Take a screenshot on a timer to capture menus and hover effects

Why it happens

A normal screenshot is taken the moment you press the keys, so menus close and hover effects vanish before you can catch them. The Screenshot toolbar has a timer that waits a few seconds first. That gives you time to open a menu, hover over a button or get a window just right.

How to fix it

1. Press Shift, Command and 5 together. The Screenshot toolbar appears near the bottom of your screen.

2. Pick what to capture with the buttons on the left of the toolbar: the entire screen, one window, or a selected portion. For a part of the screen, drag the frame to cover the area you want.

3. Click Options. Under Timer, choose 5 Seconds or 10 Seconds.

4. Click Capture. During the countdown, open the menu or move the pointer over the thing you want to show. The picture is taken when the time runs out.

5. Look for the new picture on your Desktop, or in the folder shown under Save to in Options. The timer stays on for your next screenshot, so set Timer back to None when you're done.

Still not fixed?

1. Only need an open menu? Open it first, press Shift-Command-4, then press the space bar and click the menu. That captures it without a timer.

2. If Shift-Command-5 does nothing, the shortcut may be switched off. Open Keyboard settings, click Keyboard Shortcuts, then Screenshots, and tick it again or click Restore Defaults.

   Keyboard›Keyboard Shortcuts…›Screenshots

3. Prefer clicking? Open the Screenshot app from Applications, then Utilities. It opens the same toolbar with the same Timer choices.

4. If part of a video or app shows up black, that app blocks screenshots on purpose. The timer can't get around it.

5. If the toolbar won't open or the screenshot never appears after a restart, contact Apple Support.