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Looking to capture images, video clips, or your favorite websites? We’ll help you pick the right snipping tool for Mac.

You’re probably familiar with the incredibly handy Windows snipping tool. It’s awesome, right? Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could have a similar tool on your Mac?

We have some good news. We’ve covered how to capture screenshots on a Mac using snipping tool shortcuts before:

Oct 05, 2020 Greenshot was primarily a Windows-based application, but they recently released a snip tool for Mac as well. Although users rave about the Windows version, they are less impressed with the macOS alternative. So, for now, no one will be calling Greenshot the best free snipping tool for Mac, but you never know what the future holds. PROS: Open Source. I installed SBT on my mac OSX via brew install sbt command and also alternatively installed it manually. But, when I run for example sbt run MYPROJECT I get 'java.io.IOException: Permission.

Officially, the operating system that was available on that Mac at the time that you bought it is the oldest version of macOS that can run on that Mac. It's likely that an older OS won't include. Low profile, double ended mini ratchet wrench 8” Long with dual thumb wheels for ease of operation and close quarters work Works with all 1/4” and 5/16” hex bits and 1/. What the Spinning Beach Ball Signifies Also called the “spinning beach ball of death,” the spinning beach ball in macOS Mojave is simply an indicator that your Mac is no longer capable of handling the tasks given to it at the moment. Pro Tip: Scan your Mac for performance issues, junk files, harmful apps, and security threats.

CMD + SHIFT + 3
makes capture a full-screen screenshot

CMD + SHIFT + 4
helps you capture selected area as a screenshot

CMD + SHIFT + 5
captures only an active window that you choose

Today, we’ll go over some of the best snipping tools for Mac to make taking screenshots easy as pie. They include:

Best Snipping Tools for Mac in 2020

Snipping tools enable you to capture much of what you do every day on your computer screen. Some of the reasons you might need a snipping tool include:

  • Making visual tutorials
  • Sharing your screen with friends
  • Sending screenshots for work
  • Keep a record of important documents that you cannot download.

If you’re looking for the perfect snipping tool Mac, check out our list below.

1. Snagit

We have to admit, Snagit is the gold standard of screen capture software. It’s very popular with corporate customers for its aesthetic interface and powerful features. The editing and screen recording capabilities are pretty impressive. One of the highlights of the app is the intuitive user interface.

A small control panel appears at the top of your screen. It allows you to capture screenshots, change settings, and customize hotkeys. The editor features nifty tools like callouts, arrows, blur, and others. You can also create animated gifs and videos straight from the app. The process of capturing and editing images and videos is so seamless the average Mac user will take to it like a duck to water.

Snagit allows you to capture your screen in several ways. You can capture the entire screen, a specific region, or a specific application. You can also import images from scanners and cameras. One of the coolest features of this snipping tool for Mac is the ability to capture text from an image and paste it into a text editor. To access the full range of features, you have to pay $50, which is a tad expensive when compared to other tools.

So, what’s our verdict?

We love Snagit. It’s hands down the best Mac snipping tool on the market. The software comes with tons of features and is easy to use. It’s our macOS snipping tool of choice.

PROS:

  • Easy to use
  • Feature-rich

⛔️ CONS:

  • Video editing is cumbersome.

2. Lightshot

Lightshot is an extremely lightweight screen capture tool. It’s also one of the easiest to use. If you’re worried about how to use snipping tool on Mac, then this is the right tool for you. All you do is press the print screen button on your keyboard and select your area of interest. The app will do the rest.

You can edit your screenshots by adding text, colors, shapes, and others. The software has a simple interface that you only interact with on the screen capture screen itself. The most outstanding feature is the ease with which you can capture, save, and upload screenshots. In fact, it’s the only tool that allows you to take one screenshot after the other in quick succession. The tool is completely free and enables you to:

  • Print screenshots
  • Search for a similar image on Google
  • Upload images to Prntscr.com
  • Copy and save

So, what’s our verdict?

Lightshot is a great snipping tool on macOS. It can be used by any person with a basic knowledge of computers. Even though it’s not as feature-rich as some of the options on our list, it’s still useful and convenient. The app even earned a place in our list of top 10 snipping tools in 2020.

PROS:

  • Lightweight and easy to use
  • It’s fast
  • It’s free
  • Ability to save to social media or the cloud

⛔️ CONS:

  • Does not have capture modes.
  • Doesn’t have a separate editing screen with advanced tools.

