How to Take Partial Screenshots on macOS 13

Taking a partial screenshot in macOS 13 (Ventura) allows you to capture a designated portion of your display rather than the entire screen. This guide covers the essential keyboard shortcuts to capture custom rectangular selections, grab specific app windows, and copy selections directly to your clipboard for quick sharing.

Capture a Selected Portion of the Screen

To capture a custom rectangular area:

  1. Press and hold Command + Shift + 4 together.
  2. The pointer will turn into a crosshair icon with pixel coordinates.
  3. Click and drag the crosshair over the area you want to capture.
  4. Release the mouse button or trackpad to take the screenshot.

To cancel the capture at any time before releasing, press the Esc (Escape) key.

Capture a Specific Window or Menu

To capture an individual application window or menu without manually dragging a box around it:

  1. Press Command + Shift + 4.
  2. Tap the Spacebar. The crosshair changes into a camera icon.
  3. Move the camera pointer over the window, menu, or Dock item you want to capture (the selected element will highlight in blue).
  4. Click the mouse button or trackpad to capture the image.

Screenshots captured with this method automatically include a drop shadow around the window.

Copy a Partial Screenshot Directly to the Clipboard

If you want to paste the screenshot directly into a document, email, or messaging app without saving a file to your storage:

  • Add the Control key to the shortcut: press Command + Control + Shift + 4.
  • Drag the crosshair over the desired area and release.
  • Press Command + V in any app to paste the captured image.

Use the Screenshot Utility Bar

For visual controls and additional capture settings:

  1. Press Command + Shift + 5 to open the Screenshot tool.
  2. Click the Capture Selected Portion icon (a dotted rectangle) in the on-screen toolbar.
  3. Drag the boundaries of the selection box to frame the area.
  4. Click Capture on the right side of the toolbar.

By default, screenshots are saved as PNG files directly to your Desktop.