> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://snagitpro.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to Snip on Mac: The Snipping Tool Equivalent for Every Mode - URL: https://snagitpro.com/how-to-snip-on-mac/ - Published: 2026-10-05T05:34:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-05T05:33:59.000Z - Description: Shift-Command-4 is the Mac snip, and Control-Shift-Command-4 copies it for pasting. Here's where freeform, delay, video, text actions and the rest of Snipping Tool went. - Author: Adrian Foster - Tags: Guides, Mac, Captures To snip on a Mac, press Shift-Command-4 and drag across the part of the screen you want. When you let go, the snip is saved to your desktop as a PNG file. If you'd rather paste it straight into an email or a chat without making a file, add Control: press Control-Shift-Command-4, drag, then press Command-V wherever you want it. There's no app called Snipping Tool on a Mac. What Windows keeps in one app, macOS splits between three places: the screenshot shortcuts, a small app called Screenshot that opens with Shift-Command-5, and Preview, which does the editing. Once you know where each piece went, almost everything you used in Snipping Tool has a Mac equivalent, including the two that people assume are missing: freeform snips and copying text out of a capture. ## Snipping Tool on Windows vs. Mac: what replaces each feature Microsoft's guide to [using Snipping Tool to capture screenshots](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/use-snipping-tool-to-capture-screenshots?ref=snagitpro.com) lists five snip modes (Freeform, Rectangle, Window, Full screen and Video snip), a 1 to 5 second delay, automatic saving to a Screenshots folder, and Text actions for copying or redacting text. Here's where each one lives on a Mac. | In Snipping Tool | On a Mac | Worth knowing | | ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | | Rectangle snip | Shift-Command-4, then drag | Esc cancels; hold Space while dragging to move the box | | Window snip | Shift-Command-4, press Space, click the window | Hold Option as you click to leave out the window's shadow | | Full screen snip, or the PrtSc key | Shift-Command-3 | Apple lists it as the Mac counterpart of Print Screen | | Freeform snip | Snip a rectangle, then cut the shape out with Lasso Selection in Preview | macOS has no freeform capture mode | | Video snip (Windows logo key + Shift + R) | Shift-Command-5, then a record tool | Stop from the menu bar; recordings are .mov files | | Delay 1 to 5 seconds | Shift-Command-5, then Options > Timer | Pick the wait under Timer before you capture | | Copy the snip to paste somewhere (Ctrl+C) | Add Control to any shortcut, such as Control-Shift-Command-4 | Paste with Command-V; no file is saved | | Auto-save to the Screenshots folder | Saves to the desktop | Change it in Shift-Command-5 > Options > Save to | | Editing window: pen, highlighter, crop | Click the thumbnail that appears after a capture, or open the file in Preview | Both use Markup tools | | Text actions: copy text | Live Text in Preview: select the text, Control-click, Copy Text | Not available in every region or language | | Text actions: Quick redact | No automatic redaction; cover details with a filled shape in Preview | Save before sharing so the cover can't be moved | | New snip in the same mode (Alt+N) | Remember Last Selection in Shift-Command-5 > Options | Keeps your last area ready for the next capture | ![Two-column chart, Snipping Tool on the left and On a Mac on the right: Rectangle to Shift-Command-4, drag; Window to Shift-Command-4, then Space; Full screen to Shift-Command-3; Freeform to Lasso Selection in Preview; Video snip to Shift-Command-5, Record; Delay to Shift-Command-5, Options, Timer; Copy to paste to Add Control, then Command-V; Text actions to Live Text in Preview](https://storage.ghost.io/c/32/ae/32ae67dc-03a1-4a24-abcb-b731d79fd904/content/images/2026/10/snip-on-mac-map.webp) Most of Snipping Tool maps to three Mac shortcuts; freeform and text tools move to Preview. ## Snip a rectangle, a window or the whole screen These three shortcuts cover most of what people used Snipping Tool for. Apple's article on [taking a screenshot on Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102646?ref=snagitpro.com) describes each one. - **A selected area.** Press Shift-Command-4\. The pointer turns into a crosshair; drag over the area and release to take the snip. Press Esc to cancel, or hold the Space bar while dragging to move the box without changing its size. - **A window or a menu.** Press Shift-Command-4, then press and release the Space bar. The pointer changes to a camera icon, and whatever window or menu sits under it is highlighted. Click to capture it. Holding Option while you click leaves out the window's shadow, which is handy when the snip is going into a document. - **The whole screen.** Press Shift-Command-3. After each one, a thumbnail may appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen for a few seconds. You can ignore it and the file saves on its own, or click it to edit first. ## How to snip and paste on a Mac without saving a file If your Windows habit is to snip, then paste straight into Teams, Slack or an email, Control is the key to learn on a Mac. It turns a screenshot into a copy. Apple's rule is simple: press Control in addition to the other keys, and the capture goes to the Clipboard instead of your desktop. 