2. Use the Markup tools to draw, add shapes or text, and crop.
3. Click Done to save, or use the Share button to send it.

If no thumbnail appears, turn on Show Floating Thumbnail under Shift-Command-5 > Options, or open the file in Preview and use its Markup toolbar. For arrows, numbered steps, and callouts in how-to images, see how to annotate screenshots for clear instructions.

Copy text from a screenshot

Snipping Tool's text actions copy text out of a snip. The Mac equivalent is Live Text in Preview:

1. Open the screenshot in Preview.
2. Drag across the text to select it. If the text doesn't select, choose Tools > Text Selection first.
3. Control-click the selection and choose Copy Text.

Live Text isn't available in every region or language, so test it on one screenshot before you rely on it.

What the Mac doesn't match

A few Snipping Tool habits don't carry over:

• Freeform snips. The built-in tools capture rectangles, windows, and full screens. Snip a rectangle around the shape, then crop it or mark it up.
• Protected windows. Some apps don't allow screenshots of their windows.
• Repeated snips. Neither Snipping Tool nor the Mac shortcuts repeat a capture on their own. Every snip takes one press.

If you need features beyond these, our comparison of built-in and third-party Mac screenshot apps covers the dedicated options.

When you need dozens of snips in a row

One press per snip is fine for a few images. It gets tedious when you need the same capture over and over: a dashboard every minute, each page of a long document you're allowed to save, or a record of a design session. macOS can repeat a capture with the screencapture command in Terminal, and our guide to automating screenshots on Mac with built-in tools walks through that.

If you'd rather not write a script, Shotomatic's Auto Capture handles the repetition on a Mac. Choose a screen, window, or custom area, set the interval, and decide when to stop: after a number of captures, after a set time, or at an end time. You can add a keypress to turn pages in material you're allowed to capture. The captures stay on your Mac in Capture History, where you can check the sequence and export it as images, a ZIP file, a searchable PDF, or an MP4.

For click-by-click instructions rather than repeated captures, our Steps Recorder alternative guide compares tools that turn clicks into steps. If you already have a folder of screenshots, combine them into one PDF free in your browser.

FAQ

Is there a Snipping Tool for Mac?

Not under that name. macOS has the same capture modes built in: Shift-Command-4 for part of the screen, Shift-Command-4 then Space for a window, Shift-Command-3 for the full screen, and Shift-Command-5 for a toolbar with a timer and screen recording.

What is the Snipping Tool shortcut on a Mac?

Shift-Command-4 is the closest match to Windows key + Shift + S for snipping an area. Press Shift-Command-5 instead if you want a toolbar to choose the mode first.

How do I copy a snip to the clipboard on a Mac?

Hold Control while you take the screenshot, for example Control-Shift-Command-4, then paste it with Command-V.

Can a Mac take a freeform snip?

Not with the built-in tools. Capture a rectangle around the area, then crop or mark it up from the thumbnail or in Preview.

Where do screenshots go on a Mac?

To the desktop by default. Press Shift-Command-5, click Options, and choose another location under Save to.