Looking to capture images, video clips, or your favorite websites? We’ll help you pick the right snipping tool for Mac.

All your latest copied clips are stored in your clipclip application 1 of 4 « Previous; Next » Create as many folders as you need, use the drag and drop feature to quickly organize your clips. 2 of 4 « Previous; Next » Hover over your clips to preview them. 3 of 4 « Previous; Next ». Overwolf's Outplayed automatically records your best plays and lets you easily share highlights with your friends over social media. Quickly capture any webpage to OneNote where you can easily edit, annotate, or share it. Clip the full page, or clip only the article, recipe, or product information you really need.

You’re probably familiar with the incredibly handy Windows snipping tool. It’s awesome, right? Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could have a similar tool on your Mac?

We have some good news. We’ve covered how to capture screenshots on a Mac using snipping tool shortcuts before:

CMD + SHIFT + 3
makes capture a full-screen screenshot

CMD + SHIFT + 4
helps you capture selected area as a screenshot

CMD + SHIFT + 5
captures only an active window that you choose

Today, we’ll go over some of the best snipping tools for Mac to make taking screenshots easy as pie. They include:

Best Snipping Tools for Mac in 2020

Snipping tools enable you to capture much of what you do every day on your computer screen. Some of the reasons you might need a snipping tool include:

• Making visual tutorials
• Sharing your screen with friends
• Sending screenshots for work
• Keep a record of important documents that you cannot download.

If you’re looking for the perfect snipping tool Mac, check out our list below.

1. Snagit

We have to admit, Snagit is the gold standard of screen capture software. It’s very popular with corporate customers for its aesthetic interface and powerful features. The editing and screen recording capabilities are pretty impressive. One of the highlights of the app is the intuitive user interface.

A small control panel appears at the top of your screen. It allows you to capture screenshots, change settings, and customize hotkeys. The editor features nifty tools like callouts, arrows, blur, and others. You can also create animated gifs and videos straight from the app. The process of capturing and editing images and videos is so seamless the average Mac user will take to it like a duck to water.

Snagit allows you to capture your screen in several ways. You can capture the entire screen, a specific region, or a specific application. You can also import images from scanners and cameras. One of the coolest features of this snipping tool for Mac is the ability to capture text from an image and paste it into a text editor. To access the full range of features, you have to pay $50, which is a tad expensive when compared to other tools.

So, what’s our verdict?

We love Snagit. It’s hands down the best Mac snipping tool on the market. The software comes with tons of features and is easy to use. It’s our macOS snipping tool of choice.

✅ PROS:

• Easy to use
• Feature-rich

⛔️ CONS:

• Video editing is cumbersome.

2. Lightshot

Lightshot is an extremely lightweight screen capture tool. It’s also one of the easiest to use. If you’re worried about how to use snipping tool on Mac, then this is the right tool for you. All you do is press the print screen button on your keyboard and select your area of interest. The app will do the rest.

You can edit your screenshots by adding text, colors, shapes, and others. The software has a simple interface that you only interact with on the screen capture screen itself. The most outstanding feature is the ease with which you can capture, save, and upload screenshots. In fact, it’s the only tool that allows you to take one screenshot after the other in quick succession. The tool is completely free and enables you to:

• Print screenshots
• Search for a similar image on Google
• Upload images to Prntscr.com
• Copy and save

So, what’s our verdict?

Lightshot is a great snipping tool on macOS. It can be used by any person with a basic knowledge of computers. Even though it’s not as feature-rich as some of the options on our list, it’s still useful and convenient. The app even earned a place in our list of top 10 snipping tools in 2020.

✅ PROS:

• Lightweight and easy to use
• It’s fast
• It’s free
• Ability to save to social media or the cloud

⛔️ CONS:

• Does not have capture modes.
• Doesn’t have a separate editing screen with advanced tools.

3. SnapNDrag

SbapNDrag is a handy MacBook snipping tool that allows you to grab a snapshot of the full screen, a window, or a specific section of the screen without worrying about key combinations.

You can use the free version or fork out $10 for the pro version. The pro version allows you to resize images, assign global hotkeys, and turn off adverts. Some of the features in the pro version include:

• A library for our screenshots
• Sharing your screenshots to Twitter, Facebook, email, and more.
• Annotate your screenshots
• Multiple output formats (PNG, JPEG or TIFF)
• Border and scaling
• Batch rename
• Custom keyboard shortcuts.