1. Press Control-Shift-Command-4 and drag over the area. For a window, press Control-Shift-Command-4, then Space, then click. For the whole screen, press Control-Shift-Command-3. 2. Click where you want the image: a message box, an email, a document. 3. Press Command-V. Apple's list of [Mac keyboard shortcuts](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102650?ref=snagitpro.com) describes Command-V as pasting the Clipboard contents into the current document or app. Forgot the Control key? You don't have to snip again. While the thumbnail is still showing, Control-click it and choose Save to Clipboard, or drag the thumbnail directly into a document, an email, a note or a Finder window. There's one more way that suits people who liked Snipping Tool's editing window. In Preview, choose File > Take Screenshot, then From Selection, From Window or From Entire Screen. Apple's guide to [taking a picture of your screen in Preview](https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/take-a-picture-of-your-screen-prvw1092/mac?ref=snagitpro.com) says the capture opens as an unsaved image named "Untitled," so you can mark it up before deciding whether to save it at all. ## Delay and video snips: use the Screenshot app The closest thing to the Snipping Tool window on a Mac is the Screenshot app, available in macOS Mojave 10.14 and later. Press Shift-Command-5 to open its toolbar, or find Screenshot in the Utilities folder inside Applications. The toolbar has three capture tools (entire screen, a window, a selected portion) and three matching record tools. Click Options in the toolbar and you'll find the settings that Snipping Tool kept in its own menus. Apple's Mac User Guide on [screenshots and screen recordings](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/take-a-screenshot-mh26782/mac?ref=snagitpro.com) goes through each one: - **Timer** sets how long to wait before the capture starts. It's the Mac version of Snipping Tool's delay, useful when you need a moment to open something or move the pointer into place before the capture. - **Save to** chooses where files go, including a folder of your own through Other Location. - **Show Floating Thumbnail** turns that corner preview on or off. - **Remember Last Selection** keeps the area you selected last time ready for the next capture, which is the nearest thing to Snipping Tool's "new snip in the same mode." - **Show Mouse Pointer** includes or hides the pointer. - **Microphone** appears for recordings if you want to talk over the video. To record, the replacement for a video snip, choose one of the record tools, set the area if needed, and click Record. When you're done, click the stop button in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Recordings are saved as .mov files. ## Freeform snips on a Mac macOS doesn't have a freeform capture mode. None of Apple's documented shortcuts or Screenshot tools let you draw a loose shape on the screen. You can still end up with the same result in Preview, because its Markup toolbar includes Lasso Selection, which Apple's guide to [annotating an image in Preview](https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/annotate-an-image-prvw1501/mac?ref=snagitpro.com) describes as a way to select an irregular area of an image to copy or delete. 1. Press Control-Shift-Command-4 and drag a rectangle around the thing you want. 2. Open Preview and choose File > New from Clipboard. 3. Show the Markup toolbar, open the selection tools and choose Lasso Selection. Smart Lasso works too: as Apple's page on [extracting part of an image in Preview](https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/remove-a-background-or-extract-an-image-prvw15636/mac?ref=snagitpro.com) explains, you trace the edge and keep it inside the thick border that appears while you drag. 4. Trace around the shape, choose Edit > Copy, and paste it where you need it. It's an extra step compared with Windows, but you get to adjust the outline after the capture instead of getting it right in one stroke. ## Edit, crop and mark up a snip Clicking the thumbnail after a capture opens a window where you can mark up the screenshot and share it. Apple's page on [marking up files on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mark-up-files-mchl1fd88863/mac?ref=snagitpro.com) covers the tools, which vary by file type. For a screenshot, Crop is the one most people want: drag the corner handles until only the part to keep is inside the frame, then click Crop. For anything longer than a quick crop or arrow, I'd open the file in Preview instead. Its Markup toolbar adds shapes, highlights, a zoom lens, text boxes and color adjustments. One catch: Apple says that if you annotate an image file, you can't edit, move or delete those annotations after you save it. If you think you'll need to change them later, keep an untouched copy first. That permanence is useful when you need Snipping Tool's Quick redact. macOS doesn't detect email addresses or phone numbers for you, so draw a rectangle with Shapes, give it a solid Fill Color, place it over the detail, and save before you send the image. My guide to [redacting personal information from a screenshot](https://snagitpro.com/redact-personal-information-screenshot/) goes through what to look for before you share. ## Copy text from a snip Some guides say the Mac's built-in tools can't read text from screenshots. Preview can, through Live Text. Apple's guide to [using Live Text in Preview](https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/interact-with-text-in-a-photo-prvw625a5b2c/mac?ref=snagitpro.com) gives the steps: 1. Open the screenshot in Preview. 