How to Change Mac Screenshot Shortcuts
Sometimes the shortcut stops working because another app took it. Here's where to look and what to change.
⌘⇧4 suddenly does nothing. Usually another app claimed the same combination first. Or the combination is just awkward for your hands and you’d rather move it.
Changing them
- Open System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts.
- Pick Screenshots on the left.
- Click the combination next to the entry you want and press a new one.
- Untick an entry to turn that shortcut off entirely.
The names are long, so here’s what each one actually does.
| Entry | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Save picture of screen as a file | ⌘⇧3 | Whole screen to a file |
| Copy picture of screen to clipboard | ⌃⌘⇧3 | Whole screen to the clipboard |
| Save picture of selected area as a file | ⌘⇧4 | Dragged region to a file |
| Copy picture of selected area to clipboard | ⌃⌘⇧4 | Dragged region to the clipboard |
| Screenshot and recording options | ⌘⇧5 | Opens the options bar |
Where clashes hide
If it still doesn’t fire, something else holds that combination. Check in this order.
- The other categories in System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts — Mission Control, Spotlight, Services.
- App shortcuts. Screen-sharing tools, note apps and launchers grab global combinations often.
- System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility — turning an app’s permission off there also stops its global shortcuts.
Floatie’s shortcuts
Floatie deliberately avoids the built-in combinations. All of them are editable in Settings → Shortcuts.
| Action | Default |
|---|---|
| Capture region | ⌘⇧2 |
| Capture full screen | ⌘⇧1 |
| Capture window | ⌃⌥2 |
| Scrolling capture | ⌃⌥3 |
| Record region | ⌥⇧2 |
| All-in-one capture | ⌘⌥5 |
| Open editor | ⌘E |
| Text recognition | ⌘O |
| History | ⌘⇧H |
Top left · Ghost
Clicks pass straight through the shot
If a combination collides, Floatie says so in the settings screen. Move the ones you use most to wherever your hands actually are — capture gets noticeably faster.
Ready to float?
Free for 14 days with everything unlocked. After that, a one-time purchase keeps Floatie Pro for good, or a monthly or yearly plan does the same and adds Floatie Link Pro.