If you use screenshots in your work, then the paid version would be a perfect choice.

✅ PROS:

• Easy to use
• Free version available

⛔️ CONS:

• Limited features on the free version.

4. Monosnap

Monosnap is an online service that doubles as cloud storage, a secure content management system, and snipping tool for Mac. It also works on Windows and Chrome. Using Monosnap, you can instantly capture your entire screen or a portion of it and then use the built-in editing tools to mock-up and share your masterpiece.

Earning 4.3 stars in the Apple App Store, Monosnap might just be the best snipping tool out there for mac.

✅ PROS:

• Customizable hotkeys
• Rich editing tools
• Hide private information with a blur tool
• Free cloud storage space
• Create video and animated GIFs
• Multiple save and share options

⛔️ CONS:

• A possibly overwhelming user interface for some users
• Pushy upgrade ads
• Users complain that it stops working and locks up

5. Greenshot

Greenshot is a popular screen capture tool. It includes dozens of useful features like hotkey combinations, the ability to copy your image to the clipboard, or send it directly to a cloud-based program like Confluence, Box.com, Dropbox, Flick, Imgur, JIRA, Picasa-Web, or your printer. You can even edit screenshots on the fly with the built-in editor. To make this sweet package even better, Greenshot allows you to blur areas of your screenshot to keep things private. You can customize and personalize many of the default settings and use your own hotkey combinations for better functionality.

The program installs quickly, and the interface is easy to use. After you select your area, it turns green, and then you hear a shutter sound, so you know it took the shot. You can even choose your image format (BMP, GIF, JPEG, and PNG) and then mark it up with the built-in tools.

Greenshot was primarily a Windows-based application, but they recently released a snip tool for Mac as well. Although users rave about the Windows version, they are less impressed with the macOS alternative. So, for now, no one will be calling Greenshot the best free snipping tool for Mac, but you never know what the future holds.

✅ PROS:

• Open Source
• Easy to Use
• Freezes Screen When You Capture
• Allows Annotating, Highlighting and Obfuscating Screenshots

⛔️ CONS:

• Rarely Updated

6. Loom Screen Recorder

Loom Screen Recorder allows you to communicate quickly and effectively by taking screenshots or shooting quick videos to send to colleagues, friends, or family. In the time it takes you to type an email or mock-up an idea, you can create a video or screenshot to say it all. Loom offers both a free and paid version. Loom works on Windows, Chrome, Mac, and iOS.

If you are looking for the best free snipping tool for Mac that also records video, look no further, Loom is it! Using quick video recordings and screenshots, you can improve productivity, streamline your workflow, and boost customer satisfaction all at once.

✅ PROS:

• Rich interface with many options
• Supports multiple platforms and even has a Google Chrome extension
• Simple, lightweight, and easy to use
• Screen recording to create quick tutorials on how to do something
• Create videos, screen shares, and even GIFs on the fly

⛔️ CONS:

• Can’t add audio or music separately
• Users complain that it is glitchy at times
• Can’t customize the interface

7. CloudApp’s Mac Screenshot App and CloudApp for iOS

Another option in our Mac snipping tool lineup is CloudApp’s screenshot App. CloudApp is a heavy hitter when it comes to software. They provide solutions for designers, developers, executives, marketing professionals, sales, support, and even production people. You can use CloudApp on the web, or download it to Mac, Windows, Linux and even use it on iOS devices.

Across the board, CloudApp gets high marks from reviewers and users. It’s a sophisticated product that allows you to capture and share your screen using an enterprise-level app. As a bonus, use the built-in analytical tools, white-label capabilities, and secure sharing along with controlled access features.

✅ PROS:

• Excellent support
• Easy to use and learn
• Quick GIF or video creation
• Uploads screenshots and videos automatically to the cloud
• Share links included

⛔️ CONS:

• No full-screen, screen capture, have to select an area
• Some users experienced lock-ups or glitchy video
• Saving to the desktop could be easier
• Needs more powerful annotation tools
• No video editing features

8. Skitch

If you are in the business of taking screenshots and marking them up for your team, Skitch is going to be the best snipping tool for Mac that you can find. Skitch was designed by and is owned by Evernote. If you don’t use Evernote, you won’t enjoy the push to integrate the two. That being said, Skitch is a simple, elegant, effective snipping tool and markup editor for macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS. It has only seven tools, but honestly, why would you need more?

