One key per tool
No menus: press the letter and draw. Try clicking each one.
Arrow A So nobody has to hunt for what you mean.
Eyedropper I
10 colours + 10 of your own with the dropper · ⌘ZCtrlZ undoes
CAPTURAYA
Snap it, mark it, paste it.
In a second.
Press your shortcut, pick the area, point out what matters and paste it wherever you like. Free for Mac and Windows. Nothing leaves your computer.
Help installing on MacClick here the first time you use itThe Windows version is almost here. Come back in a few days and you'll find it right here.
You're on your phone: Capturaya is for computers.
- Free
- No accounts
- No ads
- v1.4 · what's new
Three moves. That's it.
No windows to open, no files to save along the way, no hunting for where the screenshot ended up.
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Press your shortcut
The screen freezes exactly as it is, menu bar and Dock included on Mac, or the taskbar on Windows. Anything that was moving stays still so you can catch it.
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Drag and mark up
Pick the area while you see its size in real pixels. Point with an arrow, draw a box, type, or pixelate anything that shouldn't be seen.
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Paste it anywhere
⌘CCtrlC or Enter and it's on your clipboard. Then ⌘VCtrlV into a chat, an email or a document.
Everything it does
Just what you need to explain something with a picture. Done well, and fast.
Stroke width with the wheel
Turn the mouse wheel while you draw: from 1 to 36 px, with a stroke preview.
5 px
Hold Shift: perfect squares and circles, lines at 45°.
Pixel-perfect selection
Real pixel measurements, 8 handles to adjust and drag to move. ⌘ACtrlA grabs the whole screen.
The whole screen, frozen
Menu bar and Dock included (on Windows, the taskbar). Got several monitors? Those too.
Copy, save or print
- ⌘CCtrlC Enter To the clipboard Copied
- ⌘SCtrlS Saves as PNG
- ⌘PCtrlP Prints
- Esc Just closes
You choose the shortcut
It comes set to ⇧⌘X on Mac and CtrlShiftX on Windows, but in Settings you just press whatever combo you fancy and it sticks. It lives in the menu bar (Mac) or the system tray (Windows), no open windows, and it can start on its own when you turn on your computer.
Your screenshots never leave your computer.
Your screenshots never leave your computer. No account to create, no ads, no paid version waiting around the corner. The only thing Capturaya does online is check for a new version, without sending anything of yours. You take it, you paste it, done.
- Your screenshots aren't uploaded anywhere
- No accounts, no sign-ups
- No ads
- Free
Your shortcut, in three steps
It comes set to ⇧⌘X on Mac and CtrlShiftX on Windows, but you can swap it for any one you like in Settings. It saves instantly, no restart needed.
Open the Capturaya menu
Click its icon: in the menu bar, top right, on Mac; right-click it in the system tray, next to the clock, on Windows.
Go to “Settings…”
On Mac, ⌘, also works while the menu is open.
Click the box and press your combo
The box switches to “Press the shortcut…”. Press the new combo, with at least one modifier key, and you'll see “Saved”. If another app already uses it, it tells you and you try another. Esc cancels.
Try it here: click the box and press a combo.
Capture shortcut
Click and press the combo. Default is ⇧⌘X.
✓Open Capturaya at login
Capture shortcut
Click and press the combo. Default is Ctrl+Shift+X.
✓Open Capturaya when Windows startsShortcuts at a glance
On Windows they're the same, just swap ⌘ for Ctrl. The capture one is only the default: change it to whatever you like in Settings.
| What it does | Mac | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Capture (change it in Settings) | ⇧⌘X | CtrlShiftX |
| Select the whole screen | ⌘A | CtrlA |
| Copy to clipboard | ⌘C or Enter | CtrlC or Enter |
| Save as PNG | ⌘S | CtrlS |
| ⌘P | CtrlP | |
| Undo | ⌘Z | CtrlZ |
| Close | Esc | Esc |
| Pencil · Line · Arrow · Rectangle | PLAR | |
| Ellipse · Highlighter · Text · Pixelate | EMTX | |
| Stroke width (1–36) | Mouse wheel | |
| Perfect shapes and 45° lines | Hold Shift | |
Installing it, step by step
Two minutes. And if a warning pops up, here's exactly what to click.
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Drag it to Applications
Download Capturaya-1.4.dmg, double-click to open it and drag the Capturaya icon into the Applications folder. Then you can eject the disk.
Works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
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Open it the first time
macOS will say it can't verify the developer: the app is free and isn't signed by Apple. That's normal. Go to
System SettingsPrivacy & Security
scroll down to the Capturaya message and click “Open Anyway”.
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Let it see your screen
System SettingsPrivacy & SecurityScreen & System Audio Recording
Turn on Capturaya and open it again.
Why does it ask? macOS requires this permission for any app that can see what's on your screen, whether it's a screenshot tool or a video call. Capturaya only uses it to take the screenshot when you press the shortcut, and the image stays on your Mac.
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Press the shortcut. Done.
You'll see the icon in the menu bar. Press ⇧⌘X and start capturing. Prefer another combo? Change it in Settings, where you can also make it open at login.
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Download and run
Download Capturaya-Setup.exe and open it. For Windows 10 and 11.
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If you see “Windows protected your PC”
That's SmartScreen warning you that the app doesn't carry a paid commercial certificate. Click “More info” and then “Run anyway”.
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One click and into the tray
It installs itself, sits in the system tray next to the clock, and starts with Windows. Press CtrlShiftX to capture, or change the shortcut in Settings (right-click the icon).
