Snipping tools are neat little apps that allow you to take screenshots of any aspect of your Mac desktop including active windows. If you don’t just want to capture the whole screen but want to focus on one part of the desktop, this is the tool you need. Here are what I think are the best snipping tools for Mac.
Best Snipping Tool for Mac. If you want a snipping tool packed with additional features, download Skitch, from the creators of Evernote. Skitch is a free snipping tool app for Macs that also allows you to easily draw arrows, boxes, add text, resize the image, and much more.
Also see our article How to Merge Folders on MacOS
Snipping tools have been around for years and are the unsung heroes of bloggers and computer users everywhere. They capture an aspect of screen, can zoom, create basic effects and export into graphics programs for further manipulation. There are few better ways to generate screenshots for tutorials and how-to guides.
Taking screenshots on Mac
While snipping tools are useful, you have some shortcut keys built into Mac OS that allow you to do many things they can do.
- Command + Shift 3 takes a screenshot of the whole desktop.
- Command + Shift 4 gives you a crosshair to drag around the desktop to create a box image.
- Command + Shift 4 + Space takes a screenshot of one particular window.
- Command + Shift 3 + Control copies that screenshot into the clipboard.
Snipping tools for Mac
Mac OS has Grab built in. Grab is a snipping tool-type utility that can capture the screen complete with cursor. Find it in Applications and Utilities. It has the ability to select active windows, drag to select and use a timer to allow you to set up a menu or instruction ready for the screenshot.
The Screen mode allows you to click the screen to make the capture which can be useful if you want the cursor in the image. You just have to position the cursor correctly for it to work.
There are also a few third-party screen grab tools available for Mac.
Snagit
Snagit is a premium snipping tool with a lot of power. It works on both Windows and Mac and specializes in capturing screenshots, scrolling screens, video stills and creating animated gifs. It is fast, simple to use and has a range of flexible options that enable you to set up your screenshot just the way you like it.
As well as screen capture, Snagit can also help you edit your image, add effects such as magnifying a particular element, create steps, stamps and add text. It’s quite a powerful little tool.
Jing
Jing is another snipping tool for Mac that makes capturing images simple. It has the usual drag to select, active window capture, timer and the ability to capture scrolling screens or video. It is made by the same company as Snagit and the two can work together to create top quality images.
Where Snagit’s specialty is capturing the screen, Jing’s is adding visual elements to what you capture. It has basic capture tools but has more effects, text and tools to make your screenshot stand out.
Lightshot
Lightshot is available for both Mac and Windows and is a very capable snipping tool. It has tools to select active windows, drag and select, timed select and more and also a series of editing tools to make your image look pretty. It has some social elements too if you want to share your creation over social media.
The UI is very straightforward and takes only a few seconds to orient yourself. Then you just select your tool of choice and begin capturing images. There isn’t a lot more to it.
Nimbus Screenshot and Screencast
Nimbus Screenshot and Screencast is slightly different in that it works in your browser rather than installs into your Mac. It achieves the same goal though. It captures the entire screen, drag to select and save as multiple file types. It also has editing tools to make the image a little more personal or interesting.
Nimbus is mainly for capturing browser windows so has limited functionality but what it does, it does well. The ability to record video and scrolling screens and then draw all over the capture is worth the download alone!
ScreenCloud
ScreenCloud is a snipping and sharing tool in one. It has the usual drag and select, timer and active window tools but also a neat feature where it automatically creates a link for each screenshot you take. You can then share the link with others in the cloud. Sharing is optional though as you can also save files locally to work on them.
ScreenCloud is very simple to use and works fast. It doesn’t have as many editing and effects tools as some of the others here but for the core task of taking screenshots, it does very well.
Snipping Tool is a screen capture utility that is included in all Windows Operating System. This program is the most convenient way to take screenshot. It features different capture modes such as Free-form Snip, Rectangular Snip, Window Snip, and Full-screen Snip. Plus, this app also has a pen and a highlighter, which are beneficial in adding marks. But in spite of these, Snipping Tool can only run on Windows OS and it’s not supported in other operating platform like Mac. Many users who switch from Windows to Mac may look for the same functions brought by Snipping Tool for Mac. There are many programs out there that can serve as Snipping Tool alternative for Mac and three of them will the provided after the jump.
Top Three Snipping Tool on Mac
#1. Apowersoft Mac Screenshot
The first Snipping Tool alternative for Mac that you can use is Apowersoft Mac Screenshot. This program is designed and created to fit in any device that runs on Mac OS X. It has simple yet powerful screen capture capabilities that will allow you to take “Regional screenshot”, and “Full screenshot”. Some of the features that you can get from this app include:
- Take screenshot of anything shown on Mac screen
- Numerous snapshot outputs
- Annotate the screenshot with various editing options
- Upload and share captured screenshot with just one click
- Magnify screen to enhance the image’s readability
These helpful features show that Apowersoft Mac Screenshot is the best Mac Snipping Tool that you can use since these features can rarely been seen together in one program. Plus, this tool enables users to make some necessary settings according to their preference, just like setting the hotkeys, output folder, and the image format to be used. It is indeed a complete program that is worth a try.
Here are the steps in taking screenshot using this screen cap tool.
- Click the download button above and install it.
- Change the default settings in “Options”.
- Show something that you need to capture from your Mac screen and then click the hotkey that you’ve set.
- Hover the mouse above the portion you want to capture and drag along it, then release your mouse.
- An image preview with an image editor will be shown where you can add simple annotations.
- Once editing is done, you can save the image either to local disk or save it to cloud storage.
#2. Grab for Mac
Another Snipping Tool on Mac that you can use is Grab. This is a built-in utility tool that is included in every OS X running devices. This is comparable to Windows Snipping Tool since it also has various modes like Selection, Window, Screen, and Timed Screen. To use this program simply click “Finder” > “Applications” > “Utilities” > “Grab” and then open it. In order to take screenshot, hit “Capture” function and choose the capture mode based on your needs. Some of its features include:
- An easy to use interface
- Different screen capture modes
- It’s free of charge
Grab can be a great Mac Snipping Tool that you can utilize, however one of the downsides is that the captured image can be automatically saved in TIFF format. If you desire you save it in other formats, you can change it in the “Preview” app.
#3. Skitch
The next free Snipping Tool for Mac that we have is the Skitch. This is a well-known screen capture program that is created by Evernote. It is capable of taking multiple screenshots easily without any incompatibility issues with Mac OS X. It also has a screenshot editing and sharing functions. This tool has features that include:
Snip It Tool For Mac
- A straightforward interface
- One click screenshot function
- Has a built-in annotating program
Skitch for Mac can be a good Snipping Tool alternative for Mac. This is due to the fact that it provides more functions than the Windows Snipping Tool, such as various image annotation options. Moreover, it allows easy sharing of captured screenshot from one person to another via internet.
Conclusion
These are the various programs that act like Snipping Tool for OS X users. However, it is recommended to use the first Snipping Tool for Mac, for this program is packed with many powerful functions such as uploading and sharing image online.