# Is it possible to capture/copy an area that is larger than your screen on a mac?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 23, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589 "2017-02-23T20:20:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589/1 "2017-02-23T20:20:41Z")
For example, when I log onto the SDMB, I have to scroll down to see the BB Pit. What if I want to capture the whole front page from top to bottom, but the whole thing doesn’t fit on my screen? I’ve tried cmd+ctrl+shift+4, but when using that it won’t let me scroll down to capture the images that are not on the screen. Anyone?
(I hope this makes sense)
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### Author:  [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589/2 "2017-02-23T20:29:17Z")
I don’t think so. Screen captures only the visible portion of the screen.
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### Author:  [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2017, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589/3 "2017-02-23T21:36:04Z")
You could print the window to a PDF file.
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### Author:  [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2017, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589/4 "2017-02-23T22:05:19Z")
With the right software you can. I use SnagIt 10 which has a scrolling window capture feature.
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2017, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589/5 "2017-02-23T23:13:51Z")
You can ⌘-minus your way towards smallest browserfonts, which will cram more threads into that window. Or you can change your screen rez if it isn’t already at maximum.
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### Author:  [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2017, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589/6 "2017-02-24T04:16:32Z")
You could scroll, take multiple screenshots, then stitch them together, either manually (wouldn’t be that hard given how regular-sized the images are), or using some [Photo Stitching software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_photo_stitching_software).
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### Author:  [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2017, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589/7 "2017-02-24T05:38:13Z")
Look for a browser extension. I don’t know anything about Macs but they exist on windows and linux. It might be called “full page” or “whole window” screen capture.
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### Author:  [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2017, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589/8 "2017-02-24T08:20:32Z")
> [@markn\_1](#):
>
> You could print the window to a PDF file.
Exporting to a PDF is probably the easiest way.
To expand on this answer, if you want to easily set it up as a keyboard shortcut, go to System Preferences \> Keyboard \> Shortcuts and click on “App Shortcuts” in the left window. Click the “+” to the right and in the “Menu Title” field, and type “Export as PDF…” without the quotes, but make sure to include the ellipsis. In the “Keyboard Shortcut” field, use a key combo that isn’t used by any other app, something like control-option-command-P. Close the System Preferences window, click on the web page you want, press control-option-command-P, save it to wherever you want the PDF saved, then open it.
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### Author:  [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2017, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589/9 "2017-02-24T09:48:13Z")
> [@Fubaya](#):
>
> Look for a browser extension. I don’t know anything about Macs but they exist on windows and linux. It might be called “full page” or “whole window” screen capture.
Seconding this. I have an extension for Firefox that lets me capture an entire page as an image. Not in front of my desktop at the moment but I think it’s called Pagesaver.
Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk
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### Author:  [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589/10 "2017-02-24T14:02:23Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#):
>
> For example, when I log onto the SDMB, I have to scroll down to see the BB Pit. What if I want to capture the whole front page from top to bottom, but the whole thing doesn’t fit on my screen? I’ve tried cmd+ctrl+shift+4, but when using that it won’t let me scroll down to capture the images that are not on the screen. Anyone?
>
> (I hope this makes sense)
The reason is that the screencapture feature is from the OS, and the OS doesn’t know if the scroll bar meaning is … the scroll bar may be more about showing and hiding than just having a virtual screen size.
If you want to capture two screen fulls, you could just capture two pictures…
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### Author:  [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-capture-copy-an-area-that-is-larger-than-your-screen-on-a-mac/780589/11 "2017-02-24T16:13:45Z")
> [@Fubaya](#):
>
> Look for a browser extension. I don’t know anything about Macs but they exist on windows and linux. It might be called “full page” or “whole window” screen capture.
> [@standingwave](#):
>
> Seconding this. I have an extension for Firefox that lets me capture an entire page as an image. Not in front of my desktop at the moment but I think it’s called Pagesaver.
>
> Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk
WoW this worked AND it was free! Thank you!!