How to take screenshots on Mac is a quick and easy way to capture images of your computer screen. Whether you want to save an image of a webpage, an error message, or a funny meme, how to take high resolution screenshots on mac is the way to go.
In this article, we’ll cover how to take screenshots on a Mac and some helpful tips for capturing the perfect image. You can also see the post how to download a free screen recorder for Windows, it also help you to take screenshot on Windows
How to take a screenshot on a Mac
There are a few different ways to take screenshots on Mac, mac screenshot depending on what you want to capture. Here are the most common methods for mac screenshots with macbook screenshot shortcut:
- Take a screenshot of the entire screen: To capture the entire screen, press the “Command” ⌘ + “Shift” + “3” keys at the same time. You’ll hear a camera shutter sound, and a thumbnail of the screenshot will appear in the bottom-right corner of your screen. You can click on the thumbnail to edit or save the screenshot, or just let it disappear on its own.
- Take a screenshot of a portion of the screen: To capture a specific portion of the screen, press the “Command” ⌘ + “Shift” + “4” keys at the same time. Your cursor will turn into a crosshair, and you can click and drag to select the area you to capture. Once you release the mouse button, the screenshot will be saved as a thumbnail, just like in the first method.
- Take a screenshot of a window or menu: To capture a specific window or menu, press the “Command” ⌘ + “Shift” + “4” keys at the same time, then press the “Space” bar. Your cursor will turn into a camera, and you can hover over the window or menu you to capture. Once it’s highlighted in blue, click your mouse button to take the screenshot.
- Take a screenshot of the Touch Bar: If you have a screenshot on macbook pro with a Touch Bar, you can take a screenshot of it by pressing the “Command” ⌘ + “Shift” + “6” keys at the same time.
Helpful tips for taking screenshots on Mac
Now that you know how to take screenshots on a Mac, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of this feature:
- Use keyboard shortcuts: The fastest way to take a screenshot is by using keyboard shortcuts, as described above. Memorize these shortcuts to make the process even quicker to take screenshots on Mac.
- Use Preview to edit screenshots: When you take a screenshot, it will automatically save as a PNG file on your desktop. You can double-click on this file to open it in Preview, which is a built-in app on your Mac. Preview has some basic editing tools that can help you how to crop a screenshot on mac, resize, or annotate your screenshot for to take screenshots on Mac.
- Use third-party apps for more features: If you need more advanced features for taking screenshots, there are plenty of third-party apps you can download. Some popular options include Skitch, Snagit, and Lightshot.
- Consider the file size: Screenshots can quickly add up and take up valuable space on your hard drive. To keep your Mac running smoothly, try to delete unnecessary screenshots regularly, or consider changing the default location where screenshots are saved.
Take screenshots on Mac of specific menu
And if you want to take a screenshot of a specific menu, such as the Apple menu or the menu of an application, you can use the following method:
- Click on the menu you to capture.
- Press “Command” ⌘ + “Shift” + “4” keys to bring up the crosshair cursor.
- Hold down the “Option” key. You’ll see the crosshair cursor change to a camera icon.
- Click on the menu to take the screenshot to take screenshots on Mac.
Take screenshot of menu and its drop-down contents
This method will capture the menu and its drop-down contents, including any submenus or options. The screenshot will be saved as a PNG file on your desktop, and you can edit or annotate it using Preview or a third-party app.
In addition, if you want to take screenshots on Mac, you can use the following steps:
- Press “Command” ⌘ + “Shift” + “5” keys to bring up the screenshot toolbar.
- Click on the “Options” button.
- Choose whether you capture the entire screen, a portion of the screen, or a specific window.
- Choose the “Timed Screenshot” option.
- Click on “Start Timer”.
- Wait for the timer to count down, and then the screenshot will be taken automatically.
How do I take a partial screenshot?
This method is useful if you need to capture a screenshot of a specific event or action that you can’t easily replicate. It gives you a few seconds to set up the screen or menu to capture before the screenshot is taken.
