7 Best Snipping Tools for Mac [2024]

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7 Best Snipping Tools for Mac [2024] - Movavi

January 22, 2024

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Need a snipping tool for Mac? Look no further! In this article, we’ll discuss the different options available to you. Some of the tools we’ll be describing also serve as Mac screen recorders.

Special pick: Movavi Screen Recorder

Movavi Screen Recorder lets you quickly take a snapshot of your screen using a hotkey. You can capture your entire screen, adjust the capture frame to snip the exact portion of the screen, or you can take a scrolling screenshot if the capture area is too long.The app also lets you edit your screenshot – add text and shapes, use a highlighter, draw lines and arrows. In addition to snipping, the program also has a screen-recording feature.

Mac snipping tool

Does Mac have a snipping tool? Luckily for Apple users, yes! It’s completely free and it’s already installed on your iMac, MacBook Pro/Air, or any other desktop device running OS X. In this part of the article, we’ll be showing you how to use this built-in tool on a Mac.

So obviously, the easiest way to take a screenshot on a Mac is to use the snipping tool shortcuts. This snipping Mac tool doesn't have a lot of features, but it is still an excellent option for users who just want to take a quick screenshot and don’t feel like installing extra software. Here’s how to use it.

Capture everything on your screen (⌘ + Shift + 3)

Use this combination to take a screenshot of your entire screen. Click the image in the right lower corner of your screen to edit the screenshot you just took. You can also wait for the screenshot to save to the desktop and then edit it in Preview or any other app of your choice.

Capture a portion of your screen (⌘ + Shift + 4)

Use this combination and select a snippet of your screen with the cursor. Release the button of your mouse to take the shot. While using this combination, you can also do the following:

Press and release the spacebar, then use the camera cursor to click on the window you want to take a screenshot of.
Press and hold the spacebar before releasing the mouse button to reposition the selected area on the screen.

Call up the screen capture panel (⌘ + Shift + 5)

This combination of keys calls up a panel with options for screen capture. Three options are available:

Capture everything on your screen
Capture a clipping of your screen
Capture a window

The Options menu allows you to change location for storing screenshots and screencasts.

Now you know how to get a shot of your screen in three ways using the pre-installed iMac/MacBook snipping tool. But is there an equivalent with more options? Read on to discover more apps that allow you to snip on your Mac.

Best Mac snipping tools

If the built-in app is not enough, you can download a snipping tool for Mac. Below is our selection of apps, in no particular order, with prices, features, pros, and cons. We’ll also provide links to reviews on trustworthy platforms.

At Movavi, we’re committed to providing you with verified information only. Here’s what we do to ensure this:

When selecting products to include in our reviews, we research both demand and popularity.
All products mentioned in this article have been tested by Movavi Content Team.
When testing, we aim to highlight the best features of a product and what it’s best suited for.
We study user reviews from popular review platforms and make use of this information when writing our product reviews.
We collect feedback from our users and analyze their opinions of Movavi software as well as products from other companies.

Best for: Taking and annotating screenshots

Movavi Screen Recorder

G2 rating
4.5/5 stars, 49 reviews
Price
Free trial; HK$169/year; HK$269/lifetime

Being a screen recorder, the Movavi app can also serve as a Mac snipping tool. Creating a screenshot is easy with Movavi Screen Recorder. First, select the area you’d like to capture (or select the entire screen). Then add annotations if needed and export the result using one of the suggested options.

Features:

Take accurate screenshots: capture a single window, a full page, or just a part of it
Capture on-screen activity to improve your work process efficiency
Edit screenshots you’ve taken – add text, arrows, or highlights
Save and share the results with your colleagues

Pros

A handy tool to ramp up productivity with digital media capture
Taking and editing partial or scrolling screenshots in a few clicks
Simple sharing via WhatsApp, email, a direct link, etc. to streamline your work process

Cons

You can get full access to all the perks of the software by purchasing the full version

Best for: Text capture and recognition

TextSniper

App Store rating
4.7/5 stars, 93 reviews
Price
$11.99

Features:

OCR technology (no Internet connection needed!)
Highly accurate recognition

TextSniper is more than just a basic scissor tool for a Mac. It uses the optical character recognition technology and can transform text in pictures into simple text you can then edit and work with. Moreover, TextSniper can turn the recognized text into speech in no time.

Download TextSniper

Pros

Can process JPG, PNG, TIFF, GIF, and other formats
Text-to-speech option
Can read links, QR codes, barcodes, etc.
Can extract text from ebooks and PDFs

Cons

There is no free trial

Best for: Fast and easy screen capture

LightShot

G2 rating
4.7/5 stars, 104 reviews
Price
Free

Features:

Similar image search
Also offers a Firefox add-on and a Google Chrome extension

LightShot is a free and very straightforward snip tool for Mac that allows you to take a quick screenshot, edit it and share it on Facebook and Twitter, all in a single window. Creating your own account on prntscr.com offers you the possibility to store screenshots and access them at any time.

Download LightShot

Pros

Annotations (frames, text, arrows, etc.)
Sharing via direct link to LightShot servers
Easy sharing on Facebook and Twitter

Cons

You need to have an account in order to access the gallery of your previously taken screenshots

Best for: Taking screenshots on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad

Capto

App Store rating
4.4/5 stars, 294 reviews
Price
$26.99

Features:

Is also a powerful screen recorder
Has a file manager for quick video/image search

Capto allows you to create screenshots and screencasts with annotations, which makes it a perfect tool for making tutorials, vlogs, and educational captures. It is a very Apple-friendly tool as it is available on almost all devices within the platform. Its folder-based file manager will help you retrieve any of your screenshots in no time.

