They're not as bothersome when you only have to do it sometimes.Īlso, if you want to take a screenshot of a window that also just happens to have another window open within it, like a drop-down box, it most likely won't capture both. For instance, use the default Command Shift 4, Spacebar, Option-click routine, the TinkerTool method, or the Terminal trick. It's much easier than working around this limitation. To take a screenshot of something that won't register with your custom capture tool, fall back on one of the other methods in this article to get the job done. You won't be able to use File –> Services in the menu bar either. If you open up "Preferences" in iTunes, you won't be able to use the keyboard shortcut to take a screenshot of the Preferences window. While this new Window Capture tool will get the job done in most cases and is more convenient than other methods, there is one minor caveat to using it - it doesn't play nice with app preference windows.Īs an example, let's take iTunes. Command Shift 6 = isolated no-shadow window picture.Command Shift 5 = Mojave's new Screenshot app.Command Shift 4 = selected area picture.I chose Command Shift 6 so that it's close to the default screenshot shortcuts - without having to worry about Spacebars or Option keys. Select "Quick Action" (or "Service") from the popup window, then "Choose."Ĭlick on "Add Shortcut" to the right, then input one using your keyboard.Open up Automator on your Mac (it should be in Applications).If not, it's still fairly simple and is a good starting lesson for getting to know Automator and what it can do for your Mac. If you've used Automator before in the past, this should be a breeze. So what's the next best thing? Creating a Window Capture service. Also, Terminal commands seem like overkill when it comes to screenshots. The hidden keyboard shortcut may be a pain in the ass, and the TinkerTool option requires a logout/login in order to take effect each time you want to enable/disable the drop shadow. defaults write disable-shadow -bool false Method #4: Make Your Own Window Capture Shortcut If you ever want to bring them back, just use the following command in Terminal, again, followed by the SystemUIServer killall command. killall SystemUIServerĭrop shadows should now be disabled when using the default Command Shift 4 / Spacebar routine without Option. Just like with TinkerTool, you will need to either log out and back in or use the following command to refresh the menu bar services. defaults write disable-shadow -bool true To do so, just input the following command. If you're familiar with Terminal, you may just want to use it over TinkerTool to toggle drop shadows on and off. Method #3: Use Terminal to Toggle Shadows On/Off If you want to see more of what this app can do for your Mac, check out our TinkerTool guide, which goes into depth about each section and what kind of tweaks are available. To bring drop shadows back, just check the option in TinkerTool and reset your menu bar services using one of the two options above. Now whenever you use the Command Shift 4 / Spacebar shortcut, drop shadows will be gone - no Option needed. Your choice won't be activated until you reset your Mac's menu bar services, which you can do by either logging out and logging back into your user profile or using the following Terminal command. Alternatively, you can hit Command Shift 5 on Mojave and higher, select the "Capture Selected Window" option from the menu, then Option-click on the window. Then, while you click on the window of your choice, hold down the Option key. To make that clearer, hit Command Shift 4 to activate the crosshairs selection icon, then Spacebar to activate the camera icon. Just use the Option key when taking a screenshot of a window.
It's a little-known trick since it's not mentioned anywhere in macOS, but it's the simplest one out of all the ones I will be mentioning here.
Method #1: Use the Option Key for Shadowless Windows Even if you were to take the screenshot using Preview instead, the drop shadow would still be there.īut there are many ways to solve this issue, from the super simple to the more complex to the most convenient. For instance, the empty space turns white in this article, as clearly seen above.
Using the shortcut Command Shift 3, followed by Spacebar, and clicking.īecause of the drop shadow, there's a lot of empty space around the image that you may not want, especially if you're uploading the image onto certain websites.