Do you know how to crop a screenshot on Mac? You may be surprised to learn that there are numerous methods for cropping a screenshot on a Mac. Yes, you read that correctly. Taking screenshots on macOS is a relatively simple process.
By capturing a screenshot, you can record specific areas of the screen or the entire screen. All screenshots you take are instantly saved as picture files on the Desktop of your Mac for easy access.
However, aren’t there occasions when you need to crop or modify a screenshot to remove an undesirable portion of the image? To ensure that you focus on the relevant part of the screenshot, you may feel compelled to improve the image file’s framing or composition.
We’ve covered a step-by-step approach for cropping a screenshot on Mac in this post.
Let’s get started
How to Crop a Screenshot on Mac: Shortcuts to Capture Screenshots on Mac

Before we begin, let’s review a few macOS shortcuts for fast capturing screenshots.
Pressing Command + Shift + 3 on your Mac’s keyboard captures a complete screenshot of the entire screen. This is almost identical to Windows’ “Print Screen” functionality.

Command + Shift + 4: This combination allows you to capture a portion of the screen.

Command + Shift + 5: When this combination is pressed, a screenshot toolbar appears on the screen for taking screenshots.
How to Crop a Screenshot on Mac
After capturing the screenshot, below are a few methods for cropping screenshots on macOS to edit the image file.
How to Crop a Screenshot on Mac: Thumbnail Method
The thumbnail approach is one of the simplest ways to capture a screenshot on a Mac. What you need to do is as follows.
Once you’ve taken the screenshot, you’ll notice a thumbnail icon in the image file’s corner. Select the Crop button by tapping on it.
Once in crop mode, you’ll notice a border around your image file. Drag any corner of the screenshot file to adjust the proportions to your liking. The white area on the screen represents your saved material.
Once finished, click anywhere on the screen to save the cropped snapshot to the Desktop.
That concludes our discussion!
How to Crop a Screenshot on Mac: Preview
Have you forgotten to click on the thumbnail icon after taking a screenshot on Mac? Do not be concerned! On a Mac, you can still crop a screenshot using the Preview app. After a few seconds, the thumbnail icon vanishes. Therefore, in case you missed it, the following quick steps will get you started:
Launch Mac’s Preview application and navigate to the location of the screenshot file to open it in the Preview window.

Select the “Show Markup Toolbar” check box.

Once the rectangular section appears on the screen, drag any corner to adjust the screenshot’s proportions. To modify the screenshot file, select the area you want to keep and click the “Crop” button.
Alternatively, you can crop a screenshot on Mac by going to the Tools> Crop menu.
To save the screenshot, tap on the File menu and then on “Save.”
How to Crop a Screenshot on Mac: Photos App
Cropping screenshots on Mac is also possible using the built-in Photos app. The Photos app on Mac includes a variety of built-in tools and features for cropping images.
Locate the image file on your Desktop, right-click it, and then choose Open With> Photos.
Once the screenshot file has been opened in the Photos app, click the “Edit” button in the top-right corner of the screen.

On the menu bar, click the “Crop” button.
Crop the image by dragging the file’s sections. If you are dissatisfied with the recent changes, you can also undo them using the “Revert to Original” option.
After cropping the screenshot, click the “Done” button to save the file.
Use Third-party Tools to Crop Screenshots on Mac
You can even crop screenshots on Mac using a third-party tool. Online, a plethora of screenshot editing tools are available. Skitch is a simple, easy-to-use screenshot editor tool that lets you crop a screenshot on your Mac.
Launch the Skitch application on your Mac and complete the following steps.
The arrow icon next to the “Screen snap” button should be tapped. To open the screenshot in Skitch, select the “Open an image or PDF” option.
Select the “Crop” icon from the left toolbar.
Drag the corners to adjust the file’s proportions. When finished, click “Apply.”
Navigate to File> Export to save the cropped screenshot.
How to Crop a Screenshot on Mac: Conclusion
Thus, gentlemen, here are a few methods for cropping a screenshot on a Mac, using either built-in tools or third-party software, as desired. You can use any methods listed above to customize the screenshot file and concentrate on the critical elements.