# How to screenshot a single window on a Mac > Press Shift, Command and 4, then Space bar, then click the window. Hold Option to leave out the shadow. Steps from Apple's support pages. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-a-window-on-mac/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. To screenshot one window on a Mac, press `Shift-Command-4`, then press Space bar, then click the window. The pointer turns into a camera icon. Hold Option while you click to leave out the window's shadow. This is from Apple's support article, checked on 4 November 2026. ## With the shortcut 1. Open the window you want and bring it to the front. 2. Press `Shift-Command-4`. The pointer becomes a crosshair. 3. Press Space bar. The pointer becomes a camera icon and the window under it highlights. 4. Move the camera over the window you want and click. Hold Option as you click to exclude the shadow. 5. Press Esc at any point to cancel. The file is saved like any other screenshot. Where it goes is covered in [where Mac screenshots are saved](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-mac-screenshots-are-saved/). ## With the Screenshot toolbar 1. Press `Shift-Command-5`. 2. Click the **Capture a window** tool. Apple's guides name this tool "Capture a window". 3. Move the pointer over the window and click it. The window is highlighted before you click. The toolbar way is easier to remember and lets you set a timer first under **Options**, which helps if you need to open a menu or hover over something before the capture. ## The window you want is behind others The shortcut captures the window you click, not what is visible on the screen. Apple's pages do not say whether covered parts of the window appear in the image, so check one capture before you rely on it. ## Menus and the menu bar A menu is a special case. Apple's guide says to capture a window or menu bar with `Shift-Command-4`, Space bar and a click, and to capture a menu with its items by opening the menu, pressing `Shift-Command-4` and dragging over the items. See [screenshot a menu on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-a-menu-on-mac/). ## Some windows will not capture Apple notes that some apps, such as the Apple TV app, may not allow screenshots of their windows. ## Copy instead of save Add `Control` to the shortcut: `Control-Shift-Command-4`, Space bar, then click. The window goes to the clipboard and you can paste it with `Command-V`. If you want only part of a window, see [how to screenshot part of the screen on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-part-of-screen-on-mac/). NotchStar's [Screenshot Tray](https://www.notchstar.com/features/screenshot-tray/) shows each capture under the notch afterwards, if you want to drag it into a chat. ## Quick answers. ### How do I screenshot a window without the shadow? Press Shift, Command and 4, then Space bar, then hold Option while you click the window. ## 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 part of the screen on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-part-of-screen-on-mac/): Press Shift, Command and 4 and drag over the area. Hold Space bar to move the selection, Esc to cancel. Steps from Apple's support article. - [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 take a screenshot to the clipboard on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-to-clipboard-on-mac/): Add Control to any screenshot shortcut, for example Control, Shift, Command and 4, then paste with Command and V. Steps from Apple. ## 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.