Screen Capture
Zenboard has a built-in screen capture tool. Press a shortcut to capture any region, window, or full screen — then optionally annotate and save directly to your board without leaving the app.
Start Capture
Press Cmd + Shift + X to activate the capture toolbar. You can also start a capture from the menu bar icon.
A toolbar appears at the bottom of your screen with four sections: Mode, Destination, Edit toggle, and Action buttons.
Capture Modes
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Region | Drag to select a custom rectangular area |
| Window | Hover over a window and click to capture it |
| Full Screen | Click to capture the entire display |
The default mode is Region.
Region Selection
A crosshair cursor appears over a dark overlay. Click and drag to draw a selection rectangle.
- A dimension label (e.g., “1920 × 1080”) updates in real time below the selection
- The selected area is shown clearly against the dark overlay
- Selections smaller than 2×2 pixels are automatically cancelled
- Press
Escto cancel
Magnifier
A magnifier appears near your cursor during selection to help you pick pixels precisely.
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| Scroll wheel | Adjust zoom level (1× to 40×, default 10×) |
Cmd + scroll wheel | Adjust magnifier size (100 to 500px) |
The magnifier automatically repositions to stay within the screen bounds. A blue crosshair marks the exact pixel at the center.
Window Selection
A dark overlay covers the screen with an instruction at the top: “Click on a window to capture.”
Hover over any window — it is highlighted with a blue border and tint. Click to capture it. Press Esc to cancel.
Full Screen
A border highlight shows which display will be captured. Click anywhere to capture the entire display.
On a multi-monitor setup, the highlight follows your cursor between screens — the display under the cursor at click time is captured.
Press Esc to cancel.
Destination
Choose where the captured image goes:
| Destination | Description |
|---|---|
| Sidebar | Add directly to your Zenboard collection as a new card |
| Clipboard | Copy the image to the system clipboard (no file saved) |
| Folder | Save as a PNG file to a folder |
The default destination is Sidebar.
Folder Options
When Folder is selected, open the Options menu (⋯) on the toolbar to choose a save location:
- Desktop
- Documents
- Pictures (default)
- Other Location… — opens a file browser to pick any folder
The selected folder is remembered across sessions. Files are saved as Screenshot_YYYYMMdd_HHmmss.png.
Edit After Capture
The Edit toggle (pencil icon) on the toolbar controls what happens immediately after capture:
- On (default) — The captured image opens in the Smart Viewer where you can annotate it or discard it before saving
- Off — The image is saved immediately to your chosen destination with no preview
Hide App During Capture
Found in the Options menu (⋯). When enabled (default), Zenboard hides itself during capture so it doesn’t appear in your screenshot.
Capture Flow
With Edit On
- Press
Cmd + Shift + X - Choose mode and destination
- Make your selection
- Smart Viewer opens with the captured image
- Annotate, flip, or adjust as needed
- Click Save to finalize — the image is saved to your chosen destination
With Edit Off
- Press
Cmd + Shift + X - Choose mode and destination
- Make your selection
- The image is saved immediately — no preview step
Settings Persistence
All capture settings are saved automatically and persist across app restarts:
- Capture mode, destination, and save folder
- Edit after capture and hide app toggles
- Magnifier zoom level and size