3. SnapNDrag

SbapNDrag is a handy MacBook snipping tool that allows you to grab a snapshot of the full screen, a window, or a specific section of the screen without worrying about key combinations.

You can use the free version or fork out $10 for the pro version. The pro version allows you to resize images, assign global hotkeys, and turn off adverts. Some of the features in the pro version include:

  • A library for our screenshots
  • Sharing your screenshots to Twitter, Facebook, email, and more.
  • Annotate your screenshots
  • Multiple output formats (PNG, JPEG or TIFF)
  • Border and scaling
  • Batch rename
  • Custom keyboard shortcuts.

If you use screenshots in your work, then the paid version would be a perfect choice.

PROS:

  • Easy to use
  • Free version available

⛔️ CONS:

  • Limited features on the free version.

4. Monosnap

Monosnap is an online service that doubles as cloud storage, a secure content management system, and snipping tool for Mac. It also works on Windows and Chrome. Using Monosnap, you can instantly capture your entire screen or a portion of it and then use the built-in editing tools to mock-up and share your masterpiece.

Earning 4.3 stars in the Apple App Store, Monosnap might just be the best snipping tool out there for mac.

PROS:

  • Customizable hotkeys
  • Rich editing tools
  • Hide private information with a blur tool
  • Free cloud storage space
  • Create video and animated GIFs
  • Multiple save and share options

⛔️ CONS:

  • A possibly overwhelming user interface for some users
  • Pushy upgrade ads
  • Users complain that it stops working and locks up

5. Greenshot

Greenshot is a popular screen capture tool. It includes dozens of useful features like hotkey combinations, the ability to copy your image to the clipboard, or send it directly to a cloud-based program like Confluence, Box.com, Dropbox, Flick, Imgur, JIRA, Picasa-Web, or your printer. You can even edit screenshots on the fly with the built-in editor. To make this sweet package even better, Greenshot allows you to blur areas of your screenshot to keep things private. You can customize and personalize many of the default settings and use your own hotkey combinations for better functionality.

The program installs quickly, and the interface is easy to use. After you select your area, it turns green, and then you hear a shutter sound, so you know it took the shot. You can even choose your image format (BMP, GIF, JPEG, and PNG) and then mark it up with the built-in tools.

Greenshot was primarily a Windows-based application, but they recently released a snip tool for Mac as well. Although users rave about the Windows version, they are less impressed with the macOS alternative. So, for now, no one will be calling Greenshot the best free snipping tool for Mac, but you never know what the future holds.

PROS:

  • Open Source
  • Easy to Use
  • Freezes Screen When You Capture
  • Allows Annotating, Highlighting and Obfuscating Screenshots

⛔️ CONS:

  • Rarely Updated

6. Loom Screen Recorder

Loom Screen Recorder allows you to communicate quickly and effectively by taking screenshots or shooting quick videos to send to colleagues, friends, or family. In the time it takes you to type an email or mock-up an idea, you can create a video or screenshot to say it all. Loom offers both a free and paid version. Loom works on Windows, Chrome, Mac, and iOS.

If you are looking for the best free snipping tool for Mac that also records video, look no further, Loom is it! Using quick video recordings and screenshots, you can improve productivity, streamline your workflow, and boost customer satisfaction all at once.

PROS:

  • Rich interface with many options
  • Supports multiple platforms and even has a Google Chrome extension
  • Simple, lightweight, and easy to use
  • Screen recording to create quick tutorials on how to do something
  • Create videos, screen shares, and even GIFs on the fly

⛔️ CONS:

  • Can’t add audio or music separately
  • Users complain that it is glitchy at times
  • Can’t customize the interface

7. CloudApp’s Mac Screenshot App and CloudApp for iOS

Another option in our Mac snipping tool lineup is CloudApp’s screenshot App. CloudApp is a heavy hitter when it comes to software. They provide solutions for designers, developers, executives, marketing professionals, sales, support, and even production people. You can use CloudApp on the web, or download it to Mac, Windows, Linux and even use it on iOS devices.

Across the board, CloudApp gets high marks from reviewers and users. It’s a sophisticated product that allows you to capture and share your screen using an enterprise-level app. As a bonus, use the built-in analytical tools, white-label capabilities, and secure sharing along with controlled access features.

