Smooth RecorderTo crop a screenshot on a Mac, click the thumbnail that appears in the corner of your screen right after you take it. Click the Crop tool, drag the edges to the part you want, then click Done. If the thumbnail has gone, open the file in Preview, drag a box around the part you want and press ⌘K.
These steps work the same on a MacBook, an iMac or a Mac mini. Here are all four ways, and when to use each.
Which way to crop
| Method | Best for | Keeps the original? |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot thumbnail | A screenshot you just took | No |
| Preview | Any saved screenshot | Only through Revert To |
| Photos | Screenshots in your library | Yes |
| ⇧⌘4 selection | Avoiding the crop altogether | There's nothing to crop |
Crop from the screenshot thumbnail
This is the fastest way, because you're already looking at the screenshot.
- Take a screenshot with ⇧⌘3 or ⇧⌘4.
- Click the thumbnail in the corner of the screen before it slides away.
- In the window that opens, click the Crop button in the toolbar.
- Drag the handles on the edges and corners until only the part you want is inside.
- Click Done.
The thumbnail stays for only a few seconds. If you miss it, use Preview below.
Crop a saved screenshot in Preview
Screenshots save to your Desktop by default, and they open in Preview when you double-click them.
- Double-click the screenshot to open it in Preview.
- Drag across the image to draw a box around the part you want to keep. Drag the blue handles to adjust it.
- Press ⌘K, or choose Tools > Crop.
- Press ⌘S, or just close the window. Preview saves your change.
You can undo the crop with ⌘Z while the file is open. To keep the full screenshot as well, choose File > Duplicate first and crop the copy.
Crop in Quick Look
You don't have to open Preview at all. Click the screenshot in Finder and press the Space bar to open Quick Look. Click the Markup button at the top right, then the Crop button, and drag the edges. Click Done to save.
Crop a screenshot in Photos
Photos is handy if your screenshots are already in your library, because it never loses the original.
- Open the screenshot in Photos and click Edit.
- Click Crop at the top of the window.
- Drag the corners, or choose an aspect ratio from the list.
- Click Done.
To undo it later, open the picture, click Edit and choose Revert to Original.
Take the right screenshot the first time
The neatest crop is the one you never have to do.
- ⇧⌘4 turns the pointer into crosshairs. Drag over the area you want and let go.
- ⇧⌘4, then the Space bar, captures one window, with no desktop around it.
- ⇧⌘5 opens the toolbar, which remembers the last area you selected. That helps when you're taking several screenshots of the same spot.
See every shortcut in our guide to Mac screenshot shortcuts.
Crop and tidy screenshots with an app
The built-in tools are enough for a quick crop. If you take a lot of screenshots for docs or product pages, an editor saves you steps.
Smooth Recorder opens each screenshot in an editor with crop, arrows, text, numbered steps and blur. Smart Redact can also find emails, card numbers and API keys and cover them before you share. It's $19 once in early access. CleanShot X is another good choice, and Shottr is a small, low-cost option.
Troubleshooting
The Crop option is gray in Preview. You haven't drawn a selection yet. Drag across the image first.
The crop also cut the part I wanted. Press ⌘Z straight away, then draw the box again. If you've closed the file, choose File > Revert To > Browse All Versions.
The cropped image looks blurry. Cropping keeps the original pixels, so a small crop shown large will look soft. Take the screenshot at the size you need, or zoom in on the page before you capture it.