# What to do when the Mac screenshot shortcut does not work > If Shift, Command and 3, 4 or 5 does nothing, check the Screenshots shortcuts in System Settings, the Save to folder and the preview setting. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/mac-screenshot-shortcut-not-working/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. If `Shift-Command-3`, `Shift-Command-4` or `Shift-Command-5` seems to do nothing, check three things in order: whether the shortcuts are still switched on in System Settings, whether the screenshot was saved somewhere you did not look, and whether the app you are in blocks capture. Apple's pages are checked on 4 November 2026. They do not give a troubleshooting list for this problem, so this page sticks to what they document. ## 1. Check the shortcuts Apple says you can change the screenshot shortcuts in System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, then Screenshots. Open that list and look at each entry. If a shortcut is unticked or was changed to different keys, restore it. Use `Shift-Command-5` as a test, because it opens the toolbar and shows that the shortcut works at all. ## 2. Check where the file went The shortcut may have worked and the file is elsewhere. Captures made with the shortcuts go to the desktop, according to the Mac User Guide, but if you changed the folder the file may be in that folder. Press `Shift-Command-5`, click **Options** and read the **Save to** list. Also remember that adding `Control` copies to the clipboard instead of saving. See [where Mac screenshots are saved](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-mac-screenshots-are-saved/) and [screenshot to the clipboard on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-to-clipboard-on-mac/). ## 3. Wait for the thumbnail With **Show Floating Thumbnail** on, the preview sits in the corner for a few seconds. A file may appear a moment later. Swipe the thumbnail right to save it at once. See [how to turn off the screenshot preview](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/turn-off-mac-screenshot-preview/). ## 4. Check the app Apple notes that some apps, such as the Apple TV app, may not allow screenshots of their windows. Try the shortcut on the desktop or in a plain document. ## 5. Check the keyboard If only a key in the combination fails, the keyboard may be at fault. Try a different key combination in the Screenshots shortcut list, or use the Screenshot app from Launchpad or Spotlight. Apple's pages say you can open Screenshot that way. ## What Apple does not cover Apple's screenshot pages say nothing about restarting, updates or other fixes for a shortcut that fails. If none of the steps above helps, the problem is outside what these pages document. For the shortcuts themselves, read [how to screenshot on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-screenshot-on-mac/). NotchStar's [Screenshot Tray](https://www.notchstar.com/features/screenshot-tray/) only reacts to screenshots that macOS takes, so it cannot fix a shortcut that is switched off. ## Keep reading. - [Screenshot Tray: your screenshots wait under the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/screenshot-tray/): Every screenshot lands in a tray under your Mac notch. Drag it into a chat, an email or a folder, or send several at once. - [How to screenshot on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-screenshot-on-mac/): Press Shift, Command and 3 for the whole screen, 4 for a selection, 5 for the Screenshot toolbar. Steps checked against Apple's guides for macOS 13 to 26. - [Where Mac screenshots are saved](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-mac-screenshots-are-saved/): Mac screenshots made with the keyboard shortcuts are saved to the desktop by default. How the file is named, and how to find one that is not there. - [How to turn off the screenshot preview on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/turn-off-mac-screenshot-preview/): Press Shift, Command and 5, open Options and untick Show Floating Thumbnail. What it changes and how to save the screenshot at once. ## More in Screenshots. - [How to screenshot on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-screenshot-on-mac/): Press Shift, Command and 3 for the whole screen, 4 for a selection, 5 for the Screenshot toolbar. Steps checked against Apple's guides for macOS 13 to 26. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Sonoma](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-sonoma/): Screenshot shortcuts and the Screenshot toolbar on macOS Sonoma 14, with the Options menu, the floating thumbnail and how to copy to the clipboard. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Sequoia](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-sequoia/): Take screenshots and recordings on macOS Sequoia 15: shortcuts, the Screenshot toolbar, every Options menu item and where the files go. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Tahoe 26](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-tahoe/): Screenshot shortcuts on macOS Tahoe 26 plus what is new: the HDR or SDR Capture Format and recording a selected window. Checked against Apple's guides. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Ventura](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-ventura/): Screenshot shortcuts and the Screenshot toolbar on macOS Ventura 13, with Options, the floating thumbnail, copying to the clipboard and recordings. - [Where Mac screenshots are saved](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-mac-screenshots-are-saved/): Mac screenshots made with the keyboard shortcuts are saved to the desktop by default. How the file is named, and how to find one that is not there.