And if you want to take screenshots on Mac a specific part of a window, such as a dialog box or a specific area of a webpage, you can use the following method:
- Press “Command” ⌘ + “Shift” + “4” keys to bring up the crosshair cursor of pointer.
- Press the “Space” bar. You’ll see the cursor change to a camera icon and the window you’re hovering over will be highlighted in blue.
- Move the camera cursor over the window or dialog box to capture.
- Click the mouse button to take the screenshot.
This method is useful when you only need to capture a specific part of a window, such as an error message or a specific section of a webpage. The screenshot will be saved as a PNG file on your desktop, and you can edit or annotate it using Preview or a third-party app.
In addition, if you want to take a screenshot and have it automatically saved to your clipboard, you can use the following method:
- Press “Command” ⌘ + “Control” + “Shift” + “3” keys to capture the entire screen to your clipboard.
- Press “Command” ⌘ + “Control” + “Shift” + “4” keys to capture a specific portion of the screen to your clipboard.
- Press “Command” ⌘ + “Control” + “Shift” + “4” keys, then press the “Space” bar to capture a window to your clipboard.
How do I take a screenshot of the Touch Bar (MacBook Pro)?
This method is useful when you want to quickly how to paste screenshot on mac the screenshot into another app, such as an email or a document. The screenshot will be saved to your clipboard instead of your desktop, so you can immediately paste it into another app without having to open the file first.
And if you want to take screenshots on Mac of a Touch Bar on a MacBook Pro, you can use the following method:
- Press “Command” ⌘ + “Shift” + “6” keys to capture the Touch Bar.
- The screenshot will be saved as a PNG file on your desktop.
This method is useful if to capture the layout of your Touch Bar or share it with others. The Touch Bar screenshot will show all the current controls and apps that are displayed on the Touch Bar, including the Control Strip and any custom controls.
Lastly, if you want to record a video of your screen, you can use the built-in screen recording tool in macOS:
- Press “Command” ⌘ + “Shift” + “5” keys to bring up the screenshot toolbar.
- Click on the “Record Entire Screen” or “Record Selected Portion” button.
- Choose whether you want to record the audio from your microphone or computer.
- Click on the “Record” button to start the recording.
- When you’re finished, click on the “Stop” button in the menu bar or press “Command” ⌘ + “Control” + “Esc” keys.
This method is useful when you need to create a video tutorial, record a gameplay session, or demonstrate a software bug. The screen recording will be saved as a QuickTime movie file on your desktop, and you can edit it using QuickTime or a third-party app.
How to Change Where Screenshots Are Saved on Mac
By default, Mac saves screenshots to the desktop. However, you can change where your screenshots are saved if you prefer to keep them in a different location. Here’s how to change where screenshots are saved on a Mac:
- Open the Terminal app on your Mac. You can find it in the “Utilities” folder within the “Applications” folder, or you can use Spotlight search to find it to take screenshots on Mac.
- In the Terminal window, type or copy/paste the following command:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location /path/
(Note: Replace “/path/” with the path of the folder where you want to save your screenshots. For example, if you want to save your screenshots in a folder called “Screenshots” on your desktop, the path would be “~/Desktop/Screenshots”.)
- After you’ve entered the command, press Enter on your keyboard.
- Next, type or copy/paste the following command to apply the changes:
killall SystemUIServer
- Press Enter on your keyboard again.
After completing these steps, your Mac will save any future screenshots to the folder you specified in the command. You can also revert back to the default settings at any time by typing the following command in the Terminal:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Desktop
(Note: This command will save screenshots back to the desktop.)
In conclusion, changing where screenshots are saved on a Mac is a simple process that can help you keep your files organized and easy to access. With these steps, you can easily change the default location for saving screenshots on your Mac.
Third-party macOS screenshot apps
Here are some popular third-party screenshot tool for Mac and a step-by-step guide on how to use them to take screenshots on Mac and screenshot on macbook air.
