Screenshot basics

Taking a screenshot is PixPin's core feature: select an area of your screen, then copy, pin, save, or recognize its text. This page follows the capture process, from starting and adjusting a selection to choosing an action and retrieving previous screenshots.

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412 × 272px

1Info bar: position, size, effects2Selection: drag handles to adjust3Toolbar: annotations and actions

Start a screenshotCopy Anchor Link

Change global shortcuts in settings. PixPin warns you if another application already uses a shortcut.

Create a selectionCopy Anchor Link

When capture starts, the screen dims. Choose the area to capture:

• Drag a selection: hold the mouse button and drag any rectangular area.
• Automatic window detection: move the pointer over a window to highlight it, then click to select it.
• Automatic element detection: PixPin also detects buttons, input fields, images, paragraphs, and other interface elements. Move the pointer over an element to highlight its bounds, then click to select it.

Double-click a highlighted area to skip selection and copy it immediately.

• WindowPoint at a window to highlight the whole window.
• Interface elementPoint at a button or other element to highlight just that element.
• Parent elementScroll up to select a larger element containing it.

Adjust detectionCopy Anchor Link

Adjust the selectionCopy Anchor Link

After selecting an area, handles appear around it for further adjustments:

• Shift⇧ Shift
  MoveDrag inside; hold Shift to move only horizontally or vertically.
• ResizeDrag an edge or corner handle.
• Shift⇧ Shift
  SquareHold Shift while dragging a handle.
• Alt⌥ Option
  Symmetric resizingHold Alt (Option on macOS) to resize around the center.
• Keep aspect ratioLock the aspect ratio in the info bar before resizing.
• ↑←↓→
  Keyboard adjustmentsArrow keys move 1 pixel at a time.

Precise adjustmentsCopy Anchor Link

For pixel-level precision, use the keyboard, scroll wheel, or enter values directly:

Multiple monitorsCopy Anchor Link

PixPin covers all monitors at once, so you can capture on any screen:

• Current screen: press Ctrl+A⌘ Command+A to select the entire screen under the pointer.
• All screens: press Ctrl+A⌘ Command+A again to select all screens.
• Across screens: drag a selection across multiple screens.

Alignment aidsCopy Anchor Link

Hold Alt⌥ Option to show auxiliary lines and the magnifier when aligning edges or picking colors:

• Magnifier: enlarges pixels around the pointer and shows a pixel grid, pointer coordinates, and color values. Press CC to copy the color, Shift⇧ Shift to switch color formats, or Alt+C⌥ Option+C to copy pointer coordinates.
• Auxiliary lines: pointer guide lines, selection center lines, and selection border lines help align your selection with interface elements.
• Rule-of-thirds grid: divides the selection into thirds horizontally and vertically for composing an image.

On the Screenshot page in settings, set “Show auxiliary lines” to “Always show” or “Hide,” and select the items under “Auxiliary lines” (the rule-of-thirds grid is off by default). Adjust the magnifier's zoom, content, and color format here too.

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#0485F7Alt⌥ OptionC1Hold to show2Guides and thirds grid3Copy color valueMagnifier: pixels, coordinates, color

Rounded corners, shadows, and bordersCopy Anchor Link

Add rounded corners, a shadow, or a border directly to screenshots for documents and presentations, without another application:

Original

ShadowBorderStrength

Apply to every screenshotRounded corners + shadow

1Rounded corners2Shadow or border: strength and color3Remember settings

Mouse pointerCopy Anchor Link

Screenshots exclude the pointer by default. Press `` to show or hide it. To include it by default, set “Show cursor” to “Show by default” on the Screenshot page in settings.

Refresh a screenshotCopy Anchor Link

PixPin freezes the screen when capture starts. If the content changes afterward, such as a menu opening or a video reaching the frame you want, refresh the screenshot while keeping your selection:

• Refresh once: click “Refresh screenshot” in the info bar or press F5F5.
• Refresh continuously: hold the “Refresh screenshot” button to keep updating the image; release it to freeze the current frame.

ToolbarCopy Anchor Link

The toolbar appears beside your selection, with annotation tools on the left and screenshot actions on the right.

Screenshot actionsCopy Anchor Link

After selecting an area, click a toolbar button or press its shortcut:

When auto save is enabled, PixPin also saves each screenshot to the specified folder. Choose the folder and types to save under “Auto save” in settings.

Linked actionsCopy Anchor Link

On the Screenshot page in settings, make one action do two things:

• Pin and copy to clipboard: copy the screenshot to the clipboard when pinning it.
• Automatically paste after copying: paste into the input that was focused before capture, such as a chat message field.

Mouse action settingsCopy Anchor Link

Change screenshot mouse actions on the Screenshot page in settings:

Screenshot historyCopy Anchor Link

PixPin remembers recent screenshots and capture areas so you can retrieve a closed screenshot or capture the same position again.

Selection historyCopy Anchor Link

To repeatedly capture the same position, for example to compare changes, start capture and press RR to restore the last area. Keep pressing to browse older areas, or press Shift+R⇧ Shift+R to go back.

Manage historyCopy Anchor Link

• Retention count: change “Number of screenshots to keep” and “Number of capture areas to keep” on the Screenshot page in settings. Both default to 100.
• Disable history: set a count to 0 to stop keeping that type of history.
• Clear history: click the tray icon (menu bar icon on macOS), choose “Clear records,” select “Clear screenshot history” or “Clear capture area history,” then click “Clear.”

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