How To Screenshot on Mac

On your Mac, you have the option of using both native and third-party applications to take a screenshot. If you want to screen capture the entire screen or maybe just a section of it, macOS has all of your possibilities covered

So, let’s take a look at how to get the most out of your Mac’s screenshot settings and learn a few tips along the way. Mac computers, known for their user-friendly interfaces and sleek design, offer a variety of handy features that many may not be aware of.

One such functionality is the ability to take screenshots—a useful tool for everything from preserving a moment of inspiration to documenting an error message. In this article, we’ll delve deep into the world of Mac screenshots, guiding you through the steps to capture, crop, and save your desired screen content.

How To Screenshot on Mac

MacOS provides several methods to capture different portions of your screen:

• Entire Screen: Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 3. This will capture everything visible on your monitor.
• Specific Portion: Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 4. Your cursor will change, allowing you to click and drag to select the area you want to capture.
• Active Window: After pressing Command (⌘) + Shift + 4, hit the Spacebar. Your cursor will transform into a camera icon. Click on any open window to capture just that window.

By default, these screenshots will be saved on your desktop as .png files, but we’ll explore more saving options shortly.

Also Read:

1. Steam Won’t Open
2. Discord Text Formatting
3. Err_Connection_Reset

How to Take Screenshots On A Mac Using Keyboard Shortcuts? 

To screenshot your Mac, you can use a variety of various keyboard shortcuts. We’ll go over each of your alternatives one by one, as the ideal one to employ depends on what you’re trying to capture.

Remember that all these screenshot techniques work on all Mac generations, so you can use them to capture a screenshot on a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac. If indeed the following shortcuts don’t function, ensure they’re activated in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Screenshots.

1. Take A Screenshot Of The Entire Screen On Your Mac

To do so, hold down Command + Shift + 3 on your keyboard.

You’ll notice an image display there in the bottom-right corner of the desktop once you’ve done so. You can alter the image by clicking on it, or you can leave it alone and let it save on the desktop. The image will be saved as a PNG file.

2. Screen Clip Part Of A Mac Window

Here if you want to snap a screenshot of a specific area of your Mac screen, use Cmd + Shift + 4. This shortcut transforms the pointer into a crosshair, where you can also then click and drag throughout the screen to capture.

If you wish to confine your adjustments to the X or Y axis, hold it down the Shift key while making the decision. Hold down the Option key to resize your selection proportionally from the center. Hold down Space instead of Shift if you decide to move the selections.

Have you reconsidered taking the screenshot? It’s really not a problem. To stop the action, press the Escape key.

Release the mouse once you’re happy with your pick. The screenshot is subsequently saved as a PNG file here on the desktop. You’ll need to adjust the shortcut a little if you want to copy the taken image to the clipboard rather than just saving it. To duplicate what you capture, change the shortcut to Control + Command + Shift + 4.

3. Capture An Application Window

Would you like to capture a screenshot of a currently operating window? To begin, press Command + Shift + 4. Then press Space to see the crosshair transform into a camera.

The current window is highlighted, and a screenshot of the app window is taken if you click the camera. You have the option of moving the camera’s focus to a separate window before clicking.

4. How To Take A Screenshot On A Mac With Third-Party Apps

The software that is pre-installed in all new Mac systems can be used to screen record your Mac. To use it, go to your Utility folder and open the Screenshot program. You may also use the shortcut Command + Shift + 5 to open the app.

If your Mac is running macOS High Sierra or earlier, look in the Utility folder for the Grab app rather than the Screenshot app. Apple made the entire screen-capture process easier using Screenshots. If you prefer a point-and-click method to keyboard shortcuts, this program is for you.

The Capture Entire Screen, Capture Selected Window, and Capture Selected Portion buttons on the screenshot’s toolbar make screen capture on macOS easy and painless. Click the Options icon in the toolbar to make your selections. The timing options can be found in the pop-up menu.

You can see a thumbnail preview glimpse at the side of the display after you snap a screenshot using any of the choices. Click it to open a full-screen preview window with editing, annotation, and deletion capabilities. Text, doodles, shapes, and even your signature can be added here.

The snapshot can also be opened in other Mac apps like Notes, Mail, and Reminders from the full-sized preview window. Disable the Show Floating Thumbnail item in the Dropdown menu from the screenshot toolbar to disable the thumbnail feature.

Want sophisticated features that your Mac’s built-in screen-capture tools don’t have? Consider one of the three third-party alternatives listed below.

1. Monosnap

Monosnap, to be more efficient and clearer while carrying out a task, share screenshots and videos. Use Monosnap Cloud Storage or combine your process with services that your team already utilizes.

This software is located in the menu bar of your Mac and can be accessed using a keyboard shortcut. You can use Monosnap to modify screenshots as well as add pointers, bars, and writing. You can also use the cloud to blur objects, highlight specific locations, and upload screenshots.

2. Skitch

Skitch makes it far easier to grab screenshots and modify them with arrows, boxes, graphics, sensors, and other tools. It lowers the number of steps required to take and modify a screenshot by taking screenshots directly. Before sharing screenshots, Skitch allows you to delete sensitive information.

Without having to launch another program, this tool allows you to capture various onscreen items and alter or annotate them. Timed screenshots are also supported by Skitch.

3. Snappy

Snappy snaps completely or partially screenshot rapidly and effectively, with an easy-to-use interface for saving and exporting. This tool will provide you with a screenshot in the blink of an eye, no matter why you need one or what you’re attempting to record. It’s quick, efficient, and simple to use.

If you frequently collaborate on screenshots or “snaps,” Snappy is for you. Not only can you modify and caption screenshots as normal, but you can also easily transfer them. A password-protection mechanism and an identity timer are among the sharing choices.

Cropping a Screenshot on a MacBook

After taking a screenshot, you might realize you’ve captured more than you need. Thankfully, MacOS provides an easy way to crop:

1. Open the Screenshot: Locate the screenshot (usually on your desktop) and double-click to open it in the ‘Preview’ application.
2. Select the Crop Tool: Click on the rectangle icon (with dotted lines) in the top menu or choose Tools > Rectangular Selection from the dropdown menu.
3. Highlight the Area: Click and drag to select the portion of the screenshot you want to keep.
4. Crop: Once satisfied with your selection, navigate to Tools > Crop or simply press Command (⌘) + K.
5. Save: To save your cropped image, press Command (⌘) + S.

Saving a Screenshot as a Picture on a Mac

While screenshots on Mac are saved as .png files by default, you might want to save them in a different format or location:

1. Change Default Save Location: If you’d rather not save screenshots to your desktop, you can change the default location. Open the ‘Terminal’ application and enter: defaults write com.apple.screencapture location [desired path], replacing [desired path] with your preferred folder’s path.
2. Save in Different Formats: Open the screenshot in the ‘Preview’ app. Navigate to File > Export. From here, you can choose from formats like JPEG, TIFF, PDF, and more. Adjust the quality if desired, choose a save location, and click Save.

Also Read:

1. How To Screenshot on Android
2. How To Delete A Page In Word
3. DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN

Conclusion

This article contains thorough instructions on “How to screenshot on Mac” utilizing both keyboard shortcuts and third-party apps. You will be given concise but comprehensive information.

I hope this post has answered all of your questions about it. Please post any comments in the Space below if you have anything to add. We’d love to go through everything and put it into practice.