PROS:

  • Excellent support
  • Easy to use and learn
  • Quick GIF or video creation
  • Uploads screenshots and videos automatically to the cloud
  • Share links included

⛔️ CONS:

  • No full-screen, screen capture, have to select an area
  • Some users experienced lock-ups or glitchy video
  • Saving to the desktop could be easier
  • Needs more powerful annotation tools
  • No video editing features

8. Skitch

Rabbit Mac Profile

If you are in the business of taking screenshots and marking them up for your team, Skitch is going to be the best snipping tool for Mac that you can find. Skitch was designed by and is owned by Evernote. If you don’t use Evernote, you won’t enjoy the push to integrate the two. That being said, Skitch is a simple, elegant, effective snipping tool and markup editor for macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS. It has only seven tools, but honestly, why would you need more?

You can quickly add text, shapes, arrows, highlighting, color, draw on your image, and even add blurring to obscure areas. It’s so easy to use; you can figure it out within seconds. When taking a screenshot, you select your area, which lights up, making it easy to see what will and will not be included.

The only drawbacks are the color chooser is limited to only eight colors. There aren’t any special effects or filters, and you cannot save files locally. You must choose between emailing them, sending them as a text message, pulling them into Evernote, or sending them to your photos app. Other than that, we give Skitch a big thumbs up!

PROS:

  • Integrates with Evernote
  • Supports PNG, JPEG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, and PDF formats
Rabbit mac pictures

⛔️ CONS:

  • Doesn’t offer to save a note when quitting the app

9. Recordit

Recordit is a simple, plugin-style Mac snipping tool that you install on your Mac or Windows machine to create quick screencasts of your entire screen or just a portion. Users love the simplicity and lightweight model, affording you the ability to multi-task while screencasting.

Easily showcase software or tutorials right on your desktop and then share them with your entire office. You can download the free version or pay for the full version for even more features.

PROS:

  • Minimalistic snip tool for Mac using virtually no memory
  • Lives in the taskbar on Mac
  • Dozens of upload and share options
  • Customizable hotkeys
  • Free cloud storage and management of screenshots
  • GIF, and Twitter support

⛔️ CONS:

  • Limited to 5 minutes of recording time with the free version
  • It requires an internet connection
  • The free version is feature-limited

How to Snip on Mac

When you transition from a Windows PC to a Mac, one question that might have you stumped is how to take a screenshot on the Mac. The Mac keyboard doesn't have a Print Screen button but don't worry; there are still plenty of tricks to take a screenshot when you need one fast.

CMD + SHIFT + 3

Probably the fastest way to take a screenshot, especially when time is limited, and you are trying to capture something temporary, is to use the CMD + SHIFT + 3 method. Hold down all three keys simultaneously; you will hear a camera sound and a screenshot of your entire screen will instantly be created and copied directly to your desktop. In macOS, these keyboard shortcuts are the Mac snipping tool, similar to the one used in Windows.

After you hear the camera sound, you will see a thumbnail preview of your screenshot in the lower, right-hand corner of the screen. If you click this tiny image, it brings up the entire snipping tool for Mac, and you can edit, annotate, rotate and make other changes to the image before it saves to your desktop.

CMD + SHIFT + 4

Another convenient way to take a screenshot on the Mac with even more precision is to use CMD + SHIFT + 4. This method allows you to select an area around the portion of the screen that you need to capture. You can get very specific about exactly what you want to be copied to the desktop. To use this method, follow the steps below:

  1. Hold down the CMD + SHIFT + 4 keys simultaneously. You will see a tiny bullseye on the screen.
  2. Now use your mouse or trackpad to click the top-left corner of the area you want to select.
  3. Hold and drag until you draw a rectangle around the entire area you want to be selected.
  4. Let go of the mouse, you will hear the camera sound, and the screenshot will copy to your desktop.

Again, you will see a tiny preview of the screenshot in the lower, right-hand corner of your screen. You have a couple of seconds to click that image to open up the snipping tool and make edits. If you make a mistake, close the box, and the original will be copied to your desktop.

You might have to try this method a few times until you get good at it, but it's worth it for the precision it offers.

If you have a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, you can use the Touch Bar to choose Selected Portion, Window, or Entire Screen and designate where to save the copy.

