Turn a copied screenshot into a file
Every operating system has a shortcut that captures the screen to the clipboard instead of to a file — handy until you actually need the file. Paste it here and you get one, named and dated.
Press ⌘V to paste
A screenshot, an image, text, JSON, a PDF, a whole file — anything on your clipboard becomes a download.
or drop a file anywhere on this page
Steps
- 01Capture to the clipboard: Ctrl+Shift+⌘+4 on macOS, Win+Shift+S on Windows, or the Copy button in your Linux screenshot tool.
- 02Press ⌘V on this page.
- 03Press Download. The file is timestamped so consecutive captures never overwrite each other.
Good to know
Why the clipboard-only shortcut exists
It is faster for pasting into a chat, but leaves you with nothing to attach to an email or upload to a form. This page bridges the two.
Crop before you paste
Any editing you did in your screenshot tool is already baked into the clipboard image, so what you see in the preview is exactly what downloads.
Questions
What shortcut copies a screenshot to the clipboard on Mac?
Hold Control with the usual capture shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+⌘+4 for a selection, Ctrl+Shift+⌘+3 for the whole screen.
Where does the Windows Snipping Tool put my capture?
Win+Shift+S copies it to the clipboard. Paste it here to save it as a PNG.