How To Take Screenshot on Mac OS – Guide
Mac users have several options for taking screenshots. We’ll explore the keyboard shortcuts and how to customize them, such as cropping or capturing an area larger than the screen. We’ll also discuss what to do when you need to interact with your screen in order to take a screenshot.
Mac users running macOS Mojave or higher have access to new screen capture options, while those on earlier versions of the operating system may not.
Capture the entire screen
Take a screenshot of your desktop with the shortcut Command + Shift + 3.
Press the combination of Command + Shift + 3 + Control to save the image to your clipboard.
Capture a selected area
Press Command + Shift + 4 to take a screenshot of any region on your desktop. Simply click and drag the pointer to draw a box around the desired area, then release the mouse button to save it.
Press Command + Shift + 4 + Control together to take a screenshot. The pointer will turn into a cross, allowing you to draw a box around the area you want to capture. Once you release the mouse button, the image will be saved to your clipboard.
Capture a single window
Users can quickly capture a screenshot of their screen by pressing Command + Shift + 4, which will cause the pointer to change to a crosshair.
Hitting the spacebar transforms the pointer into a camera icon.
Hover over any window to highlight it with a light blue overlay, then click to save the image to your desktop.
This method allows users to capture more than just windows – they can save the entire desktop, the menu bar, the dock, or even individual menus.
Use Screenshot app
The Screenshot app, available on MacOS Mojave and later, offers three capture tools plus options to save, show the pointer and more. To access it quickly, use keyboard shortcuts instead of opening the Others folder in Launchpad.
Press Command + Shift + 5 to quickly capture a screenshot of your full screen, selected window or selected part and save it to the desktop.
Press Command + Shift + 5 + Control to open the Screenshots toolbar and select an image – Full Screen, Selected Window, or Selected Part – which will be saved to the clipboard.
Taking screenshots with Grab
Grab makes taking screenshots easier with its menu bar feature. You can take a screenshot right away or set a delay to capture the perfect image.
MacOS Catalina and later no longer include Grab, with its features now accessible via the Command + Shift + 5 key combination.
Finder can be opened to reveal a list of apps on the left side.
To access Grab, double-click on the Utilities folder and select the app. Once opened, an icon for Grab will appear in the dock and can be pinned for easy access. The app is mostly run from the menu bar, with no window appearing when opened.
Capture screenshots quickly and easily using the Capture menu system or the detailed keyboard shortcuts next to each command.
Timed Screenshots
Grab offers three ways to capture screenshots: a specific section of the screen, an individual window, or the entire screen. Plus, it has a timed screen option with a 10-second delay.
Users of the new software can take their time to open menus and place the pointer in the right spot, as it allows for more time to do so.
To open Grab, follow the steps outlined above.
To capture a timed screenshot, use the Capture menu or press Command + Shift + Z.
To ensure your pointer is included in screenshots, click Preferences on the Capture menu and select the pointer icon in the pop-up window.
Final note
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