how to take a screenshot on a Mac computer all things you need to know

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Any Mac computer can capture high-quality screenshots. Then you can edit and share them however or whenever you want. The advanced screenshot menu is available to Mac owners who purchased or updated their Macs in 2018 and later. This allows you to capture videos of your screen.

Here are five different ways to take screenshots with a Mac.

Quick tip Your Mac can record screen shots and videos. You can find more information in our How to Screen Record on a Mac article.

Mac screenshots

Each method of taking screenshots on a Mac makes use of the Command, Shift and number keys.

Keyboard ShortcutFunction
Shift + Command + 3Capture the screen in its entirety.
Shift + Commands + 4Highlight one part of the screen and take a screenshot.
Shift + command + 5You can open the screenshot menu to capture video or edit your screenshot options.
Shift + Comman + 6Take a screenshot if you have a Touch Bar on your Mac.

Shift+Command + 3: Take screenshots of the entire screen

To capture the screen in its entirety, hold down Shift + Comand + 3.

Note If you use multiple monitors, it will save and take screenshots of each monitor.

A thumbnail preview will appear in the bottom right corner of your screen when you take a photo. You can click this preview to make changes to the picture. The screenshot menu allows you to toggle this feature on/off.

Shift and Command + 4: Capture an area or window

1. Hold Shift + Comman + 4.

2. Now your mouse cursor will transform into a crosshair. Drag and click this crosshair to select an area.

3. Hold down the trackpad/mouse button to capture the desired area. To cancel, press the Esc key.

You can also do more with this method. To unlock more options, press Shift + Comand + 4.

  • Capture specific windows: Use Shift + Command + HTML4 to do this. Then, use the spacebar. The crosshair will become a camera. Move the camera cursor to the window that you wish to capture, and then click on it. The gray border will surround the saved screenshot.
  • Enter the shape and size. After you have dragged the crosshair around to highlight an area, press the spacebar. This locks the box, so it cannot change in size. The box can be dragged anywhere on your screen. To take a screenshot, release the Spacebar.
  • Adjust height and width. Drag the crosshair across the area to highlight it. Next, press and hold the Shift Key. This will allow to adjust the height or width of the box. By pressing the Shift keyboard, you can toggle between width or height. Take a screenshot by releasing the mouse button/trackpad.

Shift+Command + 5: Use the screenshot menu

Screenshot is included in all current macOS versions (Mojave/Catalina/Big Sur, Monterey/Ventura).

1. Use Shift+Command + 5 to open the Screenshot app. The screen will display a small menu panel at the bottom.

2. These icons allow you to capture a screenshot of the whole screen, a particular window, or just a section. The two next icons on the right allow you to record a video that includes the entire screen or a selected section. Select one of these options to make a screenshot.

3. Click on the Capture button at the far right to capture the screenshot.

Optional menus are also available. This menu allows you to choose where you want your screenshot saved, how long between pressing Capture & the screenshot being taken.

Option menu also contains the Show Floating Thumbnail choice. It is enabled by default and marked with a checkmark. If you click on this option, a small thumbnail will appear in the bottom right corner of your screen. After the thumbnail disappears, your screenshot won’t save to your computer.

You can click the thumbnail to open the image in a new browser. This window will allow you to:

  • You can draw or type the image.
  • It can be trimmed to a different dimension or shape.
  • You can share it using your Apple ID account.

View an image of the Touch Bar

Although not all Mac computers feature the Touch Bar you can still take a screenshot.

To show others something on your Touch Bar, press Shift + Command+ 6. This will immediately capture everything in your Touch Bar.

Where to locate your Mac screenshots

By default, your desktop will display screenshots. It will automatically be called “Screen Shot” and followed by the date & time.

These steps can be used to alter the location in which your screenshots are saved.

1. Use Shift + Comand + 5 for the screenshot menu.

2 Click Option to open the menu.

3. Click on Save To in the menu to select one of these locations. Or, click Other Places and choose a folder to which you would like your screenshots saved by default.

Quick tip While taking a screenshot, hold down the Controlkey. It will copy the screenshot to the clipboard and not save it. The screenshot will then be copied to any place that supports images.

Third party screenshot apps for macOS

A third-party macOS app is available if you don’t want to use the built-in screenshot tools on your Mac. Lightshot is one of the most popular and cost-free screenshot apps. It’s very simple to use.

1. Install Lightshot onto your Mac.

2 Launch Lightshot. Press Command + Shift +9 on the keyboard. Your Mac’s screen will darken indicating that it is ready to take screenshots.

3. Click the mouse pointer and drag it to select the screen area you want to screen-shot. Highlighted areas will appear normal, while all others will remain darkened. You can also use Command + to select the entire screen.

4 The toolbar appears to the side of the highlighted areas. This allows you to add text, lines and rectangles to your screenshot.

5. Click Command+S and choose the location you want to save your screenshots to on your computer.

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