CMD + SHIFT + 5

New to macOS Mojave, is the CMD + SHIFT + 5 feature. When you use this option, it pops open an overlay window so you can choose full-screen, a window, or a selection screenshot.

This cool new feature also allows you to record a video of your whole screen or just a portion of it. Two additional options are that you can select where to save the file, and you can also set a handy delay of 5 or 10 seconds to line things up quickly before the screenshot takes a picture.

One More Hidden Trick - Preview Screenshot

So now you know how to use the snipping tool on the Mac. But there is also one more hidden trick we want to share. Buried in the Preview menu, there is a screenshot option. With a PDF or image file open in Preview, simply select File, Take a Screenshot, and then choose 'From Selection,' 'From Window,' or 'From Entire Screen.'

These menu items replace the keyboard shortcuts, but after that, you will have the same options and follow the same instructions above.

Learn more about snipping tools or screen capture software and check out the list of the best snipping tools for Mac to take screenshots of images, video clips, or your favorite websites as easy as pie.

That’s it! Now you are an expert at taking screenshots on a Mac.

Conclusion

Taking screenshots on your Mac need not be complicated. You don’t even have to memorize shortcuts. Our carefully selected list of tools will help you get the job done without breaking a sweat.

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Best screen capturing app
Use CleanShot X for all your screen recording needs.

Screenshots have become so ubiquitous nowadays that we don’t give them too much thought anymore. Yet every day we use them to show, explain, and communicate. Whether it’s sending an image of a software bug to customer support, a quick how-to GIF to a colleague, or a heartfelt joke a loved one, screenshots help us enrich and liven up our daily communication patterns.

Naturally, for creating and editing screenshots, Windows PC has its widely respected Snipping Tool. In fact, if you’ve recently switched your PC for Mac, at some point you’re guaranteed to wonder where and what is Snipping Tool for Mac.

Rest assured, you’re not left without screenshots forever. A snipping tool for Mac does exist. Moreover, just like on Windows, it’s built right into the operating system — which is the answer to the common question of where to download snipping tool for Mac. In addition, there are plenty of third-party snipping tools out there that considerably expand on the functionality of the pre-installed option.

Mac Snipping Tools: get the full pack for free

A superb edition of best apps that take your snipping on Mac to the new level. All in one pack.

What is the best Snipping tool for Mac?

Mac OS snipping tool is so baked into the operating system that it doesn’t even have a name. It just … well, works, mirroring the Snipping Tool you’ve grown accustomed to on Windows almost to a T.

Spinning Sky Rabbit Mac Os Download

Plus, there’s not just one snipping tool on Mac — there are dozens. Below, we’ll compare the default screenshot snipping tool Mac offers to its Windows alternative, and introduce third-party tools like CleanShot, Dropshare, and Capto as well.

How to use Snipping tool on macOS

What is the shortcut key for Snipping Tool? The shortest answer to “How to snip on Mac?” is to press ⇧⌘5. The shortcut calls up a small menu in the lower part of the screen with lots of options to choose from.

This menu is new to Mac, as it first appeared in macOS Mojave in 2018. Before then, Mac users were limited to either using ⇧⌘3 to take a screenshot of the whole screen or ⇧⌘4 to select an area (these shortcuts still work the same). If you’re using one of the macOS versions before Mojave, make sure to update to the latest macOS available to make full use of the snipping tool on Mac.

So the menu for the Mac OS snipping tool features the following options:

  • Capture Entire Screen,
  • Capture Selected Window,
  • Caption Selected Portion (area),
  • Record Entire Screen,
  • and Record Selected Portion (area).

Besides, there is also an Options dropdown, where you can change where to save the resulting image, set a timer, and choose whether to show the mouse pointer.

BTW, did you know that you can use Mac Snipping tool also to taking screenshots of the Touch Bar itself?

