Printing screen on a Mac can be a useful tool for capturing and saving screenshots of your computer screen. Whether you want to capture an error message, save an important email, or document a design, the ability to print screen on your Mac can come in handy. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the different methods of taking screenshots on a Mac and how to customize your screenshot settings.
Method 1: Using Keyboard Shortcuts
To take a screenshot of your entire screen, press the Command + Shift + 3 keys simultaneously. The screenshot will be automatically saved as a PNG file on your desktop with the current date and time as the file name.
If you want to capture only a specific portion of your screen, use Command + Shift + 4. Your cursor will change into crosshairs.
Click and drag to select the area you want to capture. Release the mouse button when you have selected the desired area.
To take a screenshot of an active window or menu, press Command + Shift + 4, then press the Spacebar. Your cursor will change into a camera icon. Move the camera icon over the window or menu you want to capture and click once.
Method 2: Using the Screenshot Utility
In addition to keyboard shortcuts, macOS also provides a built-in Screenshot utility that offers more flexibility in capturing screenshots.
To access the Screenshot utility, press Command + Shift + 5. This will display an overlay at the bottom of your screen with various options for capturing screenshots.
The Screenshot utility allows you to:
- Capture Entire Screen: Click on the first option in the overlay to capture your entire screen. The captured screenshot will be displayed as a thumbnail in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
Click on it to open and edit it in the Preview app.
- Capture Selected Window: Click on the second option in the overlay, then click on the window you want to capture. The screenshot will be saved as a thumbnail for further editing.
- Capture Selected Portion: Choose the third option in the overlay, then click and drag to select a specific area you want to capture.
Customizing Screenshot Settings
You can customize various settings for capturing screenshots using the Screenshot utility.
To access these settings, press Command + Shift + 5 to open the Screenshot utility, then click on “Options” on the toolbar at the top of the screen.
The available options include:
- Saving Location: Choose where you want your screenshots to be saved by clicking on “Other Location” and selecting a folder of your choice.
- Saving Format: You can choose between PNG, JPEG, GIF, or TIFF as your preferred file format for screenshots.
- Show Floating Thumbnail: Enable this option if you want a thumbnail preview of your screenshot to appear briefly in the bottom-right corner of your screen after capturing it.
- Show Mouse Pointer: Decide whether or not you want your mouse pointer to be included in screenshots.
In conclusion,
Taking screenshots on a Mac is a simple and efficient process. Whether you prefer using keyboard shortcuts or the built-in Screenshot utility, you have plenty of options to capture and customize your screenshots. Experiment with different methods and settings to find what works best for you.
Now that you know how to print screen on a Mac, you can easily capture and save important moments, error messages, or anything else that catches your eye on your computer screen.