Apple has a very good, brief, written tutorial that describes the basics of taking screenshots.
Each of the techniques described in that tutorial results in a file being saved to your computer’s Desktop.
That is fine, but… your Desktop will end up cluttered with files over time.
There is a better way.
Use the clipboard
The clipboard on your Mac is a special space in memory that holds anything that you might want to move from one application to another application – be that text, an image, or something else.
You are probably familiar with these keyboard shortcuts already:
| Shortcut | Name | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Command-C | Copy | Copies an item or text to the clipboard |
| Command-V | Paste | Pastes an item or text from the clipboard into the current document |
We can capture a screenshot directly into the clipboard on our computer, and then paste that screenshot anywhere – such as straight into a Notion post.
Here’s how.
Capture the entire screeen
As Apple describes:
To take a screenshot, press and then release these three keys together: Shift, Command, and 3.
If, at the same time as you press the keys above, you also press the Control key:
…the resulting screenshot goes to your clipboard and is not saved as a file on your Desktop.
Now, when you are in Notion, just press Command-V to paste in your screenshot from the clipboard.
TIP
Pressing four keys all at once can be a bit cumbersome. Check out the alternatives below, which may be easier to manage.
Capture a portion of the screen
As Apple describes:
Press and then release these three keys together: Shift, Command, and 4.
The pointer turns into a
.
Now, when you select the portion of your screen to capture, hold down the Control key as well:
The resulting screenshot goes to your clipboard and is not saved as a file on your Desktop.
Now, when you are in Notion, just press Command-V to paste in your screenshot from the clipboard.
Capture a window
You can precisely capture just a single window of an app, using the steps provided by Apple:
Press and release these three keys together: Shift, Command, and 4.
Then press and release the Space bar.
The pointer changes to a
.
Now, when you click your trackpad or mouse button to capture the window, hold down the Control key as well:
The resulting screenshot will go to your clipboard and is not saved as a file on your Desktop.
Now, when you are in Notion, just press Command-V to paste in your screenshot from the clipboard.