Mac help
The first time, macOS gets a bit dramatic. It takes two minutes and it's all here in one place. The screenshots are from a Mac set to Spanish: on yours the buttons are in English, in exactly the same place.
Opening Capturaya on your Mac, step by stepRelax, it's safe · 9 steps with real screenshots · 2 minutes
One thing the first time
macOS will show this message with two buttons. Choose “Done”, the grey one. The blue one (“Move to Trash”) would delete it. It’s a normal Apple step for apps that don’t come from its store.
Why all these warnings? Spoiler: your Mac won't explode
Apple charges €99 a year to anyone who wants their apps to show up as “verified”. Capturaya is free and doesn't pay that toll, so macOS, just in case, treats it as suspicious and throws up scary warnings: “may harm your Mac”, “compromise your privacy”… It says that about any app that hasn't paid up, not because it spotted anything odd in this one.
What Capturaya actually does: it takes a picture of your screen when you press the shortcut, lets you draw on it, and copies or saves it. No accounts and no uploads: it only goes online to check for a new version, and it asks you before updating. The image never leaves your Mac unless you paste it somewhere.
As for the second permission, Screen & System Audio Recording, macOS asks for it from any app that needs to see what's on screen: Apple's own screenshot tool, Zoom, Teams, OBS… Without it, Capturaya would only see your empty desktop background.
You only grant the screen permission once, and it sticks when you update. The “Open Anyway” warning may come back when you download a new version: you clear it the same way, in a minute.
First, get macOS to let you open it
Try opening it once
Double-click Capturaya in the Applications folder. macOS will say it can't verify it and won't open it: click “Done” (not “Move to Trash”). That attempt is what makes the unlock button show up.
Open System Settings
Apple menu (the apple, top left) → System Settings…
Go to Privacy & Security
In the left-hand column.
Scroll down to Security and click “Open Anyway”
You'll see “Capturaya was blocked to protect your Mac.” If it's not there, go back to step 1.
Confirm with “Open Anyway”
Don't click “Move to Trash”: it's the big blue button, but it's the one you don't want.
Use your fingerprint or “Use Password…”
macOS wants whoever's in charge of the Mac to approve it.
Type your Mac password and click “OK”
The same one you use to log in. It stays on your Mac: neither Capturaya nor anyone else sees it. That's it, from now on it opens without asking.
Then, let it see your screen
In Privacy & Security, open “Screen & System Audio Recording”
It's on the same page as before, a little further down.
Turn on the Capturaya switch
If it asks to quit and reopen Capturaya, say yes. From then on, the shortcut captures.
What's new
What changes in each version. You can see which one you have in “About Capturaya”.
Version 1.4The current one
- Updates itself: when it opens, it checks for a new version and asks you. It only installs versions signed by its author, and reopens already updated. Also in the menu: “Check for Updates…”.
- In your language: Spanish, English, Italian, French, German and Portuguese, following your computer's language (and English for any other).
Version 1.3Your colours
- New palette: below the 10 fixed colours, an easy-to-spot “Eyedropper” button and 10 slots for your own colours. Every colour you pick with the dropper stays there for your next screenshots.
Version 1.2Eyedropper and thicker strokes
- Eyedropper: in the colour palette (or with the I key). Move the magnifier over any spot in the screenshot and draw with that exact colour; the magnifier zooms in on the pixels and shows you the colour code.
- Recent colours: the last 4 you pick stay in the palette for next time.
- Much thicker strokes: width now goes up to 36 (it was 12), with the mouse wheel.
Version 1.1Clipboard and website
- Mac: after copying with ⌘C or Enter, pasting sometimes failed in browsers and other apps, especially with big screenshots. Now the image goes as PNG and TIFF at the same time, just like the macOS screenshot tool, and it's much lighter.
- Mac and Windows: new “Capturaya website” option in the icon menu and a link to the website in “About”, to download it, see what's new and share it.
- Mac and Windows: the changelog now comes included in the DMG and the installer.
Version 1.0The first one
- For Mac and Windows. Global shortcut you can set in Settings.
- Freezes the whole screen, menu bar and Dock or taskbar included, on every monitor.
- Selection with real pixel measurements and 8 handles.
- Pencil, line, arrow, rectangle, ellipse, highlighter, text and pixelate. 10 colours, stroke width with the wheel and Shift for perfect shapes.
- Copy, save as PNG, print and undo. Nothing leaves your computer.
Frequently asked questions
Is it really free?
Yes. No paid version, no ads, and no account needed. Download it and use it.
Does it upload my screenshots anywhere?
No. Everything happens on your computer: the screenshot goes to the clipboard, or to a PNG if you save it. Capturaya doesn't send anything of yours online; the only thing it checks is whether there's a new version.
Why do I get a security warning when I open it?
Because the app isn't signed with a paid certificate from Apple or Microsoft. macOS and Windows always warn you in that case, whatever the app. Just click “Open Anyway” on Mac or “More info → Run anyway” on Windows, only the first time. See the steps with screenshots.
How do I change the shortcut?
From the Capturaya icon (menu bar on Mac, system tray on Windows), open Settings and record whatever combo you prefer. The default is ⇧⌘X on Mac and CtrlShiftX on Windows.
Does it work with multiple monitors?
Yes. When you press the shortcut, every screen freezes and you can select on whichever one you like.
How do I uninstall it?
On Mac, quit it from its menu bar icon and drag Capturaya from Applications to the Trash. On Windows, go to Settings → Apps, find Capturaya and click Uninstall.
Your next screenshot,
in a second.
Capturaya is free and always will be. If it saved you some time and you feel like it, Buy me a coffee · €1