You can quickly add text, shapes, arrows, highlighting, color, draw on your image, and even add blurring to obscure areas. It’s so easy to use; you can figure it out within seconds. When taking a screenshot, you select your area, which lights up, making it easy to see what will and will not be included.

The only drawbacks are the color chooser is limited to only eight colors. There aren’t any special effects or filters, and you cannot save files locally. You must choose between emailing them, sending them as a text message, pulling them into Evernote, or sending them to your photos app. Other than that, we give Skitch a big thumbs up!

✅ PROS:

• Integrates with Evernote
• Supports PNG, JPEG, TIFF, GIF, BMP, and PDF formats

⛔️ CONS:

• Doesn’t offer to save a note when quitting the app

9. Recordit

Recordit is a simple, plugin-style Mac snipping tool that you install on your Mac or Windows machine to create quick screencasts of your entire screen or just a portion. Users love the simplicity and lightweight model, affording you the ability to multi-task while screencasting.

Easily showcase software or tutorials right on your desktop and then share them with your entire office. You can download the free version or pay for the full version for even more features.

✅ PROS:

• Minimalistic snip tool for Mac using virtually no memory
• Lives in the taskbar on Mac
• Dozens of upload and share options
• Customizable hotkeys
• Free cloud storage and management of screenshots
• GIF, and Twitter support

⛔️ CONS:

• Limited to 5 minutes of recording time with the free version
• It requires an internet connection
• The free version is feature-limited

How to Snip on Mac

When you transition from a Windows PC to a Mac, one question that might have you stumped is how to take a screenshot on the Mac. The Mac keyboard doesn't have a Print Screen button but don't worry; there are still plenty of tricks to take a screenshot when you need one fast.

Clip Studio For Mac

CMD + SHIFT + 3

Probably the fastest way to take a screenshot, especially when time is limited, and you are trying to capture something temporary, is to use the CMD + SHIFT + 3 method. Hold down all three keys simultaneously; you will hear a camera sound and a screenshot of your entire screen will instantly be created and copied directly to your desktop. In macOS, these keyboard shortcuts are the Mac snipping tool, similar to the one used in Windows.

After you hear the camera sound, you will see a thumbnail preview of your screenshot in the lower, right-hand corner of the screen. If you click this tiny image, it brings up the entire snipping tool for Mac, and you can edit, annotate, rotate and make other changes to the image before it saves to your desktop.

CMD + SHIFT + 4

Another convenient way to take a screenshot on the Mac with even more precision is to use CMD + SHIFT + 4. This method allows you to select an area around the portion of the screen that you need to capture. You can get very specific about exactly what you want to be copied to the desktop. To use this method, follow the steps below:

1. Hold down the CMD + SHIFT + 4 keys simultaneously. You will see a tiny bullseye on the screen.
2. Now use your mouse or trackpad to click the top-left corner of the area you want to select.
3. Hold and drag until you draw a rectangle around the entire area you want to be selected.
4. Let go of the mouse, you will hear the camera sound, and the screenshot will copy to your desktop.

Again, you will see a tiny preview of the screenshot in the lower, right-hand corner of your screen. You have a couple of seconds to click that image to open up the snipping tool and make edits. If you make a mistake, close the box, and the original will be copied to your desktop.

You might have to try this method a few times until you get good at it, but it's worth it for the precision it offers.

If you have a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, you can use the Touch Bar to choose Selected Portion, Window, or Entire Screen and designate where to save the copy.

CMD + SHIFT + 5

New to macOS Mojave, is the CMD + SHIFT + 5 feature. When you use this option, it pops open an overlay window so you can choose full-screen, a window, or a selection screenshot.

This cool new feature also allows you to record a video of your whole screen or just a portion of it. Two additional options are that you can select where to save the file, and you can also set a handy delay of 5 or 10 seconds to line things up quickly before the screenshot takes a picture.

