ShottieShort answer: macOS can't do it. The built-in ⌘⇧3, ⌘⇧4 and ⌘⇧5 tools capture what's on screen and nothing more. For a web page, Chrome, Safari and Firefox each have a free full-page capture hidden in their menus. For a chat window, a document or any other app, you need a capture app with scrolling capture: Shottie, CleanShot X, Shottr and Snagit all have one.
Everything here was checked on September 30, 2026. Apple's own screenshot guide, in both its macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 27 Golden Gate versions, lists no scrolling or full-page option, so if your Mac seems to be missing one, it isn't you. This page is published by Shottie, one of the apps below.
Method 1: your browser, free, for web pages only
These three capture the page as the browser lays it out, so they're the right tool for a long article or a settings page and the wrong one for anything that isn't a website.
Chrome.
- Open DevTools with ⌘⌥I.
- Press ⌘⇧P to open the Command Menu and type "screenshot".
- Run Capture full size screenshot. Chrome saves a PNG.
DevTools takes a single capture of the whole page rather than scrolling down it, so anything that only loads as you scroll, like lazy-loaded images, can come out blank. Scroll to the bottom and back first.
Safari.
- Choose Safari > Settings > Advanced and tick "Show features for web developers".
- Open the page, then choose Develop > Show Web Inspector (⌥⌘I).
- In the Elements tab, right-click the line that begins with
<htmland choose Capture Screenshot.
Safari's command captures whichever element you right-click, so you can also pick one section of a page. On a full page the PNG can have empty space around the content, which a quick crop fixes.
Firefox. Right-click the page (two-finger tap on a trackpad), choose Take Screenshot, click Save full page, then download it. "Save visible" is the option beside it if you only want what's on screen.
Method 2: an app that scrolls for you, in any app
Browser tools can't help with a Slack thread, a long spreadsheet or a PDF in Preview. For those, a capture app watches the area while you scroll and stitches the frames into one tall image.
Shottie does it from the menu bar panel, in four steps. It works in any app, not just browsers, and it's $29 once for two Macs.
- Open the Shottie panel in the menu bar and choose Scrolling Capture.
- Drag the area you want on the dimmed overlay.
- Scroll through it yourself at a steady pace. Shottie grabs the area every 80 milliseconds and stitches the frames together, ignoring sticky header and footer bands so they don't repeat.
- Press Done to get one tall PNG, ready for the annotation tools or a backdrop.
Choose it if you want scrolling capture next to markup and a screen recorder in one app, without a subscription.
CleanShot X lists Scrolling Capture among its capture modes, works in every app and supports both vertical and horizontal scrolling. It's $35 once with a year of updates; our CleanShot X alternatives page covers the rest of it. Shottr is free to use and captures scrolling screenshots in any app or window, with a manual scrolling mode for Macs where the automatic one doesn't work. Snagit calls it Scrolling capture and is sold as a $39-a-year subscription. The best screenshot app roundup compares all of them.
All the methods side by side
| Method | Works in | Cost | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome DevTools | Web pages in Chrome | Free | One capture of the whole laid-out page; it never scrolls, so content that loads on scroll can be missing |
| Safari Web Inspector | Web pages in Safari | Free | Needs the Develop menu turned on; the PNG can come with empty space around the page |
| Firefox Screenshots | Web pages in Firefox | Free | Web pages only |
| Shottie | Any app | $29 once for 2 Macs | Scroll at a steady pace; very fast flicks can lose track |
| CleanShot X | Any app, vertical and horizontal | $35 once, with 1 year of updates | Updates after the first year are optional at $19/year |
| Shottr | Any app, automatic or manual scrolling | Free with occasional prompts; Basic license $12 once | Choppy in Terminal, Visual Studio Code and Finder's column view |
| Snagit | Web pages, documents, spreadsheets and windows | $39/year subscription | No one-time license listed |
When the capture comes out wrong
- A header or footer repeats down the image. A sticky header stays put while the page scrolls, so a simple stitch repeats it. Shottie ignores the sticky bands at the top and bottom; if another tool repeats them, crop them out or capture in sections.
- The stitch breaks or a section is missing. Scroll at a steady pace. Very fast flicks, and stretches that are nearly blank, can make Shottie lose track. Shottr says its capture gets choppy in Terminal, Visual Studio Code and the column view in Finder, and that scroll utilities such as Scroll Reverser can interfere.
- Images are blank in a browser capture. Lazy-loaded images only load when they scroll into view. Scroll the whole page once before you capture it.
- The capture shows something private. A tall capture collects more of the page than you meant to share. Use blur on the parts that shouldn't leave your screen, and put it on a backdrop if you're posting it.
Which one to use
If it's a web page and you do this twice a year, use the browser method and skip the install. If you do it weekly, or the content isn't a web page, an app saves the menu digging every time. Shottr is the free way in; Shottie and CleanShot X are the one-time purchases; Snagit is the subscription.
Frequently asked questions
Does macOS have a built-in scrolling screenshot?
No. Apple's screenshot guide lists ⌘⇧3, ⌘⇧4, ⌘⇧5 and the Screenshot app's timer and save options, and none of them scrolls. We checked the guide's macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 27 Golden Gate versions on September 30, 2026.
How do I take a full-page screenshot of a website on Mac for free?
Use the browser's own tool: Chrome's DevTools command Capture full size screenshot, Firefox's Take Screenshot then Save full page, or Safari's Web Inspector Capture Screenshot on the html element. All three are free and web-only.
How do I scroll-capture a chat, a document or another app that isn't a browser?
You need an app with scrolling capture: Shottie, CleanShot X, Shottr and Snagit all have it. The browser methods only work on web pages.
Is there a free scrolling screenshot app for Mac?
Shottr is free to use, with occasional prompts to buy, and its scrolling capture works in any app. The Basic license is $12 once and is required for commercial use (checked September 30, 2026).
