Taking A Screenshot On Mac: Simple Ways To Do It
How to screenshot on a Mac is a common question among new Apple users, especially those who are switching from Windows and are used to using the Prt Scrn (Print Screen) button.
Even though taking a screenshot on a Mac merely requires hitting a few keys, it is nevertheless true that the process hasn’t always felt very natural. For instance, in addition to distinct key commands for taking screenshots of windows as opposed to smaller selections, it was once the only way to record video of your screen using QuickTime Player.
The process for taking a screenshot is the same throughout Apple’s new M1 and M2 versions of the majority of its famous Macs. If you own a modern Mac, such as a MacBook laptop, an iMac all-in-one laptop, a Mac Mini desktop, or a Mac Studio desktop, there are three standard keyboard shortcuts you can use to take screenshots.
Owners of MacBook Pros have a fourth option: the Touch Bar. You also have a good variety of options in Apple’s macOS programmer to quickly save, remove, and open the snapshot for annotation.
These guidelines also apply to the most recent Macs, such as the M2 MacBook Air and the recently updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with a new M2 chip. Additionally, we tried these suggestions in MacOS Ventura, the newest operating system version, to ensure their functioning.
In this guide, you can learn more about taking screenshots on a Mac (and recording video). You can also find some helpful tools to make taking Apple screenshots simpler.
Several Ways To Take A Screenshot On Mac
Every Mac computer can take clear screenshots that you can later edit or share. You can choose to screenshot the full screen, a window, or just a portion of it. Every Mac screenshotting method makes use of the Shift, Command, and number keys.
- Cmd-Shift-3
- Cmd-Shift-4
- Cmd-Shift-5
- Cmd-Shift-6
1. Cmd-Shift-3
This keyboard shortcut captures a screenshot of your entire screen.
2. Cmd-Shift-4
With the use of this keyboard shortcut, you can transform your cursor into a crosshair that you can drag to choose a specific area of your screen to record. To take the picture, let go of the mouse or trackpad button.
After pressing Cmd-Shift-4, you have a variety of alternative options, including:
When the spacebar is pressed and released, the crosshair changes into a tiny camera icon that you can move over any open window. To take a screenshot of the window you want, click on it. This method produces screenshots with a white border around the window with a faint drop shadow.
After dragging to highlight a region, hold down the spacebar while still holding down the mouse button or trackpad: This allows you to move the selection area on the screen while locking in its size and form. If your initial selection region is off by a few pixels, you may easily reposition it by holding down the spacebar before releasing the mouse button to take a screenshot.
Holding down the Shift key locks in all sides of the crosshairs-made selection area except the bottom edge, allowing you to move your mouse up or down to position the bottom border after dragging to highlight an area but before releasing the mouse button or trackpad.
Reposition the right border of your selection area by releasing the Shift key while continuing to hold down the mouse button. By holding down the Shift key while using the mouse button or touchpad, you can switch between moving the bottom and right edges.
3. Cmd-Shift-5
Cmd-Shift-5 activates a small panel with your screen capture options at the bottom of your display. This shortcut command was first introduced in macOS Mojave in 2018. You can take a screenshot of your full screen, a window, or a portion of it using one of the three buttons.
Likewise, you can record your entire screen or a portion of it using the two video recording buttons. The screenshot panel can be closed using the X button on the left, or you can just press the Escape key to leave. There is an options button on the right side.
It allows you to select the location where your screenshot will be saved (Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview, or Other Location), as well as to specify a delay of 5 or 10 seconds so you may line up objects that could otherwise be lost when you use your snapshot tool.
The show Floating Thumbnail option, which by default is enabled, displays a tiny preview thumbnail of the screenshot you just took in the lower-right corner of your screen, much to how iOS handles screenshots. On your Mac, you have the option to disable this preview thumbnail, unlike on your iPhone.
Finally, you may decide whether to include a screenshot or video of your mouse pointer.
4. Cmd-Shift-6 is a bonus for MacBook with Touch Bar
You can also capture a screenshot of what is currently displayed on the Touch Bar if you have an older MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar. Simply press Cmd-Shift-6 to take a long, thin screenshot of your Touch Bar.
Annotation
You’ll have quick access to Markup tools to annotate your screenshot if you use the Floating Thumbnail. It will be stored in the location where you most recently saved a screenshot whether you swipe away the floating thumbnail or just let it disappear on its own. When you click the floating thumbnail, a Markup View preview window (rather than Preview) will open with all of the markup capabilities available in Preview.
