Pick a color from the screen on Mac

Need the exact hex of a color on screen? macshot's eyedropper samples any pixel from a capture and copies the value — ready to paste into Figma, your CSS, or anywhere else.

macshot's eyedropper sampling a pixel from a screenshot and showing the hex color code on macOS

macOS 12.3+ | Apple Silicon & Intel | Free & open source

The exact color, not a guess

Matching a color by eye never quite works. macshot's color sampler reads the real pixel value so you get the precise hex of a button, a brand color, or a gradient stop straight off the screen.

How it works

  • Capture the area that has the color you want.
  • Switch to the color sampler and click the pixel.
  • macshot shows the color and copies its hex value to your clipboard.
  • Keep clicking to grab more — sampled colors can be saved into custom slots to build a palette.

Pick from anything you can capture

Because it samples from the captured image, the eyedropper works on websites, apps, photos, PDFs — anything on screen. Pair it with the magnifier to land on the exact pixel you mean.

Free, native, and open source

macshot is a native Swift and AppKit app, free and open source under the GPLv3 license, with no subscription, account, or watermark — and the color picker is just one tool in a full capture and annotation kit.

How do I get the hex code of a color on my Mac screen?

macshot has a color sampler. Capture the area, click any pixel with the eyedropper, and macshot copies its hex value so you can paste it straight into a design tool or stylesheet.

Can I save colors I pick?

Yes. Sampled colors can be stored in macshot's custom color slots, so you can build up a palette as you pick.

Does it pick from a screenshot or the live screen?

macshot's eyedropper samples from the captured image, so you can pick a precise pixel from anything you've screenshotted — a website, an app, a photo, or a design.

Is macshot free?

Yes. macshot is free and open source under the GPLv3 license, with no subscription or account.

Grab any color on screen

Free, native, and open source.

Download for macOS Star on GitHub