  • To save a screenshot of Touch Bar as a file on your desktop press ⇧⌘6
  • To copy what you see on Touch Bar to your clipboard press ⌃⇧⌘6

You can customize your keyboard shortcuts by going to System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Screen Shots

Rabbit Mac Kambing

Right away you can see how similar the functionality of a snipping tool on Mac is to its Windows counterpart. Let’s compare screenshot capabilities side by side:

  • Full screen: Mac and Windows
  • Single app window: Mac and Windows
  • Area: Mac and Windows
  • Freeform: Windows only
  • Video: Mac only
  • Delay: 5 or 10 seconds on Mac, 1 to 5 seconds on Windows
  • Editing: full toolkit on Mac, limited on Windows

Diving into details, you might notice that the snipping tool on Mac doesn’t allow for a freeform capture. Likewise, its Windows alternative can’t record video and only offers limited annotation options. So naturally, this default screenshot grabber on Mac would be your go-to in most cases. However, if you need to be able to capture screenshots with a freehand selection or you’re just eager to use something more powerful, third-party Mac apps have a lot to offer.

Snipping tool alternatives

Download apps that allow to customize and enjoy screenshotting on Mac – better than default programs.

Snipping tool to capture your screen without distractions

While Mac’s default snipping tool can create basic screenshots, a professional utility like CleanShot seamlessly enhances its functionality. It allows you to hide all desktop icons to capture your screen with no distractions, change the wallpaper, preview screenshots before you save them, copy the resulting image or video into your clipboard, annotate images with ease, and much more.

To give yourself an example of what CleanShot is truly capable of, choose Capture Area within the app (notice how desktop icons disappear), drag your mouse to make a screenshot, and click the pen icon to edit the result before it gets saved.

To be able to always capture your screen without all the desktop icons getting in your way, set and use custom hotkeys in the Preferences menu of the CleanShot app. And if you wonder what’s the most effective way to share your screenshot with others, you need to know about one more app.

Extract text from images, presentations, or videos

If you don’t want to capture screen but rather text from a specific area of your screen, TextSniper does the job perfectly. This OCR tool allows you to extract text from a YouTube video, someone’s online presentation, graphical image, PDF document, you name it.

Here’s how to grab text from anywhere with TextSniper:

  1. Open the app via Setapp — you’ll see the icon appear in the menu bar
  2. Click on the icon > Capture text and select the area from where you want to copy text
  3. The text is automatically saved to your clipboard.

Share screenshots with others instantly

Unlike the default snipping tool on Mac, we have a tool that approaches the problem of screenshots as a sharing problem first and foremost.

Dropshare is a Mac snipping tool alternative that allows you to choose between capturing a specific area, capturing and editing, and recording an area or full screen. After you done, all URLs would be saved automatically and ready to share with your team. Every time you take a screenshot, Dropshare swiftly uploads it to the cloud and gives you a short link to share with others. It’s also robust in its uploading options, offering you a choice between 10 GB of its own storage or any of the cloud providers you already use, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Rackspace, Amazon S3, etc.

However, if you want to make 100% freehand selections or take webpage screenshots of any length, you need to combine Dropshare with another brilliant utility.

How to capture freehand region on a Mac

Compared to other tools discussed above, Capto is in a league of its own and virtually redefines how to snip on Mac. It lets you capture full screen, circle area, rectangle area, freeform area, single app window, menus, webpages, and more. Besides, it features a robust editor to help you modify the results.

To create screenshots of any type, simply choose Freehand and draw out the shape.

Similarly, the options for instantly taking seamless screenshots of long webpages are available under the Web tab, where you can choose to use a built-in browser to search for the website or open the current URL.

This feature completely eliminates the need for the old-school way of taking screenshots as long as your display allows and then somehow stitching them all together by hand.

Does Mac have a snipping tool for me?

Yes, and lots! As you can see, your Mac has a wide array of snipping tools to cover every need possible. And hopefully, by reading this far, you’ve come a long way from wondering whether “Mac has snipping tools at all” to “how to use snipping tool for Mac” to “omg, which snipping tool do I choose.”

Your choice in using a specific snipping tool should correlate to your needs. It’s probably a good idea to disregard the default Mac OS snipping tool and instead use CleanShot right away, as it features more functionality and much cleaner experience. But if communication is key, turn to Dropshare, which enables you to stay in the loop in a super-productive and visual way. TextSniper will work great for your OCR tasks — saving text from graphics, video, etc. And finally, no screenshot functionality is too complicated for Capto, which brings all custom screenshot needs under one roof.

Best of all, you can try and download all these apps, and decide which one you like the most for free because all of them are available through Setapp, a platform for over 200 best-in-class Mac apps for any job. Taking screenshots with unique apps from Setapp will bring you the most beautiful results of the highest quality in no time. Screenshot away!

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