---
title: "Command + Shift + 4: part of the screen"
url: "https://screenshot-laptop.com/macbook/command-shift-4/"
platform: "macOS"
section: "MacBook"
updated: "2026-09-16"
license: "CC-BY-4.0"
attribution: "screenshot-laptop.com"
shortcuts:
  - "Cmd + Shift + 4"
  - "Space"
  - "Space"
---

# Command + Shift + 4: part of the screen

*The selection capture, and the one shortcut worth learning the modifiers for — Space, Option and Shift each change what happens mid-drag.*

URL: https://screenshot-laptop.com/macbook/command-shift-4/

## The short answer

- `Cmd` + `Shift` + `4` — Crosshairs, drag a region
- then `Space` — Switch to capturing a whole window
- hold `Space` mid-drag — Move the box without resizing it

## The basic capture

Press the shortcut and the cursor becomes crosshairs with pixel coordinates beside it. Drag a rectangle, release, and the file lands on your desktop. If you want the whole screen instead, `Cmd`+`Shift`+`3` does it in one press — see [capturing the entire screen](https://screenshot-laptop.com/macbook/command-shift-3/).

`Esc` cancels at any point.

## The modifiers, which is where this gets good

These all work **while** the crosshairs are active or mid-drag, and none of them are signposted anywhere in the interface.

### Space — capture a window

Tap `Space` before dragging and the crosshairs become a camera icon. Hover over any window and it highlights blue; click to capture it, cropped exactly to its edges with a drop shadow.

It works on more than windows: the Dock, the menu bar, an open menu, a Notification Center banner, and individual Desktop widgets all highlight separately. It's the cleanest way to capture a single interface element.

Hold `Option` as you click to drop the drop shadow and get a flat, tightly cropped image. Better for documentation, where a fake shadow just adds grey margin.

### Space held mid-drag — reposition the box

Start dragging, then hold `Space` and move the mouse. The selection keeps its exact dimensions and slides around. Release `Space` to resize again.

Use this when you need a capture at a specific size: get the dimensions right anywhere on screen, then slide the box over your target.

### Option mid-drag — resize from the centre

Holding `Option` while dragging expands the selection outward from its centre instead of from the corner you started at. Useful for centring a box on something.

### Shift mid-drag — lock one edge

Holding `Shift` freezes every edge but the last one you moved. Drag a box slightly too short and you can extend just the bottom, rather than starting over.

## Coordinates are a free measuring tool

The numbers beside the crosshairs are live pixel coordinates, and they change to width × height as you drag. That makes this shortcut a screen ruler — drag across an element to read its size, then press `Esc`. No capture, no app, no file. For a selection you can adjust before committing, and for screen recording, use [the capture toolbar](https://screenshot-laptop.com/macbook/command-shift-5/) instead.

## Clipboard instead of a file

`Cmd`+`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`4`. Same selection behaviour, image goes to the clipboard only.

The selection capture is the one most Mac users settle on, and [the other two numbered shortcuts](https://screenshot-laptop.com/macbook/) sit beside it.

## Questions

**Can I take the same region twice without redrawing it?**

Yes. macOS remembers your last selection — press `Cmd`+`Shift`+`4` and hit `Return` to reuse it. Invaluable when capturing a series of frames from the same window.

**How do I capture a dropdown menu that closes when I press the shortcut?**

Open menus survive `Cmd`+`Shift`+`4` on macOS, unlike on Windows. Open the menu, press the shortcut, and drag over it. If a particular menu still closes, use the timer in `Cmd`+`Shift`+`5` instead.

**Why does my window capture have a big grey border?**

That's the drop shadow macOS adds. Hold `Option` when you click the window to leave it out.