How to Take a Scrolling Screenshot on Mac (Full Page, Long Chats, Documents)

You need the whole thing: a long web page, a chat thread, a terms page, a spreadsheet. The Mac's screenshot shortcuts only capture what's on screen, and there's no "scroll" option in the Screenshot toolbar. Here's what actually works.

1. Firefox: built-in full-page screenshot

1. Open the page in Firefox.
2. Control-click (right-click) an empty part of the page and choose Take Screenshot.
3. Click Save full page in the top-right corner.
4. Choose Download to save a PNG, or Copy to put it on the clipboard.

This is the easiest free option for web pages. It captures the entire page, top to bottom, as one image.

2. Chrome: the hidden DevTools command

1. Open the page and press ⌥ ⌘ I to open Developer Tools.
2. Press ⇧ ⌘ P to open the command menu.
3. Type full size and choose Capture full size screenshot.

Chrome saves a PNG of the whole page to your Downloads folder. The same works in Microsoft Edge and Brave.

3. Safari: export the page as a PDF

Safari has no full-page screenshot, but File → Export as PDF… saves the whole page as one continuous PDF. Open it in Preview to read, mark up or copy text from it. If you need an image, open the PDF in Preview and choose File → Export, then PNG (one page at a time).

4. Any app: print to PDF

For long documents, emails and notes, press ⌘ P, then choose Save as PDF from the PDF menu at the bottom of the print dialog. You get every page, with selectable text.

5. When nothing else works: record the screen

For chats and apps that don't print, press ⇧ ⌘ 5, choose Record Selected Portion, and scroll slowly through the content. It's a video, not an image, but it captures everything and needs no extra software.

Apps that add true scrolling capture

If you do this often, a capture app saves the workarounds. You select an area, scroll, and it stitches the result into one tall image:

• CleanShot X: scrolling capture alongside annotation, recording and a capture history (paid).
• Shottr: a small, fast screenshot app with scrolling capture.

Long screenshots are only useful if you can find them again. A tall capture of a terms page or chat holds a lot of text you'll want to search later, which is where screenshot search apps come in.

Find long screenshots by what they say

EasyPaste doesn't take scrolling screenshots, but it makes them searchable. Save your long captures to your screenshot folder (or copy them), and EasyPaste reads all the text in them on your Mac. Months later, press ⌃ ⌘ V, type a phrase you remember from the middle of the page, and the right capture comes up, ready to paste.

Which method to use

Frequently asked questions

Does macOS have a scrolling screenshot?

No. The built-in Screenshot tool captures the screen, a window or a selected area, but it can't scroll. Use a browser's full-page capture, export to PDF, or a third-party capture app.

How do I screenshot a whole web page in Safari?

Safari has no full-page screenshot. Use File, Export as PDF to save the entire page as one PDF, or open the page in Firefox or Chrome and use their full-page capture.

Can I take a scrolling screenshot of a chat on Mac?

Not with the built-in tools. Record the screen while scrolling, or use a capture app with scrolling capture such as CleanShot X or Shottr.

How do I find text in a long screenshot later?

Spotlight can index text in image files over time. For instant search, EasyPaste reads the text in every screenshot and copied image on your Mac so you can search it with Control-Command-V.