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How to Save Images on Your MacBook Download Article Learn to save images using the context menu or drag-and-drop Written by Jack Lloyd
Last Updated: May 2, 2025 Tested
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Using the Context Menu
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Using Drag-and-Drop
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This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 1,012,491 times. Learn more...
This wikiHow teaches you how to save a picture from a message, document, or the Internet to your MacBook computer. Unlike a Windows PC, Macs can't right-click—at least not with the mouse. In this article you'll learn how to right-click on a Mac so you can save images, or just drag and drop the image where you want to save it.For popular FAQs on saving pictures on your Mac, jump to more common questions.
How to Save Pictures to Your MacBook: A Quick Guide
Locate the image that you want to save.
Hover your cursor over the image.
Press and hold the Control key on your keyboard.
Click the image.
Select the Save option from the contextual menu that pops up.
Steps
Method 1 Method 1 of 2:
Using the Context Menu
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1 Go to a photo that you want to save. Open the message, document, or web page that contains the photo you'd like to save on your MacBook.
Not all web pages permit images to be saved or downloaded. For example, you can't download pictures from the Instagram website.
2 Open the image if necessary. If the image is in a preview format (e.g., a result on Google), you'll first need to click the image to open it in full-size view.
Some images, such as occasional images inserted into articles, serve as links to other pages. If clicking an image opens an unrelated page, click your browser's "Back" button to return to the original image.
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3 Place your Mac's mouse pointer on the image. Your mouse pointer should be sitting on top of the image that you want to save.
4 Open the context menu. Hold down the Control key, click the image, and then release the Control key. A pop-up menu should appear on or near the image.
You have to hold down Control for the entire duration of the click, or the menu won't appear.
On some MacBooks, you can click and hold the picture to prompt the pop-up window to appear.
You can also try "right-clicking" the picture by pressing your Mac's trackpad button with two fingers, or by pressing the right side of the trackpad button on some MacBooks.
5 Click Save Image to "Downloads". It's in the context menu. This will prompt the photo to download immediately into your Mac's "Downloads" folder, which is usually a folder literally named "Downloads".
If you're using a browser other than Safari, you can click Save Image As instead. This option will allow you to select a name and a specific download location for the file before you download it.
You can open the "Downloads" folder by opening Finder (the blue, face-shaped app icon) and then clicking Downloads on the left side of the window.
If you set your Mac's default "Downloads" folder to a different folder (e.g., the "Desktop" folder), you'll find the image there instead.
Advertisement Method 2 Method 2 of 2:
Using Drag-and-Drop
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1 Go to a photo that you want to save. Open the message, document, or web page that contains the photo you'd like to save on your MacBook.
Not all web pages permit images to be saved or downloaded. For example, you can't download pictures from the Instagram website.
2 Open the image if necessary. If the image is in a preview format (e.g., a result on Google), you'll first need to click the image to open it in full-size view.
Some images, such as occasional images inserted into articles, serve as links to other pages. If clicking an image opens an unrelated page, click your browser's "Back" button to return to the original image.
3 Resize your browser window. Click the yellow circle in the upper-left corner of the window that contains the image. This makes the window smaller so that your Mac's desktop is visible.
4 Click and drag the photo onto your desktop. Click and hold the image with your mouse pointer, then drag the image off of the edge of your browser window until it's suspended over the desktop.
You should see a transparent version of the image appear when you drag it away.
5 Release the click. When you see a white + in a green circle appear over the thumbnail of the picture, release the click you were holding. This will place the image file on your desktop.
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Common Questions: Saving Images on Mac
How do you right-click on a Mac?
To right-click on a Mac, press and hold the Ctrl button on your keyboard while you click on an item with your mouse or trackpad.
Why won't my Mac let me save images?
You may not have permission to save items on your Mac account, or you might be trying to save the image in an invalid location. The image also might have protections placed on it so you can't right-click it to save it. In this case, you can try dragging and dropping the image to your desktop.
How can I save a screenshot to my photos on Mac?
If you have macOS Mojave or later, you can change your screenshot save location by pressing Cmd + Shift + 5 and clicking Options at the bottom of the screen. You can then select your save location in the menu. You can also drag and drop the screenshot from your Desktop to your Photos album.
Video
Tips
If you encounter a photo which can't be saved, you can still take a screenshot of the photo. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
Creating folders on your computer is a great way to organize photos and make them easier to find. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Rename photos when you save them. Doing so will make the images easier to find when you want to locate them on your Mac. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement
Warnings
Never use other people's photos in your own content without their explicit, written permission. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Some photos cannot be downloaded from their webpages or sources. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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About This Article
Written by: Jack Lloyd wikiHow Technology Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 1,012,491 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 20Updated: May 2, 2025 Views: 1,012,491 Categories: MacBookArticle SummaryX
1. Go to the photo you want to save. 2. Hover the cursor over the image. 3. Click the image while pressing the control key. 4. Click Save Image to "Downloads" Did this summary help you?YesNo
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Download Article Learn to save images using the context menu or drag-and-drop Written by Jack Lloyd 
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Written by: Jack Lloyd wikiHow Technology Writer This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 1,012,491 times. How helpful is this? Co-authors: 20 Updated: May 2, 2025 Views: 1,012,491 Categories: MacBook Article SummaryX
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1 Go to a photo that you want to save. Open the message, document, or web page that contains the photo you'd like to save on your MacBook. 
2 Open the image if necessary. If the image is in a preview format (e.g., a result on Google), you'll first need to click the image to open it in full-size view. 
3 Place your Mac's mouse pointer on the image. Your mouse pointer should be sitting on top of the image that you want to save. 
4 Open the context menu. Hold down the Control key, click the image, and then release the Control key. A pop-up menu should appear on or near the image. 
5 Click Save Image to "Downloads". It's in the context menu. This will prompt the photo to download immediately into your Mac's "Downloads" folder, which is usually a folder literally named "Downloads". 
1 Go to a photo that you want to save. Open the message, document, or web page that contains the photo you'd like to save on your MacBook. 
2 Open the image if necessary. If the image is in a preview format (e.g., a result on Google), you'll first need to click the image to open it in full-size view. 
3 Resize your browser window. Click the yellow circle in the upper-left corner of the window that contains the image. This makes the window smaller so that your Mac's desktop is visible. 
4 Click and drag the photo onto your desktop. Click and hold the image with your mouse pointer, then drag the image off of the edge of your browser window until it's suspended over the desktop. 
5 Release the click. When you see a white + in a green circle appear over the thumbnail of the picture, release the click you were holding. This will place the image file on your desktop. Advertisement