2. Drag across the text you want, Control-click the selection, and choose Copy Text. 3. Paste it wherever you need it with Command-V. If dragging selects nothing, choose Tools > Text Selection to turn the text tool on. Live Text isn't available in every region or language, which is one reason the option may not appear. There's no one-click "Copy all text" button like Snipping Tool's; you select the text you want. ## Where do snips go on a Mac? Snips taken with the keyboard shortcuts are saved to the desktop as PNG files. Apple's Mac User Guide says the filenames begin with "Screenshot" and include the date and time, and screen recordings begin with "Screen Recording." Apple's own support article still writes the name as "Screen Shot \[date\] at \[time\]," so if a search for one spelling finds nothing, try the other. On supported Mac models running macOS Tahoe 26 or later, the Screenshot app also has a Capture Format option. SDR (Most Compatible) saves PNG files, while HDR saves HEIF files that need an HDR display to look any different. To send snips somewhere other than the desktop, press Shift-Command-5, click Options, and pick a location under Save to, or choose Other Location and select a folder. Apple calls this the default save location, so your shortcut captures follow it too. If a snip seems to have vanished, my guide to [where screenshots go on Mac](https://snagitpro.com/where-do-screenshots-go-on-mac/) covers every save location, including the Clipboard. ## Keep your Windows habits: shortcuts, keyboards and F11 ### Can I make Windows logo key + Shift + S work on a Mac? You can change the screenshot shortcuts in System Settings: open Keyboard, click Keyboard Shortcuts, then click Screenshots in the sidebar. Be careful with the obvious choice, though. On a Mac, Shift-Command-S opens Save As or duplicates the current document, and on a Windows keyboard the Windows logo key can stand in for Command, so Windows logo key + Shift + S can land on that shortcut. I'd pick a combination that your apps don't already use, or simply get used to Shift-Command-4\. If you still switch between a PC and a Mac every day, my [Snipping Tool keyboard shortcut reference](https://snagitpro.com/snipping-tool-keyboard-shortcuts/) covers the Windows side. ### How to snip on a Mac with a Windows keyboard Apple's shortcut page says that on keyboards made for Windows PCs, you press Alt instead of Option, and Ctrl or the Windows logo key instead of Command. So Shift-Command-4 becomes Shift plus that Command key plus 4\. If the shortcut doesn't respond, you can change which physical key does what: in Keyboard settings, click Keyboard Shortcuts, then [Modifier Keys](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-the-behavior-of-the-modifier-keys-mchlp1011/mac?ref=snagitpro.com), and set each key's action from its pop-up menu. What about the Print Screen key? Apple's table of [Windows keys and their Mac equivalents](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/windows-keys-on-a-mac-keyboard-cpmh0152/mac?ref=snagitpro.com) maps it to shortcuts rather than to a key. It lists Shift-Command-3 and Shift-Command-4 as the way to do what Print Screen does on a PC. ### How do I use F11 on a Mac? On a Mac, F11 doesn't make a window full screen. By default, Apple's guide to [keyboard function keys](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-keyboard-function-keys-mchlp2596/mac?ref=snagitpro.com) says the top-row keys control system features, and you hold Fn or the Globe key to use them as shortcuts; Fn-F11, for example, shows the desktop. If you'd rather have plain F1, F2 and so on, open Keyboard settings, click Keyboard Shortcuts, then Function Keys, and turn on "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys." To make an app full screen before a snip, use Control-Command-F, which Apple lists as the shortcut for entering or leaving full screen in apps that support it. ## When the built-in tools aren't enough The Mac's tools cover single snips well, but there are gaps worth knowing about before you go looking for an app. - **Scrolling captures.** Scrolling capture isn't among the Screenshot app's documented options, so a long web page or chat needs another method. My guide to [taking a scrolling screenshot on Mac](https://snagitpro.com/scrolling-screenshot-mac/) compares the ways to do it. - **Protected windows.** Apple notes that some apps, such as the Apple TV app and DVD Player, might not let you capture their windows. That's the app's choice, not a broken shortcut. - **The App Store app called Snip.** It shows up in search results for this exact question, but its [App Store listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/snip/id512505421?mt=12&ref=snagitpro.com) shows a version history that ends in November 2012, a requirement of macOS 10.6.8 or later, and no privacy details from the developer. I wouldn't install an app that hasn't been updated in that long just to get a familiar name. If you want a Snipping Tool-style editor with more on top, such as scrolling capture or a library of past captures, my roundup of [the best screenshot software for Mac](https://snagitpro.com/best-screenshot-software-mac/) compares the options, free and paid.