CleanShot X Keyboard Shortcuts
CleanShot X exists specifically to replace macOS's built-in screenshot tools, and its default shortcuts are designed to sit directly on top of the same key combinations most Mac users already have memorized — Cmd+Shift+4 for area capture rather than a completely new scheme to learn. What sets it apart shortcut-wise is the depth beyond basic capture: a dedicated scrolling capture shortcut stitches together a full webpage or long document that would otherwise take several stitched screenshots, and a self-timer shortcut lets you set up a shot and step away from the trigger before it fires. Annotation happens in a separate lightweight editor window that opens automatically after capture, with its own shortcut set for arrows, text, and blur tools, all Cmd-based since the app is Mac-only. Cloud upload with an automatically copied link is bound to its own shortcut too, reflecting how central instant sharing is to the app's actual daily use case for many teams. Designers documenting UI feedback, developers capturing bug reproduction steps, and support teams sending customers annotated screenshots all gravitate toward CleanShot X specifically because the built-in macOS tools stop at basic capture, leaving annotation and sharing as separate manual steps involving Preview or a chat app's own clunky markup tools — CleanShot X collapses capture, annotate, and share into one continuous flow triggered from the same familiar keyboard shortcuts most Mac users never had to relearn.
Capturing
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capture selected area | — | Cmd+Shift+4 | Opens a crosshair selection tool to drag out a specific screen region to capture, taking over the default macOS shortcut once CleanShot X is set as the system screenshot handler. |
| Capture a specific window | — | Cmd+Shift+4, then Space | Once an area capture is underway, tapping this swaps the crosshair for a window-picker highlight that snaps to whatever window's edges the cursor is hovering over, capturing it cleanly with automatic edge detection and an optional drop shadow. |
| Scrolling capture | — | Cmd+Shift+5 | Captures a scrollable area — a webpage, chat log, or long document — by auto-scrolling and stitching the frames into one tall image, avoiding the need to take and manually combine several separate screenshots. |
Recording
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start screen recording | — | Cmd+Shift+6 | Opens the recording selection tool to capture a region or window as a video, saved locally or optionally converted straight to an animated GIF from the same recording afterward. |
| Capture with self-timer | — | Cmd+Shift+4, hold before releasing | Builds in a short pause between marking your selection and CleanShot actually taking the screenshot, which is exactly the window needed to open a right-click menu or trigger a hover tooltip that would vanish the instant a normal capture click happened. |
Editing Sharing
| Action | Windows | Mac | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add arrow annotation | — | A (in editor) | Switches the post-capture editor to arrow-drawing mode, one of several single-letter tool shortcuts CleanShot X uses in its lightweight annotation window rather than requiring modifier keys. |
| Upload to cloud and copy link | — | Cmd+Shift+U | Uploads the current capture to CleanShot Cloud and copies a shareable link to the clipboard automatically, the core of the app's fast-sharing workflow for teams that paste screenshots into chat constantly. |
| Add text annotation | — | T (in editor) | Switches the post-capture editor to text-insertion mode, letting you type a label or caption directly onto the captured image. |
| Add blur/redaction annotation | — | B (in editor) | Switches to the blur tool for redacting sensitive information (like an email address or account number) visible in the capture before sharing it. |
| Pin screenshot to screen | — | Cmd+Shift+P (varies) | Keeps a captured screenshot floating on top of all other windows as a persistent reference image, useful for comparing a design against a mockup without switching between windows repeatedly. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do CleanShot X shortcuts conflict with the built-in macOS screenshot shortcuts?
They're designed to overlay them intentionally — during setup, CleanShot X offers to take over Cmd+Shift+3/4/5, replacing macOS's native handlers so your existing muscle memory keeps working but now triggers CleanShot's more capable tools instead.
Is CleanShot X available on Windows?
No, it's Mac-only, built specifically around macOS system integrations like the menu bar, Retina display scaling, and Mac-native screen recording APIs, which is part of why there's no cross-platform key scheme to document.
What happens to old screenshots if I uninstall CleanShot X?
Locally saved captures remain wherever you configured them to save (Desktop, a custom folder, or iCloud Drive by default), since they're just standard image or video files. Cloud-hosted links, however, depend on your CleanShot Cloud subscription remaining active to stay accessible.
Does CleanShot X's scrolling capture work on any application, or just web browsers?
Scrolling capture works most reliably in web browsers and certain native apps that support standard scroll-area detection, but its compatibility isn't universal across every application, since it depends on CleanShot X being able to correctly detect and automate the scroll behavior of whatever window is being captured, which some custom-rendered or non-standard interfaces don't support as cleanly.
Can I set a custom save location for captures instead of the default folder?
Yes — CleanShot X's preferences let you configure where local captures save by default, including options like Desktop, a custom folder, or directly into a cloud-synced folder such as iCloud Drive or Dropbox, giving flexibility for people who want screenshots automatically organized somewhere other than the default location.
Is there a way to quickly copy a screenshot to the clipboard without saving it as a file at all?
Yes — after capturing, the floating thumbnail that briefly appears offers a copy-to-clipboard option, and CleanShot X's settings also allow configuring capture shortcuts to copy directly to the clipboard by default rather than always saving a file first, useful for quickly pasting a screenshot into a chat message without leaving a stray file behind on disk.
Does CleanShot X support keyboard shortcuts for undo within the annotation editor?
Yes — Cmd+Z works within the post-capture annotation editor exactly as it would in most other Mac apps, letting you step back through a sequence of added annotations if a text label or arrow was placed incorrectly before finalizing and sharing the image.
Does CleanShot X integrate with cloud storage services beyond its own CleanShot Cloud?
Yes — beyond its own built-in cloud hosting, CleanShot X can be configured to save or upload captures directly to third-party services like Dropbox or Google Drive if those are already set up as synced folders on your Mac, giving flexibility for teams that have already standardized on a different cloud storage provider rather than requiring a switch to CleanShot's own hosting.
Is there a shortcut for annotating a screenshot immediately after capturing it in CleanShot X?
Yes — after any capture, CleanShot's floating preview thumbnail opens directly into its annotation editor with a single click, and pressing Return while that thumbnail is focused opens the same editor without touching the mouse, letting you draw arrows, add text, or blur sensitive information before the screenshot is saved or copied anywhere.