How to Take a Screenshot on MacBook Pro

Screenshots on MacBook Pro: what’s different from other Macs

The core screenshot shortcuts are the same on every Mac. What makes MacBook Pro unique is the hardware: some models have a Touch Bar instead of function keys, newer models have a notch in the display, and the Retina screens produce much larger image files than you might expect. This guide covers every MacBook Pro generation — from 2016 Touch Bar models through the 2025 M4 Max — so you know exactly what to press and what to expect.

Method 1: Capture the entire screen

Press Cmd+Shift+3 to capture everything visible on your MacBook Pro display. The screen flashes, a thumbnail appears in the bottom-right corner, and the screenshot saves to your Desktop as a PNG file.

What happens with the notch

On MacBook Pro models with a display notch (2021 14" and 16", 2023 M2 Pro/Max, 2024 M3/M4 Pro/Max, and 2025 M4 Max), full-screen screenshots do not show a notch cutout. macOS fills the notch area with a solid black bar, producing a clean rectangle. Your screenshot dimensions include the full display resolution — the notch area is part of the menu bar region.

MacBook Pro screen resolutions

Your screenshot dimensions depend on which MacBook Pro model you have. macOS captures at the full Retina resolution (2x the display’s logical resolution):

These resolutions are 2x what you see on screen. A 14" MacBook Pro screenshot at 3024×1964 pixels is a 3–6 MB PNG file. If you need smaller images for Slack, documentation, or the web, you’ll want to resize after capturing.

Method 2: Capture a selected area

Press Cmd+Shift+4 to turn your cursor into a crosshair. Click and drag to select any rectangular area. Release to capture just that selection.

Precision selection tips

• Watch the pixel dimensions next to the crosshair as you drag — useful for consistent sizing across multiple captures
• Hold Space while dragging to move the entire selection without resizing
• Hold Shift while dragging to lock one axis (width or height)
• Hold Option while dragging to resize from the center
• Press Escape to cancel at any time

Method 3: Capture a specific window

Press Cmd+Shift+4, then press Space. Your cursor changes to a camera icon. Hover over any window and click to capture it.

By default, macOS adds a drop shadow around the window. Hold Option while clicking to capture without the shadow — useful when you need clean edges for documentation or presentations.

Method 4: Use the Screenshot app (Cmd+Shift+5)

Press Cmd+Shift+5 to open the Screenshot toolbar. This floating bar gives you buttons for every capture mode plus screen recording:

Click Options to change the save location, set a timer (5 or 10 seconds), toggle the floating thumbnail, or show/hide the mouse pointer in captures.

Method 5: Screenshot the Touch Bar

If you have a 2016–2021 MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, press Cmd+Shift+6 to capture the entire Touch Bar as a separate image.

The result is a long, narrow PNG (2170×60 pixels on most models) that shows exactly what’s displayed on the Touch Bar at that moment. This is useful for documenting custom Touch Bar layouts or troubleshooting display issues.

Which MacBook Pro models have a Touch Bar?

On models without a Touch Bar, Cmd+Shift+6 does nothing. No error, no feedback — it simply won’t capture anything.

Method 6: Copy screenshots to clipboard

Add Ctrl to any screenshot shortcut to copy to your clipboard instead of saving a file:

• Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+3 — Copy full screen to clipboard
• Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4 — Copy selected area to clipboard
• Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4, then Space — Copy window to clipboard

This is the fastest way to paste screenshots into Slack, emails, GitHub PRs, or AI coding assistants without creating a file on your Desktop.

MacBook Pro with external displays

MacBook Pro supports up to three or four external displays (depending on the chip). When you press Cmd+Shift+3 with multiple displays connected, macOS captures every display as a separate file. If you have the MacBook Pro screen plus two externals, you get three screenshot files.

To capture just one display, use Cmd+Shift+4 and drag a selection on the monitor you want. Or use Cmd+Shift+5 — the Screenshot toolbar lets you click a specific screen when in “Capture Entire Screen” mode.

Change where MacBook Pro screenshots are saved

By default, screenshots save to your Desktop. To change the location:

1. Press Cmd+Shift+5
2. Click Options
3. Under Save to, select a location or click Other Location for a custom folder

Or use Terminal:

mkdir -p ~/Pictures/Screenshots
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Pictures/Screenshots
killall SystemUIServer

Change the screenshot format from PNG

MacBook Pro screenshots default to PNG. For smaller files, switch to JPG:

# Switch to JPG
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
killall SystemUIServer

# Switch back to PNG
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type png
killall SystemUIServer

On macOS Tahoe with HDR-capable MacBook Pro displays, screenshots may default to HEIC. If your format changed after a macOS update, see our macOS Tahoe HEIC fix guide.

Troubleshooting: screenshots not working on MacBook Pro

If screenshot shortcuts do nothing:

1. Check System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Screenshots and make sure the shortcuts are enabled
2. Make sure no third-party app (Karabiner-Elements, Alfred, BetterTouchTool) is intercepting the key combo
3. Try pressing the shortcut without external keyboards connected to isolate the issue
4. Check if the app you’re trying to screenshot blocks screen capture (some DRM-protected apps like Netflix and Apple TV+ will show black)
5. Restart your Mac — sometimes the screenshot service (screencaptureui) hangs and needs a fresh start

For a full troubleshooting walkthrough, see Screenshot Not Working on Mac: How to Fix It.

Quick reference: MacBook Pro screenshot shortcuts