One More Hidden Trick - Preview Screenshot

So now you know how to use the snipping tool on the Mac. But there is also one more hidden trick we want to share. Buried in the Preview menu, there is a screenshot option. With a PDF or image file open in Preview, simply select File, Take a Screenshot, and then choose 'From Selection,' 'From Window,' or 'From Entire Screen.'

These menu items replace the keyboard shortcuts, but after that, you will have the same options and follow the same instructions above.

Learn more about snipping tools or screen capture software and check out the list of the best snipping tools for Mac to take screenshots of images, video clips, or your favorite websites as easy as pie.

That’s it! Now you are an expert at taking screenshots on a Mac.

Conclusion

Taking screenshots on your Mac need not be complicated. You don’t even have to memorize shortcuts. Our carefully selected list of tools will help you get the job done without breaking a sweat.

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Launchberg editors pick and review products independently. We may earn affiliate commissions when you purchase an item via our links—it helps support our testing.

Make your Mac invincible

Copy and paste has been revolutionary for productivity. That may sound bizarre, considering how commonplace it is. Everyone copy–pastes, all the time. But without such functionality, we’d have to start from scratch on whatever we are working on every time.

Instead of starting over, copy and paste gives us control and time. Control to know that once we’ve created something once — whether it’s a passage of text, an entire document, images, videos, music, code — we can replicate it, instantly and easily. And wherever we have an internet connection, we can share those creations or links with anyone else in the world.

When you stop and think about it, copy and paste is remarkable (on a Mac: Command/⌘+C to copy, then Command/⌘+V to paste). The problem is, we are so used to it, so used to skipping back and forth between tasks that once we’ve copied something, if we don't paste it, we can quickly lose it and need to start again. Such a pain! Unfortunately, even the most expensive Macs only have one clipboard.

Avoid clipboard limitations

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Get an upgrade for your macOS clipboard with Setapp. Quick fixes, no limitations, simplified history recovery.

How to view and manage clipboard history on macOS

Once you’ve copied something else, what you originally copied is lost. A Mac clipboard is a transient memory function, only designed to hold one item at a time. Once it's gone, it's gone. Clearly, this is a problem, and one that developers have been working on with numerous solutions, known as clipboard managers, appearing over the years. Thankfully, we have a solution we highly recommend to this particular problem with copy and paste history.

Where do you find the clipboard on your Mac?

A Mac clipboard is one of those macOS programs that runs in the background. You can find it and view clipboard through the Finder menu, in the top toolbar. Find and select Show Clipboard to see the last item you copied.

How does the macOS clipboard work?

As a native program, macOS clipboard runs the same way as other macOS operating functions. Clipboard is a basic program, which is why it takes up almost no processing power or space, except for the item it currently holds. Unfortunately, this comes with limitations. You can’t see anything else, apart from the latest item you copied. Once you copy something else, the first copied item disappears.

Gladly, now we have a solution for viewing the little-known secondary clipboard, where you can find your clipboard history.

The Mac’s hidden secondary clipboard

Not many people know that macOS has a hidden secondary clipboard. It’s a very well-kept secret. Select any text and press Control + K to cut it. To paste it in its new location, press Control + Y. Note that this cuts, rather than copies, the text. As this feature uses a different functionality, it won’t remove what is currently on the “main” clipboard.

Universal Clipboard

Universal Clipboard is a feature that was introduced in macOS Sierra and iOS 10, and allows you to copy and paste between Apple devices, as long as they’re signed into the same iCloud account and connected to the same WiFi network, with Bluetooth switched on. They also need to be physically close to each other.

To use Universal Clipboard, all you have to do is copy on one device and paste on the other.

How to view clipboard history

The main way to view your clipboard history is to paste (Command/⌘+V). That will show you the most recent item you copied. But did you know you can copy and paste in the Finder too? If you want to copy a file from one folder to another, for example, you can select it, press Command/⌘+C, then click in the folder you want to copy to and press Command/⌘+V.

You can even access clipboard history on a different device than the one you copied from, thanks to Universal Clipboard in macOS Sierra and iOS 10. To use it, your devices must be running at least iOS 10 and macOS Sierra, have both Bluetooth and WiFi turned on and be close to each other. They’ll also need to be signed into iCloud, since Universal Clipboard uses iCloud to sync data. Then all you have to do is copy on one device and paste on the other, using the usual copy and paste method on each device.