Right-clicking the Floating Thumbnail will allow you to:
- You can clip the screenshot to your clipboard, desktop, or documents folder.
- Open it in Preview, Mail, Messages, or Photos.
- Show Delete in Finder
- Open it in the previously mentioned Markup preview window
- Close (and save) (and save)
The Cmd-Shift-5 shortcut may take some time to catch on with professional Mac screenshots, but I find that I use it more because it allows me to rapidly remove screenshots that I know I made a mistake on and annotate screenshots without opening Preview. The 5- and 10-second delay settings are both beneficial and welcome additions.
Best Screenshot App For Your Mac
If you’re seeking a Mac snipping tool that can do a little bit more, for instance, you want to take a scrolling capture, you know that the native tool can’t do that.
Therefore, you must consult a third-party developer. Here, CleanShot X is unbeatable. This software is the best screen capture tool for Mac because it is optimized for more than 50 distinct modifications. Clean Shot X lets you take screenshots of the entire screen, a window, a portion of the screen, or even scrolling information.
It also lets you record videos and GIFs. You have the option to turn off desktop alerts and hide all desktop clutter while taking a screenshot of something on your desktop. Open the clean screenshot you took from the overlay window that appears after you have it.
When you have a clear screenshot, start modifying it by opening it in the overlay window that appears. You may customize practically anything with Clean Shot X, whether you want to add comments, blur particular areas, or sketch.
Self-timer, Screenshot Pinning, and internal Cloud are a few less visible but cool things to highlight. Do you want to delay the capturing of something?
The identity in Clean Shot X will assist you in choosing the ideal moment. Pin your screenshot on the desktop if you want it to be visible on the screen. Save your screen captures to the internal Clean Shot Cloud, and you’ll instantly have shareable links.
How to Print Screen on Mac with Preview
The native image and PDF viewer for Apple is called Preview, and it probably plays a crucial role in your workflow. Using this app, you can take a screenshot of a window, a portion of the screen, or the entire screen. Taking screenshots in Preview has the advantage of opening the screenshot you just took in a new Preview window so you may edit it, resize it, add notes, etc.
How do you use Preview on a Mac to snap a screenshot? It’s easy.
Choose File > Take Screenshot from the app’s menu, then choose the area of the screen you want to capture.
You are then free to edit and save your screenshot to any location on your Mac. As you can see from the example above, taking a screenshot on a Mac isn’t particularly challenging.
It’s now simpler than ever owing to the inclusion of a specific MacBook screenshot and video capture menu in macOS.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
1. How can I view a screenshot on my Mac?
A Mac automatically saves a snapshot to your Desktop when you take it. You may examine your stored images by accessing the Desktop screen on your computer or by using Finder to open the Desktop folder and view it. Using Finder can be easier if you have a lot of screenshots to sort through on your Desktop screen because it often displays the date and time the screenshot was taken.
2. How do I copy a screenshot onto a Mac?
To paste screenshots into a document or online form you’re working on, you can choose to copy them immediately to the Mac clipboard rather than saving them all to the Desktop or another location.
If you merely need to use the screenshot right immediately and don’t want to save it, this is extremely beneficial. To copy a screenshot to the clipboard on a Mac, press Control while taking the screenshot. To paste the snapshot in another program, hit Command + V.
3. How do I prevent Mac from taking screenshots?
On a Mac, turn off snapshots by going to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Screen Recording. Using your password, open the padlock. Here, you can see a list of the program that is now capturing your screen. From here, you can choose and deselect the apps.
4. How to selectively screenshot on Mac?
Hold down Command, Shift, and 4. To the left of the center, your cursor will convert into a tiny reticule with pixel coordinates. Click and hold the mouse button or trackpad button while dragging the pointer to select a rectangle for a screenshot. Press the Esc key to restart the process without taking the photo. To take a picture, let go of the button.
Conclusion:
Apple has made improvements to the process in the past, so you can probably anticipate more in the future. It’s evident that Apple recognizes the print screen Mac difficulty for Windows switchers.
Meanwhile, a number of top-notch solutions in the snipping tool for the Mac market simplify the procedure and provide a variety of unique features absent from those built-in Mac snapshot options.
Apple has made improvements to the method in the past, so you can probably anticipate more in the future. It’s evident that Apple recognizes the print screen Mac difficulty for Windows switchers.
In the meanwhile, there are a number of top-notch solutions available in the snipping tool for the Mac market that simplify the procedure and provide a variety of unique features absent from those built-in Mac snapshot options.