- Snagit
Snagit is a professional-grade screenshot and video recording software that offers advanced editing and sharing features. Here’s how to use Snagit to take screenshots on Mac:
- Download and install Snagit from the TechSmith website.
- Launch Snagit and select the type of capture you want to take (e.g., image, video, scrolling capture).
- Use the crosshair cursor to select the area of the screen to capture.
- Edit the screenshot using Snagit’s editing tools (e.g., crop, resize, annotate).
- Save the screenshot or share it directly to a variety of destinations (e.g., email, cloud storage, social media).
- Lightshot
Lightshot is a lightweight screen capture app that offers basic editing and sharing features. Here’s how to use Lightshot to take screenshots on Mac:
- Download and install Lightshot from the Mac App Store or the Lightshot website.
- Press the “Command” ⌘ + “Shift” + “5” keys to bring up the screenshot toolbar.
- Click on the “Capture Selected Area” button.
- Use the crosshair cursor to select the area of the screen to capture.
- Edit the screenshot using Lightshot’s editing tools (e.g., crop, resize, annotate).
- Save the screenshot or share it directly to a variety of destinations (e.g., email, cloud storage, social media).
- Skitch
Skitch is a screenshot and image annotation app that offers simple editing and sharing features. Here’s how to use Skitch to take screenshots on Mac:
- Download and install Skitch from the Evernote website.
- Launch Skitch and select the type of capture you want to take (e.g., image, webpage, webcam).
- Use the crosshair cursor to select the area of the screen you want to capture.
- Edit the screenshot using Skitch’s editing tools (e.g., crop, resize, annotate).
- Save the screenshot or share it directly to a variety of destinations (e.g., Evernote, email, cloud storage).
- Jing
Jing is a free screenshot and video recording app that offers basic editing and sharing features. Here’s how to use Jing to take screenshots on Mac:
- Download and install Jing from the TechSmith website.
- Launch Jing and select the type of capture you want to take (e.g., image, video).
- Use the crosshair cursor to select the area of the screen you want to capture.
- Edit the screenshot or video using Jing’s editing tools (e.g., crop, resize, annotate).
- Save the screenshot or video to your computer or share it directly to a variety of destinations (e.g., Screencast.com, FTP server).
In conclusion, each third-party screenshot app offers different features and functionality, so it’s important to choose the one that best suits your needs. By following these step-by-step guides, you can take advantage of the advanced editing and sharing features offered by these apps and capture and share important information, images, and events with ease.
Can’t crop screenshot mac ?
If you’re unable to crop a screenshot on your Mac using the built-in Markup tool, you may want to try using a third-party app such as Skitch or Snagit for more advanced screenshot editing features. Additionally, double-checking your screenshot settings may also help resolve the issue.
Take screenshots on Mac are not allowed mac?
If you’re receiving a message that says “Screenshots are not allowed” on your Mac, it may be because of the app or website you’re trying to take a screenshot of has disabled the ability to capture screenshots. Some apps and websites use digital rights management (DRM) technology to prevent users from taking screenshots of copyrighted content.
Mac make screenshot jpg?
Yes, you can easily make a screenshot in JPG format on a Mac. By default, Mac saves screenshots in PNG format, but you can change this to JPG format by using the Terminal app. Here’s how to make a screenshot in JPG format on a Mac:
- Open Terminal app on your Mac. You can find it in the “Utilities” folder within the “Applications” folder, or you can use Spotlight search to find it.
- In the Terminal window, type or copy/paste the following command:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
- After you’ve entered the command, press Enter on your keyboard.
- Next, type or copy/paste the following command to apply the changes:
killall SystemUIServer
- Press Enter on your keyboard again.
After completing these steps, your Mac will save any future screenshots in JPG format. If you ever want to change back to PNG format, simply enter the following command in Terminal:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type png
(Note: You’ll need to enter the “killall SystemUIServer” command again to apply the changes.)
In conclusion, to take screenshots on Mac is a simple process that can be done using the Terminal app. With these steps, you can easily make your Mac save future screenshots in JPG format.
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