Copying/pasting selection of a screenshot onto my desktop

Before you take the screenshot, you can choose a smaller area.

Take a screenshot on Mac - Apple Support

• Command-Shift-3 captures the whole screen.
• Command-Shift-4 lets you drag to select an area.
• Command-Shift-4 then Space bar captures the active window.
• Command-Shift-5 brings up the controls, but also a selection window where you can reposition the bounding box then capture it

If you already have a screenshot, you can open it in Preview, select an area and Command-C to copy it, then Command-N will make a new file with just the copied region.

Screenshots are typically png graphics files, Not text.

Open the screenshot in Preview.

You may have to copy what you want to Clipboard, then choose

File > New from clipboard.

Or delete the parts you DON'T want and save what remains.

Hold the option key to enable 'Save AS ...'

Sorry, maybe this is better:

Copy selection in Preview and paste it on desktop

1. Take the screenshot
2. Click on the screenshot thumbnail in the bottom right corner of the screen
3. When that appears, click the Share button (top right corner on the toolbar in the window that pops up)
4. Share it with Preview
5. Select the part of the screenshot you want
6. Press Cmd + C to copy
7. Click on your desktop in Finder or behind your open applications
8. Press Cmd + V to paste

Does this help?

Here’s a solution that can be used for copying parts of the screenshot, or even text!

Open the screenshot in Preview

1. Take the screenshot
2. Tap on the screenshot preview in the bottom right
3. Click Share
4. Click Preview (the screenshot will open in Preview)
5. Select the part of the screenshot you want (box selection is default)
6. Press Cmd + C to copy

To copy text, you can simply drag the selection cursor across text (make sure your pointer is the I shape).

Hope this helps!

Have you actually tried the steps that you list? After step 8, does something appear on your desktop? For me, nothing does. As stated already, for that method you need to create a new file (Command-N) in Preview and the copied portion of the current file will become that new file, which can then be saved.

Also (not that these are very relevant since the last step fails), note that for step 2, not everyone has the Show Floating Thumbnail option enabled, and after step 4, if Preview is already running but with no open files, you must cancel the Open file dialog that pops up before step 5.

Iron_Duck wrote:

Thank you, but not really :/ It's kind of vague

Grant Bennet-Alder and neuroanatomist both give some very specific instructions.

Ohh, okay I see now. Apologies.