How to Take a Screenshot to the Clipboard on a Mac
Add Control to any Mac screenshot shortcut to copy it instead of saving a file, then paste it anywhere. Plus how to make it the default, and how to keep past screenshots.
Quick answer
Add Control to the usual shortcut. ⌃ ⇧ ⌘ 4 copies a selected area to the clipboard, and ⌃ ⇧ ⌘ 3 copies the whole screen. No file is saved. Paste it with ⌘ V. To make this the default, press ⇧ ⌘ 5, click Options and choose Clipboard under Save to.
Most screenshots are taken to be pasted straight into a chat, an email or a bug report. Saving a file to the Desktop first just adds clutter. macOS can copy a screenshot straight to the clipboard, and it's one extra key.
The shortcuts
| Shortcut | What it copies |
|---|---|
| ⌃ ⇧ ⌘ 3 | The entire screen |
| ⌃ ⇧ ⌘ 4 | An area you drag out |
| ⌃ ⇧ ⌘ 4, then Space | One window or menu |
You'll hear the shutter sound as usual, but no file appears. Click into Messages, Slack, Mail, Notes, Keynote, Figma or wherever you need it and press ⌘ V.
Tip: the easiest way to remember it is that Control means "copy". Hold it down with any screenshot shortcut you already know.
Make "copy to clipboard" the default
- Press ⇧ ⌘ 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar.
- Click Options.
- Under Save to, choose Clipboard.
From now on, screenshots taken with the toolbar or the normal shortcuts are copied rather than saved. Switch it back to Desktop (or another folder) the same way. If you ever wonder where your screenshots are going, this setting is the first thing to check.
Copy a screenshot you've already taken
- From the floating thumbnail: Control-click the thumbnail that appears in the corner and choose the option to save it to the clipboard.
- From a saved file: open it in Preview and press ⌘ A then ⌘ C. Or select the file in Finder and press ⌘ C. Some apps paste that as the image and others as the file.
Copy only the text in a screenshot
If what you actually need is the words in the image (an error message, an address, a code), you don't need the picture at all. Open the screenshot in Preview or Quick Look, then select the text with the cursor like any document and press ⌘ C. That's Live Text, covered in how to copy text from an image on a Mac.
The catch: the clipboard holds one thing
A screenshot on the clipboard is replaced by the next thing you copy. Take a second screenshot, or copy a link to go with it, and the first one is gone. There's no file on the Desktop to fall back on.
That's where a clipboard history helps. EasyPaste keeps every screenshot you copy (and, if you save screenshots to a folder, every file saved there) in a visual history, alongside your text and links. It reads the text inside each one on your Mac, so you can find last Tuesday's screenshot by searching a word that was in it, and paste it again with one click.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I find my clipboard screenshot?
Screenshots copied to the clipboard aren't saved as files, so Finder and Spotlight can't find them. Paste it with ⌘ V. If you've copied anything since, it's been replaced, unless a clipboard history was running.
What format is a clipboard screenshot?
It's image data, typically pasted as a PNG. If you need a file, open Preview and choose File → New from Clipboard (⌘ N), then save it.
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