How to Screenshot on Mac: Step-by-Step Instructions

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Taking a screenshot on a Mac is straightforward once you get the hang of it. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you capture your screen using various methods available on macOS:

Introduction

  1. Capture the Entire Screen: To take a screenshot of the entire screen, press the Command (⌘) + Shift + 3 keys simultaneously. You will hear a camera shutter how to screenshot on mac sound, and a screenshot of the entire screen will be saved to your desktop by default. If you don’t hear the shutter sound, check your sound settings or ensure your Mac’s volume is on.
  2. Capture a Selected Portion of the Screen: If you want to capture only a specific part of your screen, press Command (⌘) + Shift + 4. Your cursor will change to a crosshair pointer. Click and drag the crosshair to select the area you want to capture. Once you release the mouse button, the screenshot of the selected area will be taken and saved to your desktop.

how to take a screenshot on mac

  1. Capture a Specific Window: To capture a specific window, press Command (⌘) + Shift + 4 and then press the Spacebar. Your cursor will change to a camera icon. Move the camera icon over the window you want to capture. The window will highlight, and when you click, a screenshot of the window will be taken and saved to your desktop.
  2. Use the Screenshot Toolbar: For more options, press Command (⌘) + Shift + 5. This opens the Screenshot toolbar, which provides options for capturing the entire screen, a selected window, or a selected portion of the screen. The toolbar also includes options to record your screen. You can click “Options” to choose where to save your screenshot, set a timer, or select other settings.

how to take screenshot on mac

  1. Capture the Touch Bar: If you have a MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, you can take a screenshot of the Touch Bar by pressing Command (⌘) + Shift + 6. This will save an image of what’s currently displayed on the Touch Bar to your desktop.
  2. Change Screenshot Settings: You can customize your screenshot settings by going to System Preferences. Open System Preferences, click on “Keyboard,” then go to the “Shortcuts” tab, and select “Screenshots” from the sidebar. Here, you can change the keyboard shortcuts for taking screenshots, choose where to save them, and more.

mac screenshot shortcut

  1. Access and Edit Screenshots: By default, screenshots are saved to your desktop with the file name starting with “Screen Shot” followed by the date and time. You can open these files using Preview or any image editing application to make changes or annotate your screenshots.

where are screenshots saved on mac

  1. Use the Screenshot App: If you prefer a graphical interface for capturing and editing screenshots, you can use the built-in Screenshot app. To open it, press Command (⌘) + Shift + 5. This app allows you to capture screenshots and record your screen, with additional options for editing and sharing directly from the app.

how do you screenshot on a mac

By following these steps, you can easily capture anything on your Mac screen, whether it’s an entire display, a specific area, or a single window. With these tools at your disposal, taking and managing screenshots becomes a simple and efficient task.