Summary
When most people first start using a Mac, one of the first things they need to ask is, “How do I take a screenshot on a Mac ?” This is particularly appropriate for those who are coming from Windows. For example, there is no specific Print Screen key as there is on Windows; however, there is a keyboard shortcut, and if you want something that is more comparable to the Windows Snipping tool that Microsoft offers, there are several excellent snapshot applications that you can use as well.
Taking a screenshot on a Mac may be done in a number of different ways, which are described below.
How to take a screenshot using keyboard shortcuts
If you want to capture a screenshot of the full screen or just a piece of it, the simplest method to do it using MacOS is to use the keyboard shortcuts. Apple’s techniques save your snapshot to the desktop by default, but if you wish to copy the screenshot to the clipboard, you may use a keyboard shortcut instead. This alternative is available to you.
How to capture a selected area
At the same time, press the Command key, the Shift key, and the 4 key. After transforming your cursor into a crosshair, you may construct a box around the area you wish to capture by clicking and dragging the mouse back and forth. Whenever you release the button on your mouse, the screenshot will be saved to your desktop folder.
How to capture a single window
Step one is to make your cursor into a crosshair by simultaneously pressing the Command key, the Shift key, and the 4 key pressed together.
In the second step, press the spacebar. The symbol of a camera appears in place of the pointer.
In the third step, a light blue overlay will appear over any window that you drag your mouse over. In order to save the picture to your desktop, you must first click on the window that you want to capture.
Not only can you save Windows using this method, but you can also save the desktop, the menu bar, the dock, or even an entire menu on its own.
How to capture the entire screen
To take a screenshot of your desktop in a moment, press and hold the Command key, the Shift key, and the three keys simultaneously. The Dock, the Menu Bar, and anything else that is shown on the screen will be included in this. The sound of the snapshot will be played, and the preview will show in the bottom-right corner of your screen. This will provide you with easy access to the editing options.
In the picture that you save, the window and its shadow are shown against a transparent backdrop (in PNG format). To save the picture without the shadow, hit and hold the Option key (or Alt) as you click. This will prevent the shadow from appearing.
How to take a screenshot using the Touch Bar
These settings will be shown on the OLED strip if you have one of the earlier versions of the MacBook Pro that comes equipped with a Touch Bar. Taking a screenshot of the display on the Touch Bar is another feature that is special to the Touch Bar. To do so, press the Shift key, then the Command key, and finally the 6.
How to take a screenshot using the native Mac app
Shortcuts on the keyboard are useful for programmers, but a user interface that relies on point-and-click navigation is simple enough for everyone to utilize. Consequently, Apple also adds a screenshot app, which provides you with even more control over screenshots than the previous app did. An additional feature of the application is the ability to take screenshots after a delay of between five and ten seconds. This gives you the opportunity to access a menu or do some other configuration that may not be available with the keyboard shortcut before you capture a picture on your display. There are three different methods to locate the screenshot app, which are detailed in steps 1 through 3 below.
When you have the Launchpad open on your Mac, select the Screenshot program by scrolling through it or typing it into the search bar at the top of the screen. Double-clicking on the app will launch it.
In addition, you may initiate a spotlight search by holding down the Command key and the Spacebar simultaneously. When you start typing “Screenshot,” the application will show up in the list of results quite quickly. In order to launch the application, choose Screenshot from the area at the top of the search results. When you find Screenshot lower in the results, it will initiate a web search for the phrase “screenshot” as a search term; thus, it is important to choose a result that is closer to the top of the website.
The Finder may be opened by selecting the icon of a blue face with a smile located in the bottom-left corner of the Dock and then selecting Applications from the sidebar on the left. Proceed to enter the Utilities folder, then scroll down until you locate the screenshot application, and then launch it.
You may choose to keep the screenshot app in the dock by right-clicking the app icon and choosing Keep in Dock from the Options menu. This is an option that you can use if you believe that you will use the app often.
How to take a screenshot with the screenshot menu
The screenshot application seems to be a toolbar that is hovering toward the bottom of the screen. It has buttons that are designed to look like the sort of screenshot that it is able to record. Full-screen capture is located on the far left, followed by window capture, and finally partial-screen capture. After that, you will see buttons for recording the whole screen and recording just a portion of the screen, followed by a menu for options and a button labeled “Capture.”
Select the screenshot button, and then press the Capture button to take a screenshot of what is now shown on the screen. Not shown in the capture is the toolbar that allows you to take screenshots.
Please pick either the 5 seconds or 10 seconds delay from the Options menu if there is anything that has to be set up, such as a menu that needs to be opened in order to display its contents in the screenshot.
Additionally, you have the option of selecting a different default save place for your screenshots, as well as sending screenshots to another application, such as Mail or Messages.
You may activate the Show mouse pointer option in the Options menu if you want to show the arrow that represents the mouse cursor in the snapshot.
