macOS doesn't have a scrolling screenshot tool. ⇧⌘3, ⇧⌘4 and the ⇧⌘5 toolbar capture only what's visible on screen, and that's still true in macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 27 Golden Gate. For a web page, your browser can do it for free: Firefox has a Save full page button, and Chrome and Safari can do it through their developer tools. For anything else, like a chat thread or a long settings list, you need a capture app such as Smooth Recorder, CleanShot X or Shottr.
Every way to take a scrolling screenshot on Mac
| Method | Works on | You get | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox: Save full page | Web pages in Firefox | PNG | Free |
| Chrome DevTools | Web pages in Chrome | PNG | Free |
| Safari Web Inspector | Web pages in Safari | PNG | Free |
| Safari: Export as PDF | Web pages in Safari | One long PDF | Free |
| Smooth Recorder | Anything you can scroll | One tall screenshot | $9 once in early access |
| CleanShot X | Anything you can scroll | One tall screenshot | From $35 once |
| Shottr | Anything you can scroll | One tall screenshot | Free to try, $12 license |
Prices as of September 2026. Which one fits depends on what you capture and how often:
- A web page now and then: start with your browser. It's free and already installed.
- Web pages every week: an app with a hotkey saves the trip through menus and developer tools.
- Anything that isn't a web page: you need an app, because browser tools can't see other windows.
Firefox: Save full page (the easiest free way)
Firefox has a screenshot tool built in. No extension needed.
- Open the page in Firefox.
- Control-click an empty part of the page and choose Take Screenshot, or press ⇧⌘S.
- Click Save full page in the top-right corner.
- Click Download to save a PNG to your Downloads folder, or Copy to put it on the clipboard.
Need only part of the page? Drag or click on the page instead of choosing Save full page. Mozilla's screenshot guide has the details.
Chrome: Capture full size screenshot
Chrome hides its full-page capture in DevTools, but it takes seconds once you know where to look.
- Open the page and press ⌥⌘I to open DevTools.
- Press ⇧⌘P to open the Command Menu.
- Type
screenshotand choose Capture full size screenshot. - Chrome saves a PNG to your Downloads folder.
The same command works in other Chromium browsers, such as Edge and Brave. DevTools renders the whole page in one pass instead of scrolling, so sticky headers and images that load on scroll can come out wrong. Scroll to the bottom of the page once before you capture.
Safari: Web Inspector or Export as PDF
Safari has no screenshot button, but it has two built-in routes to the whole page.
Capture Screenshot in Web Inspector (PNG)
- Choose Safari > Settings, click Advanced, and turn on Show features for web developers.
- Open the page and press ⌥⌘I, or choose Develop > Show Web Inspector.
- In the Elements tab, Control-click the
<html>line at the top of the tree. - Choose Capture Screenshot, then pick where to save the PNG.
Control-click a different element to capture just that part, such as the article without the site's header and footer.
Export as PDF (one long page)
Choose File > Export as PDF, name the file and click Save. Safari saves the page as one long PDF page without page breaks, and the text stays selectable. File > Print, then PDF > Save as PDF, is different: it splits the page into printer-sized pages.
For a cleaner result, choose View > Show Reader first to strip out ads and menus. Need an image instead? Open the PDF in Preview, choose File > Export, and pick PNG or JPEG.
Apps that capture any scrolling window
Browser tools stop at web pages. For a Slack or Messages thread, a long document, or a settings screen, use an app that scrolls and stitches for you.
Smooth Recorder
- Press ⌥1 to open the capture overlay.
- Pick the area or window you want.
- Press S for a scrolling capture.
- Scroll through the content. You get one tall screenshot, and sticky headers are kept once instead of repeating down the image.
The same overlay takes regular screenshots (Return), recordings (R), GIFs (G) and text (T). Screenshots open in an editor with arrows, blur, crop and Smart Redact. Smooth Recorder is a native app for macOS 15 and later, $9 once during early access, with no subscription.
CleanShot X
- Choose Scrolling Capture from the CleanShot X menu bar icon.
- Drag over the area you want to scroll.
- Click Start Capture and scroll, or click Auto-Scroll to let the app scroll for you.
- Click Done.
Scroll at a steady pace. If you go too fast, CleanShot X asks you to slow down. Basic is $35 once with a year of updates, and Pro is $12 a month, as of September 2026 (pricing). See how it compares on our CleanShot X alternative page.
Shottr
- Click the Shottr menu bar icon and choose Scrolling Capture. You can set a hotkey in Settings > Hotkeys.
- Drag over the window you want, ideally including its borders.
- Let go, then don't touch anything: Shottr scrolls and captures on its own. Press Esc to stop early.
According to Shottr's scrolling capture guide, automatic mode can come out choppy in apps like Terminal and VS Code, and its manual mode, where you scroll yourself, works better there. Shottr is free to try, and a Basic license is $12 once, as of September 2026 (pricing).
Tips for a clean scrolling screenshot
- Clear the page first. Close cookie banners, chat bubbles and pop-ups. They either hide content or repeat.
- Load everything. Scroll to the bottom and back once, so images that load on scroll are there when you capture.
- Watch sticky headers. A header that stays on screen can repeat on every stitched section. Capture just the content area below it, or use a tool that keeps it once.
- Keep it narrow. A tall capture of a full-width window turns into tiny text when someone opens it on a laptop. Narrow the window, or capture only the column that matters.
- Scroll steadily. When you scroll by hand, a slow and even pace gives the cleanest joins. Pause videos and animations first.
- Hide private details. Long captures pick up names, email addresses and order numbers. Blur them before you share. Smooth Recorder's Smart Redact finds email addresses and phone numbers for you.
- Mind the length. Very long pages make very large images. Split them into sections, or use Safari's PDF export, which keeps text sharp at any zoom.
- Trim the ends. Open the image in Preview, drag a selection around the part you need, and choose Tools > Crop (⌘K). Preview's Markup tools can add arrows and notes before you send it.
When a scrolling screenshot beats a video
| You want to show | Use |
|---|---|
| A whole landing page for design feedback | Scrolling screenshot |
| A long chat thread, receipt or settings list | Scrolling screenshot |
| A layout bug partway down a page | Scrolling screenshot, annotated |
| A hover effect, animation or transition | Video or GIF |
| A bug that only happens while scrolling | Video |
| A flow that moves across several screens | Video |
A scrolling screenshot lets people read at their own pace, zoom in, and leave comments on exact spots. It's one file that opens anywhere, with nothing to scrub through. Video wins when motion is the point. For those cases, see how to record a bug report video or how to record a GIF on Mac.
And if you need the words from a capture rather than the picture, see how to copy text from your screen on Mac.