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To capture only part of your Mac screen, press and release Shift-Command-4, drag the crosshair over the area you want, then release. Press Esc to cancel, or hold Space while dragging to move the selection without changing its size. For more controls, including a timer and save location, press Shift-Command-5 and choose the portion-of-screen capture tool. Apple Support
Capture a selected area with the keyboard shortcut
- Move the pointer to a corner of the area you want to capture.
- Press and release Shift-Command-4. The pointer changes to a crosshair.
- Click and drag across the area. The selection rectangle shows what will be captured.
- Release the mouse or trackpad button to take the screenshot.
The screenshot is saved according to your Screenshot settings. Apple documents the desktop as the default destination for shortcut screenshots, and the Mac User Guide describes PNG output. You can change the destination in Screenshot’s Options menu. Apple Mac User Guide
Adjust or cancel the selection before capture
- Move the rectangle: Keep the mouse or trackpad button held down, hold Space, and drag. The selection moves without changing its dimensions.
- Cancel: Press Esc before releasing the selection.
- Hand off the result: If a floating thumbnail appears, click it to edit the capture, or drag it into another document or folder.
Apple describes the selection gesture as clicking and holding the mouse or trackpad button while dragging the crosshair. The capture occurs when you release the button. Apple Support
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Copy a partial screenshot instead of saving it
To put the selected area on the clipboard, hold Control as you invoke the capture shortcut: press Control-Shift-Command-4, select the rectangle, then release. This changes the output handling from a saved screenshot to a clipboard copy, which you can paste into a document or app.
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If you use the regular shortcut without Control, the screenshot follows the configured save destination. The destination can be changed through Screenshot’s Options menu. Apple Mac User Guide
Use Screenshot for a timer, save location, or repeat capture
For a visual control panel, press Shift-Command-5, then choose the tool for capturing a portion of the screen. Its Options menu provides controls that the quick shortcut does not expose as directly:
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- Timer: Set a delay before capture when you need time to prepare the screen.
- Save location: Choose where screenshots are stored rather than using the default destination.
- Floating thumbnail: Control whether a thumbnail appears after the capture, for editing or quick handoff.
- Pointer and clicks: Set whether the pointer is visible and whether clicks are shown.
- Remember Last Selection: Retain the previous selection for repeated captures of the same screen region.
This panel is useful when you are taking a series of captures, need to include a pointer or click, or want to avoid changing the same setting each time. For a single quick rectangle, the keyboard shortcut is the shorter path. Apple Mac User Guide
Choose the right capture method
| Need | Method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One quick rectangular capture | Shift-Command-4 | It starts the crosshair selection directly. |
| A timer or more capture settings | Shift-Command-5 | The control panel exposes timer, destination, thumbnail, pointer/click, and selection-memory options. |
| Paste the capture elsewhere | Control-Shift-Command-4 | The Control modifier copies the selected area to the clipboard. |
| Capture the same region repeatedly | Shift-Command-5 with Remember Last Selection | The setting retains the previous selection. |
Troubleshoot a selected-area screenshot
The crosshair does not appear
Make sure you press and release the shortcut rather than continuing to hold the keys. If you want the visual controls instead, open the Screenshot panel with Shift-Command-5 and choose the portion-of-screen capture tool.
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The rectangle is in the wrong place or the wrong size
Before releasing the button, drag the crosshair to refine the rectangle. If its size is right but its position is wrong, hold Space while dragging to reposition it. If the selection is not usable, press Esc to cancel and begin again.
The screenshot went somewhere unexpected
Check the save destination in Screenshot’s Options menu. Shortcut captures use the desktop by default according to Apple’s documentation, but the Screenshot controls can change the destination. A capture made with the Control modifier is copied to the clipboard instead of being saved as a regular file. Apple Mac User Guide
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A floating thumbnail appeared
The thumbnail can be used to edit the capture, or dragged into another document or folder for a quick handoff. If you do not want that workflow, adjust the floating-thumbnail option in Screenshot’s Options menu.
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A protected app window will not capture normally
Apple notes that some apps, including Apple TV or DVD Player, may restrict window screenshots. That is an app limitation; it does not change how you select a screen area. Apple Support
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ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server, not a tool for capturing a local Mac desktop. If what you need is a screenshot of a web page, one GET request can return an image or PDF. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for parameters and response details.
Quick Recap
cURL example:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython example:
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js example:
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers report the page verdict and billing status. An MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, or another MCP client. The free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Every feature is on every plan. Learn more at ScreenshotNeo, or sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month with no card.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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