Download Capto

Pros

Instant export and sharing
Wide range of editing tools
Easy sharing on social networks

Cons

Doesn’t offer a free trial version

Best for: Taking and editing screenshots with annotations

CleanShot X

Product Hunt rating
4.5/5 stars, 16 reviews
Price
From $8 per user/month

Features:

Versatile tool for taking and editing screenshots
Quick single-window actions
Scrolling capture option

CleanShot X is an extremely versatile toolkit that can also serve as a snipping Mac tool. The app is packed with an enormous amount of features – every need has been taken into account. The process doesn’t end at simply taking a screenshot: you can crop it, edit it with annotation tools, pixelate a portion of it to protect sensitive data, draw on it, highlight the important things, write on it in seven different styles. Combining multiple screenshots into one is one feature that you won’t find anywhere else. Scrolling capture is another option that is rarely provided by developers of this kind of software.

Download CleanShot X

Pros

Wide range of sharing options
Can cut screenshots and add annotations
Can pixelate a selection of your screenshot for better protection of personal data
Allows you to draw on screenshots, has seven text styles for annotations
Allows you to combine several screenshots into one

Cons

Doesn’t have a free trial version

Best for: Effortless visual communication

CloudApp

Capterra rating
4.6/5 stars, 167 reviews
Price
Free (up to 50 captures); $9.95 (individual plan)

Features:

Also works as a Chrome extension
Is available as an iOS app

The CloudApp developers position their tool as a productivity enhancer and means of visual communication. It offers effortless screen capture and editing options including annotation tools. The app is quite efficient for both individual users and businesses. Creating your own CloudApp account saves you the trouble of searching for images on your Mac.

Download CloudApp

Pros

Can annotate with emojis, text, shapes, and arrows
Very straightforward app
Instant sharing via link
Can create a GIF

Cons

Might seem too basic for users who need more customization

Where to find your saved screenshots on a Mac

You already know how to take screenshots, but where is exactly the folder containing all the images? In fact, screenshots are saved to your desktop by default. If there’s nothing on your desktop, you can try searching for your screenshots by going to Finder > Go > Home > Pictures > Screenshots. If you're using macOS Catalina, then you'll need to go to Finder > Go > Home > Library > Pictures > Screenshots. That's all there is to it!

In macOS Mojave or later, you can change the default directory of saved screenshots in the Options menu (the available options are Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview or Other Location). You can also drag the thumbnail to a folder or document.

How to choose the right snip tool for a Mac

When it comes to snipping tools, there are a lot of options out there. So, how do you know which one is the right fit for you? Here are a few things to consider when choosing a snipping tool for your Mac.

First, think about what type of snips you'll be taking most often. If you're mostly snipping screenshots, you'll want a tool that's good at capturing images. On the other hand, if you need to snip text more often than images, you'll want a tool that's better at capturing text.
Second, consider how much control you need over your snips. Some tools let you annotate and edit your snips after you've taken them, while others are more basic. If you need a lot of control over your snips, you'll want a tool with more features.
Finally, think about ease of use. Some tools are very simple and easy to use, while others are more complex and have a learning curve. If you're not comfortable with complex tools, you'll want to choose a simpler one.

Best snipping tools for a Mac

Hotkeys – best for recording a screen without an extension
Movavi Screen Recorder – best for video and audio capture
TextSniper – best for text capture and recognition
Lightshot – similar image search
Capto – all-in-one screenshot program for Mac
CleanShot X – screenshot program with cloud storage for Mac
CloudApp – cloud-based recordings

Summary

Although macOS devices already have a versatile inbuilt screenshotting and screen recording tool, users who need more from software like this might want additional features like taking scrolling screenshots, making annotations, and more. With Movavi Screen Recorder this can be easily done in no time. Try it out for free now!

Tool

Best for

Download

Hotkeys

Quick screenshots with basic editing options

Movavi Screen Recorder

Taking and annotating screenshots; also serves as a screen recorder

TextSniper

Text capture and recognition

LightShot

Fast and easy screen capture

Capto

Taking screenshots on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad

CleanShot X

Taking and editing screenshots with extensive annotation tools and overlays

CloudApp

Effortless visual communication

View all tools

Movavi Screen Recorder

The perfect way to record anything from your screen

About the Mac version

Disclaimer: Please be aware that Movavi Screen Recorder does not allow capture of copy-protected video and audio streams.

Frequently asked questions

Does Mac have a snipping tool?

Yes, all Mac devices have their own snipping tool. To reveal the snipping tool panel, press Cmd + Shift + 5. You can capture your entire screen or a portion of it. To be able to take a scrolling screenshot, annotate, edit, and easily share the result, try out Movavi Screen Recorder. This software can handle any task related to capturing and editing screenshots.

How do you snip on a Mac?

There are three ways you can snip on your Mac:

Capture everything on your screen using the following combination of keys: ⌘ + Shift + 3.
Use ⌘ + Shift + 4 to capture a selection of your screen.
Press ⌘ + Shift + 5 to call up the screen-recording panel and select the desired option.

What happened to Grab on Mac?

If you're used to using the Grab app on Mac, then you'll be disappointed to know that it's no longer available in macOS Catalina. Grab was available as a preinstalled app on macOS until High Sierra (version 10.13). The Screenshot tool replaced it in Mojave (version 10.14). Don't worry, the snipping tool is just as good as Grab!