How to screenshot on a Mac

In its easiest kind, taking a screenshot on a Mac could be achieved by holding down Command + Shift + 3, however, there are a lot of more choices accessible should you dive a little deeper. In this article, we’ll present you how to take a screenshot of your Mac’s show, then edit and put it aside.

The strategies right here work in all variations of macOS or Mac OS X, however, there are some extra options unique to macOS Mojave or later that we cowl as effectively.

Screenshots are saved to your desktop by default, though you’ll be able to change the place your screenshots are saved. Generally, your screenshot shall be saved as a .png file, which it’s your decision to open in Preview or a comparable program for viewing photos, then Save as with a totally different file sort extension. There are different methods to change the format by which your screenshot is saved.

Full display screenshots

Want to save a picture that is on your display (or when you have more than 1 display, each?) It’s very easy on a Mac:

1. Hold down Command + Shift + 3.
2. You might hear a sound like a camera’s shutter, and in macOS Mojave or later, you’ll be able to see a preview of the screenshot on the backside left. Clicking on it permits you to shortly crop and edit your picture earlier than saving it.
3. By default, the screenshot is saved to your desktop. (We’ll clarify how to change the place the screenshot is saved later on this article.)

However, you most likely don’t need to take the entire display screenshot. Most probably, you simply need to present somebody 1 thing fascinating that certainly 1 of your purposes is working on, otherwise you need to spotlight a sure a part of your display to make 1 thing clear to the individual you are taking the screenshot for, which leads to our subsequent possibility.

Screen shot of a part of the display

If you need, you’ll be able to select to take a screenshot of a chosen space throughout the display, as a substitute of the entire thing.

1. Hold down Command + Shift + 4.
   
2. You will see a cross seem on your display with some numbers, as illustrated above, drag this crosshairs over the realm of ​​the display you need to screenshot, as beneath, in order that they kind a rectangle round what you need to ‘seize’. To do that, click on the mouse button or press the trackpad and drag diagonally from high left to backside proper (or vice versa).
3. When you permit the realm coated by your rectangle, launch the mouse button or trackpad and your screenshot shall be taken.
   
4. As we talked about above, the screenshot will seem on your desktop as a .jpeg or as a .png file, labeled as ‘Screen Shot’ [year]-[month]-[day] Bee [time]”. If you are utilizing Mojave, you may see a thumbnail within the backside proper of the display you can click on and edit immediately.

Protip: As quickly because the crosshairs seem, you’ll be able to launch the keyboard keys. After clicking the mouse button and dragging the cursor, press the space bar and you’ll transfer the chosen space. Hold down Shift and you’ll solely transfer it horizontally.

Protip 2: Press Escape at any time to abort the display seize. No picture is generated or captured.

Take screenshots of particular dimension

You can virtually see within the picture above that there are 2 numbers on the crosshairs we dragged over the specified display space (backside proper). These are pixel numbers. In the above case 1073 x 660.

Once you click on and begin dragging the choice window over your required a part of the display, the numbers will present the scale of the chosen space, which could be helpful if you would like a screenshot by 800 by 450 pixels or a good sq. for instance.

Here’s a nearer take a look at what you will note whereas taking a Mac screenshot. When we launch the mouse button at this level, we take a (slightly boring) screenshot of 119 by 70 pixels.

So if you would like to take a screenshot of an space with particular dimensions, you are able to do this:

1. Hold down Command + Shift + 4.
2. When the crosshairs seem on your display, drag these crosshairs to cowl a display space equal to the pixel width and depth you want. Don’t fear an excessive amount of about how effectively you cowl the realm you need to seize.
3. Before releasing the mouse button / trackpad, press the spacebar, then you’ll be able to transfer the field round your display till you cowl the realm you need to screenshot.
4. Once you might be blissful together with your choice, launch the mouse button / trackpad.

Screenshots of a number of photos with the identical dimensions

If you usually want to create photos of the identical dimension – for instance, we use 1600 x 900 photos, so that is often our default – you’ll be able to set your crosshairs upfront with Command + Shift + 5. How it really works:

1. Hold down Command + Shift + 5.
2. When the crosshairs seem on your display, drag these crosshairs to cowl a display space equal to the pixel width and depth you want. You haven’t got to fear an excessive amount of about how effectively you cowl the realm you need to seize, as a result of as quickly as you launch the mouse button, you’ll be able to transfer the field round your display till you could have the realm you need to screenshot.
3. When you might be happy together with your choice, click on Capture (if you’re utilizing Mojave).

Screenshots of a window

What if you would like to display a single window on your desktop or take a screenshot?

1. Hold down Command + Shift + 4.
2. Press the spacebar when crosshairs seem.
3. Place your cursor on the window (will probably be highlighted) and click on together with your mouse / press on the trackpad. You will see a camera icon and the entrance window will flip grey.
4. Select the specified window and click on together with your mouse. A screenshot of the window (full with shadow) will seem on your desktop.

Click to take a screenshot of this window solely – and the ensuing picture additionally has a good shadow impact.

Screen show of a window without shadow

1. Hold down Command + Shift + 4.
2. If crosshairs seem, maintain down Alt / Option after which press Space + Alt.
3. Place the cursor on the window (will probably be highlighted in blue) and click on.
4. Screenshot of window (without shadow) seems on your desktop as .png.

Adding the Option (or Alt) key offers you an finish consequence without shadows. You really feel like your fingers are taking part in Twister, but it surely works.

