How to screenshot on a MacBook (Air and Pro)
Short answer: Every MacBook, Air or Pro, uses the same keys: ⇧⌘3 for the whole screen, ⇧⌘4 to drag over part of it, ⇧⌘4 then Space for one window, and ⇧⌘5 for the Screenshot app (macOS Mojave 10.14 or later). A MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar adds ⇧⌘6 to capture the Touch Bar. Screenshots are saved to the desktop.
These steps describe every MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with macOS 27 Golden Gate or an earlier version; ⇧⌘5 needs macOS Mojave 10.14 or later. Checked on 2026-10-10 against Apple’s support pages published 2026-09-14.
Which keys on which MacBook
| Your MacBook or keyboard | Whole screen | Part of the screen | One window | Touch Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar | ⇧⌘3 | ⇧⌘4 | ⇧⌘4, then Space | not available |
| MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar | ⇧⌘3 | ⇧⌘4 | ⇧⌘4, then Space | ⇧⌘6 |
| An Apple keyboard connected to the MacBook | ⇧⌘3 | ⇧⌘4 | ⇧⌘4, then Space | not on the keyboard |
| A Windows keyboard connected to the MacBook | Shift + Windows logo key or Ctrl + 3 | the same with 4 | the same with 4, then Space | not on the keyboard |
Checked on 2026-10-10. Sources below.
The Screenshot app, ⇧⌘5, works the same on every model with macOS Mojave 10.14 or later. Add ⌃ to any of the shortcuts above, as in ⌃⇧⌘4, to copy the screenshot to the clipboard instead of saving a file.
Method 1: The whole screen
- Press and release ⇧⌘3.
- A thumbnail appears in the corner of the screen. Click it to mark up the screenshot, or wait and it is saved to the desktop.
Method 2: Part of the screen
- Press ⇧⌘4. The pointer turns into a crosshair.
- On the trackpad, press and drag over the area you want. Hold Space while you drag to move the selection.
- Release to take the screenshot, or press Esc to cancel.
Method 3: One window
- Press ⇧⌘4, then press Space. The pointer becomes a camera.
- Click the window. Hold ⌥ while you click to leave out the window’s shadow.
Method 4: The Touch Bar (MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar)
- Show what you want on the Touch Bar.
- Press ⇧⌘6. The image of the Touch Bar is saved to the desktop.
To choose which buttons the Touch Bar shows, open System Settings → Keyboard → Touch Bar Settings and click Customize Control Strip. On macOS 27 Golden Gate or later with Siri AI (Beta) turned on, Apple also lists ⇧⌘6 as the shortcut to ask Siri about a selected area of the screen.
Method 5: The Screenshot app
- Press ⇧⌘5.
- Choose the whole screen, a window or a portion. Click Options for a timer, the save place, the floating thumbnail and the pointer.
- Click Capture. The same toolbar records the screen; see how to screen record on a Mac.
On an external keyboard
- An Apple keyboard: the same shortcuts as the MacBook’s own keyboard.
- A Windows keyboard: Apple says to press Ctrl or the Windows logo key where a Mac shortcut uses ⌘, and Alt where it uses ⌥. Apple’s page on Windows keys lists ⇧⌘3 and ⇧⌘4 as the Mac’s Print Screen; see how to print screen on a Mac.
The Screen2Shot way: one key on any MacBook
Screen2Shot puts area capture, markup and copy on one shortcut. It is free for screenshots, with a thin Screen2Shot strip at the bottom of free exports that PRO removes, and needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later on Apple silicon, which covers MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon.
- Press ⇧⌘9 and drag over an area on any display. The size in pixels shows beside the selection.
- Mark it up in place: pen, marker, arrow, rectangle and text, in 5 colours.
- Press ⌘C or Return to copy. ⌘S saves a PNG instead.
If ⇧⌘9 is awkward on a laptop keyboard, choose ⌃⇧9, ⌃⇧S or ⇧⌘2 in the Screen2Shot menu → Shortcut. See Screen2Shot for screenshots and pricing.
Troubleshooting
- Nothing happens on ⇧⌘6. The MacBook has no Touch Bar, or on macOS 27 with Siri AI turned on the keys ask Siri instead.
- The screenshot is not on the desktop. You held ⌃, so it is on the clipboard; paste with ⌘V. Or Save to in ⇧⌘5 → Options points to another folder.
- A shortcut does nothing. Check System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Screenshots; the keys may have been changed or turned off. See how to change the screenshot shortcut.