However, if you take numerous screenshots in a row, the thumbnail may be caught in some of the photographs since it displays on the screen. This is because the floating thumbnail option is enabled by default. While you are capturing rapid screenshots, be sure that the floating thumbnail option is turned off in the Options menu.
How to print screen on Mac using Preview
The first step is to switch to the Preview tool, which is the default tool that enables you to open everything from photographs to PDF files (and here is how to convert them). There are a lot of capabilities that aren’t well recognized, such as the ability to annotate documents and photos by choosing the Markup icon located in the upper-right corner of the screen. Preview is also capable of capturing screenshots. The first step is to open the picture by either double-clicking it inside the folder or opening it in Preview in Spotlight by using the command that consists of the Command key and the Space key.
The second step is to enter the File menu and the Take screenshot submenu inside the Preview program. After that, pick the selection option that best suits your preferences.
Step 3: The keyboard shortcut approach is much faster, and the screenshot program is simpler; however, Preview allows you to give the file a name before storing it in the location of your choice.
Where to find screenshots on Mac
Now that you have taken your screenshot, you may be asking where you can locate it after you have it. By default, your screenshots are stored on your desktop, which can be viewed using Finder under Desktop or simply by entering the desktop directly. You may also browse your desktop directly. On the other hand, this might result in an extremely disorganized desktop. You may alter the default location of screenshots in the Screenshot app if you are using macOS Mojave or a later version of the operating system.
For storing screenshots, the PNG file format is the default. Launch Terminal in order to make this adjustment. Make sure to ignore the quotation marks and enter in the following command: “defaults write com.apple.screencapture type”—followed by a space and the file format that you wish to use, whether it be JPG, PDF, or another image format. Let’s finish by pressing the Return key.
How to add annotations to a screenshot
Step 1: After capturing a screenshot, choose the thumbnail that appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen. This will bring up the Markup toolbar.
Step 2: Once you have selected the thumbnail of the screenshot, it will open in a window that has a toolbar for marking up the screenshot at the top. This window is a system utility window that is shown above all other windows. It does not have the typical choices of maximizing, minimizing, or scaling that are available in an application window. There are a number of sketching tools, a text tool, a signature option that allows you to sign on your trackpad or take a snapshot of an ink and paper signature using a camera or an iPhone, and more tools.
Step 3: When utilizing the forms tool, it is possible to create perfect squares and circles. However, the Sketch tool, which is located in the top-left corner of the screen, is particularly beneficial when it comes to fixing shaky, hand-drawn forms. These shapes include boxes, stars, triangles, ovals, and arrows.
Step 4: You can also easily modify your drawings and notes using Preview, which is identical to Paint on macOS and is the ideal alternative to Paint. In order to modify the size, location, and color of any annotation, you must first deselect the tool that is now being used so that the pointer transforms into an arrow. To get rid of the doodle, text, or signature, use the Delete key on your keyboard.
In the fifth step, after you have completed the process of marking up the screenshot, use the Done button located in the top right corner of the screen to save the picture. Additionally, you may utilize the Share option to AirDrop and transmit the screenshot to another application, or you can just delete the screenshot if you have made the decision that you do not want it.
Hints and techniques for taking screenshots
In order to alter the functionality of a screenshot, there are a few ways to make use of the keyboard on a Mac. These suggestions are applicable regardless of whether you initiated the snapshot using a keyboard shortcut, the snapshot app, or the Preview app.
While you are taking a screenshot, you may copy the image to the clipboard by pressing and holding the Control key. This will prevent the image from being saved as a file. When it comes to taking screenshots on a Mac, the *=Option key is quite helpful. Holding down the Option key when taking a screenshot of a window will have the effect of removing the shadow that would normally surround the window in the original picture.
While you are modifying the dotted outline in a partial screenshot, if you hold down the Option key, dragging one edge or corner will cause the identical movement to occur on the opposite corner or edge. The center may be maintained in its current position while the area of the screen that will be recorded is resized. This is a convenient method.
How to snap screenshots on devices other than your own
There is a possibility that you are also curious about how to snap a screenshot on an iPhone if you purchase other Apple products. It is not too complicated; however, the procedure may vary depending on the generation of gadget you are using. To do this, you just need to press and hold both the Home button and the Power button simultaneously on your iPhone, even if it is an older model that still has a Home button.
While holding down the Volume up button and the Power button simultaneously, you may use a device that is more recent and does not have a Home button. When it comes to capturing a screenshot on an iPad, the same exact procedure is applicable.
The process of learning how to capture a screenshot on a Windows computer or laptop might be challenging if you are more used to using MacOS. Additionally, there are a variety of keyboard shortcuts that use the Print Screen key, in addition to the Snipping Windows tool that is incorporated into the operating system. If you want to take a screenshot on a Microsoft Surface device or any other Windows tablet or 2-in-1, you may use the same method.
In addition, Chromebooks offer their own unique approach to the management of screenshots.
