How to Combine or Merge Screenshots on Mac
Need two screenshots in one image — side by side, or one dropped onto another? Here's how to combine or merge screenshots on a Mac.
Can you combine two screenshots on a Mac?
Not easily with the built-in tools. You can paste images into Preview, but arranging two shots side by side or layering one onto another means resizing the canvas by hand and nudging things into place. A screenshot editor like Shotstrix (free) makes it drag-and-drop.
The Preview workaround (and why it's fiddly)
In Preview you can increase the canvas size, then copy and paste a second image and drag it into position — but you're eyeballing the alignment, there's no easy side-by-side, and it's easy to clip or misalign. Fine in a pinch; painful for anything polished.
Combine screenshots with Shotstrix
Shotstrix (free) lets you paste an image from the clipboard or load one from disk and drop it right onto your screenshot — then move, resize, and arrange it. Put two captures side by side, layer a logo or reference on top, or extend the canvas and lay everything out, all on one canvas you can annotate.
What you can do
- ✓ Paste an image from the clipboard onto a screenshot
- ✓ Load an image from disk
- ✓ Move and resize each image freely
- ✓ Place shots side by side or layered
- ✓ Extend the canvas to fit
- ✓ Annotate the whole thing and export as one image
How to combine screenshots in Shotstrix
- 1 Start with the first image
Capture or open your first screenshot in Shotstrix.
- 2 Add the second
Paste from the clipboard or load an image onto the canvas.
- 3 Arrange them
Move and resize each to sit side by side or layered.
- 4 Export as one
Copy or save the combined image.
Get Shotstrix — free
Shotstrix is a free screenshot and screen-recording tool for macOS — scrolling capture, OCR, annotation, blur, GIF recording, and share-ready backdrops, with no account and no watermark.
Free · Universal (Apple Silicon + Intel) · macOS 14 Sonoma or later
Frequently asked questions
How do I put two screenshots side by side on a Mac? +
Open or capture the first, then paste or load the second onto the canvas in Shotstrix and drag it beside the first. Copy or save as one image.
Can I add an image on top of a screenshot? +
Yes — Shotstrix lets you paste or load an image and drop it onto your screenshot, then move and resize it.
Can macOS Preview merge images? +
Sort of — you can resize the canvas and paste images in, but it's fiddly and there's no proper side-by-side. Shotstrix makes it drag-and-drop.