Guide
How to send a screenshotto ChatGPT on Mac
Showing ChatGPT your screen is often quicker than describing it. Here's how to do it with what's already on your Mac, and then how to do it in one press.
The built-in way
Your Mac can do this on its own, with nothing to install. It's copy and paste, with one extra key.
Copy the screen
Press Shift-Command-Control-4 and drag around the part you want. Holding Control copies the picture instead of saving a file to your desktop. For the whole screen, use Shift-Command-Control-3.
Click in ChatGPT
Open ChatGPT in your browser or in its Mac app. Click in the message box so the cursor is blinking there.
Paste and ask
Press Command-V. The picture appears above your message. Type your question underneath and send it.
Save it, then drag it in
Press Shift-Command-5 to open the Screenshot toolbar. Under Options you can choose where pictures are saved and turn on Show Floating Thumbnail. When the thumbnail appears in the corner, drag it straight into the ChatGPT window. You can also use ChatGPT's attach button and pick the file.
Want to point at something first? Click the thumbnail to open Markup, draw a rectangle or an arrow, then click Done.
Where it slows you down
The picture gets there. The trouble is everything around it.
It can't see what you mean
ChatGPT sees the whole screen, not the part you care about. So you end up typing “the blue button near the top, under the heading”.
Everything goes with it
Emails, names and keys that happen to be on screen go too. Markup has no blur, so hiding them takes extra steps.
One trip per picture
Three screens means three rounds of copy, switch, click and paste, and it's easy to paste into the wrong window.
One press with Hyduri Capture
Hyduri Capture puts three round buttons on your screen. The camera captures, you mark what you mean, and Send to Chat takes it back to ChatGPT for you.
Click in ChatGPT
Open your conversation and click in the message box, just as you would to type.
Capture and mark
Click the camera and your whole screen is captured. Drag a box around the thing you mean. A numbered row opens with the cursor ready, so just type your note.
Press Send to Chat
It goes back to ChatGPT, pastes the picture with your numbered notes and sends it. A line at the bottom tells you which app's chat box it has found.
Forgot to click in your chat first? A small prompt appears and waits. Click in your message box and press Send. Search boxes and a browser's address bar don't count, so nothing lands in the wrong place.
Handy when you need it
- Hover over the camera to choose one screen or one open window instead of everything.
- Choose Crop and drag around the part to keep. Undo brings the whole picture back.
- Press Auto-Blur to hide emails, card numbers, passwords and keys. Give it a quick look, as it can miss things.
- Press Add to bring in more screens, then choose This Picture or All. All of them land in one message.
- Press Crop into Tiles to send a single sheet of just the parts you marked, each with its number and note.
- Want to read it over before it goes? Turn off Press Enter After Pasting into Chat in Settings, and it stops after pasting.
Good to know
Does it only work with ChatGPT?
No. It works in any app where you can paste a picture, including WhatsApp, Slack, Teams and any AI chat in your browser. It isn't tied to one AI.
Does Hyduri Capture upload my screen?
No. Pictures stay on your Mac until you send, share or paste them. Nothing is uploaded by the app.
What if the picture doesn't arrive?
Click in the message box and press Command-V. Your latest picture is still on the clipboard, and every picture is kept in Recent.
What do I need?
A Mac with macOS 14 or newer. The first time, your Mac asks you to allow screen access, and key presses for Send to Chat.
Try it on your next question
Hyduri Capture is $29 once for up to two devices, with no subscription. Every feature is free for 7 days.
More guides: Blur private details in a screenshot · Annotate a screenshot · Record your screen with captions