How to avoid clipboard limitations

If you have problems using Universal Clipboard, try logging out of iCloud on each device and logging back in again.

There are a couple of alternatives to copying and pasting.

• One is to use text clippings. These are snippets of text that look like files, but can’t be edited and behave differently. To create a text clipping, select text in any document and drag it to the desktop. You can then drag it onto any document in any application that accepts text and drop it at the point where you want to paste it. You can also drag and drop the snippet directly from one application window onto the window of another — missing outboard stores multiple items.

• Paste is quite straightforward. Think of it as a clipboard manager for your Mac, which automatically keeps everything you’ve copied regardless of the format. You can record all clipboard types, from plain text to images, screenshots, links, and more. Anytime you need, you can smart search through the clipboard history manager, share anything through AirDrop or sync to iCloud, and even access clipboard history on other devices using the Universal Clipboard.

• Rocket Typist is another great app that approached solving clipboard limitations from a different angle. This app allows you to create multiple text snippets for passages you use frequently, from email greetings to PHP scripts. Assign trigger combinations for saved snippets and call on them in any app or environment. Alternatively, you can then paste directly into the document you’re working on by selecting the snippet in Rocket Typist to move it to the clipboard and pasting it the regular way.
• One more tool to help solve the clipboard problem is Unclutter. Designed as an app for storing notes and files neatly on your Desktop, Unclutter features a clipboard manager that retains the contents of your Mac’s clipboard, even after you copy something else. An organized interface makes your clipboard history easily accessible, allowing to find any old item you need to paste again.

How do you paste from the clipboard on a Mac?

To paste something from the standard macOS clipboard, use Command/⌘+V. However, when you are using a clipboard manager like Paste, you’ve got several options for pasting items from the clipboard.

• Drag and drop items from the Paste interface directly to any Mac app
• Select and paste multiple items at once
• Paste items as plain text, no matter the format of the original
• Access and paste files from multiple devices using iCloud sync
• Paste using customized shortcuts for most recent as well as old items
• Allow others to paste your snippets by sharing over AirDrop.

How to fix it a non-working clipboard

The first step when you discover that copy and paste don’t work is to check that it’s macOS that’s at fault and not your keyboard. Select some text in any application, then go to the Edit menu and choose Copy. Then go back to the Edit menu and choose Paste or Unclutter. If that works, the problem is with your keyboard.

If that doesn’t work, trying fixing the issue with Activity Monitor.

1. Go to Applications > Utilities and double-click on Activity Monitor to launch it
2. In its search box, type: pboard
3. When it shows the pboard process, select it and press the X in the toolbar
4. Click Force Quit and then close Activity Monitor

Go to an app where copy and paste wasn’t working and try again. If it still doesn’t work, try using Terminal to fix it.

1. Go to Applications > Utilities and double-click on Terminal to launch it
2. Type: killall pboard
3. Hit Return
4. Close Terminal

Try and copy and paste again in the same app as before. If neither Activity Monitor nor Terminal solves the problem, the next step is to restart your Mac.

Adobe Premiere Clip For Mac

How to recover clipboard history on a Mac

The fact that the macOS clipboard only retains the most recently copied thing means that there’s no way to easily view or recover clipboard history. You can, however, use Command/⌘+Z to undo the most recent action and then press it repeatedly to step back through everything you’ve done. Eventually, assuming the application you’re using supports unlimited undos, you’ll get to the point where you pasted the item you want to recover.

A much easier way to recover clipboard history is to use apps like Paste or Unclutter. They retain multiple items and allow you to view them easily in the app, selecting the one you need.

Snippets manager for Mac

Check out the top three best clipboard managers for handling snippets. Grab the handiest one for the job.

How to clear the clipboard

Clips From Youtube

Clearing your clipboard is easy. Either overwrite the current copied item with a copy of something else or, in case of using Paste, delete the clipboard history with a few clicks. However, it’s a good idea to store some items or the whole clipboard history in iCloud just in case you need some of it in the future. Paste or Unclutter make managing clipboard history as straightforward as it can be.

While most Mac users limit themselves to one clipboard item at a time and feel frustrated with every accidental overwrite, you can use apps like Paste, Unclutter, and Rocket Typist — all available in the Setapp app collection — to extend the native capabilities of your Mac and save yourself hours of headaches in the future.

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

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