Screenshots of a drop-down menu (or different display furnishings)

The similar approach can be utilized for on-screen menus. Open the menu you need to take a screenshot of, then press Command, Shift, 4, then Space and transfer the camera icon over the drop-down checklist of menus.

1. Hold down Command + Shift + 4.
2. Press Space when crosshairs seem.
3. Place the cursor on the drop-down menu and left click on.
4. A screenshot of the drop-down menu will seem on your desktop.

You get a screenshot of the menu (though it would not embrace the title on the high of the drop-down checklist – to a screenshot you want to use the default Command + Shift + 4 and choose the choice by eye).

And it would not cease the re. You can use the identical approach to take neat screenshots of different display furnishings that you could be not think about home windows. Here’s a screenshot of our Dock, which we grabbed the identical approach – Command + Shift + 4, then Space:

You may seize the highest bar, sure parts of the highest bar on the suitable, or all of the icons on your desktop with the highest bar, Dock and background picture eliminated.

Take timed screenshots

To take a timed screenshot in Mojave (or larger) you want to do the next:

1. Hold down Command + Shift + 5.
2. Click on Options.
3. Under Timer select 5 or 10 seconds.
4. Now select the kind of screengrab you need to create. Full display, chosen space, chosen window.
5. You will see a timer begin up. When it reaches zero, your screenshot is taken.

This approach you’ll be able to take a screenshot of 1 thing you want to management – you’ll be able to’t do 2 issues without delay, so it means you’ll be able to set the screenshot to take after which do no matter you need to seize.

If you might be utilizing an older model of macOS or Mac OS X, you’ll be able to use Grab to take a timed screenshot. Press Command + Space and begin typing Grab, or search the Utilities folder (positioned within the Applications folder.)

1. Open Grab.
2. Click Capture> Timed Screen.
3. Click Start Timer.
4. Next to the camera icon, a purple dial begins to fill in to present you how a lot time is left earlier than the display will get caught.
5. This solely permits you to display a complete display – however, you’ll be able to edit the seize later to focus on a specific factor if you would like.

Start Grab and click on on Capture within the high menu; you may see choices for the standard screenshots (a small choice, a window or the entire display, every with a shortcut you’ll be able to use to entry it sooner or later) but additionally consists of the helpful possibility of timed screenshots (choose Timed Screen ), if you need to set up a recording after which activate no matter you need to seize. The timer is 10 seconds.

Save a screenshot as JPEG or TIFF in Mojave

Since Apple eliminated Grab with the replace to Mojave, it has additionally eliminated a very straightforward approach to save a screenshot as a JPEG or TIFF file. The simplest way to change the format by which your screenshot is saved is to open it in a photo enhancing app, equivalent to Photos or Preview or Photoshop and Save As.

However, should you’re assured sufficient, you may make a change in Terminal, which ought to imply your Mac at all times saves a screengrab as a .jpg, for instance.

1. Open Terminal (press Space + Command and begin typing Terminal).
2. Paste within the following:
   defaults write com.apple.screencapture sort jpg
3. Press Return.
4. You should restart your Mac for the adjustments to take impact.

In older variations of macOS, you’ll be able to use Grab to save screenshots as JPEG as a substitute of PNG data. You may select to save your recordings as PNG or TIFF.

1. Open Grab.
2. Click Capture, select from Selection, Window, Screen or Time Screen (more about that possibility beneath).
3. To take a screenshot of a window, click on that window.
4. You will hear a shutter sound from the camera and the display window will seem, permitting you to identify it and select the place to put it aside.

Where are screenshots saved on Mac?

By default, Mac screenshots are saved to the desktop. In Mojave or later, you’ll be able to select a number of different locations the place your screenshot could be saved.

However, should you used an app like Grab (accessible in earlier variations of MacOS) to take your screenshots, they might finish up some other place. Grab will probably save the screenshot to your Documents folder – and should you do not change the identify of the picture, will probably be saved as Untitled.

It is feasible to change the place screenshots are saved in Mojave:

• Hold down Command + Shift + 5.
• Find the situation the place you need to save within the Save in part.
• Or select Other Location if you would like to save the picture some other place.

We have more recommendation on how to change the place your screenshots go, together with how to change the situation of screenshots in High Sierra and older variations of Mac software program.

How to edit a screenshot

1 of essentially the most helpful options in more current variations of macOS is the flexibility to edit screenshots without opening an utility.

When you are taking a screenshot in Mojave, a thumbnail will seem within the backside proper nook of your display. To edit it, do the next:

1. Click on the thumbnail.
2. This will open the highlighting instruments for drawing, highlighting, shapes, textual content bins and even including your signature to the screenshot.
3. You may rotate or crop the picture.
4. And you’ll be able to click on the Share button to select from choices like Mail, Message or Add to Photos.

This thumbnail can be dragged instantly to a doc.

Troubleshooting: Screenshots are empty

Unfortunately this isn’t unusual.

If you adopted the above directions rigorously and you might be positive that the choice, window or display you focused as screenshot included graphic parts, however, they aren’t proven within the captured picture now, chances are high the software program you used selected to block screenshot features.

You ought to have the opportunity to work round the issue by utilizing 1 other piece of software program that does the identical factor.

Troubleshooting: screenshot on Mac doesn’t work

If you are taking screenshots and so they do not seem on your desktop, you will have by chance pressed ctrl on the similar time, which might copy the shot to your pasteboard.

If it is not that straightforward, go to System Preferences> Keyboard> Shortcuts and check if the shortcuts are activated beneath Screenshots.

Another risk is that the standard shortcuts are assigned to 1 thing else, so check that right here too in System Preferences.