How to Screen Shot in Mac

How to Screenshot in Mac

Taking screenshots is an essential skill for Mac users. Whether you need to capture a moment from a video, save an error message, or share a funny meme with your friends, knowing how to screenshot on your Mac will come in handy.

In this tutorial, we will explore different methods to screenshot on Mac and discuss some useful tips and tricks along the way.

Method 1: Capture the Entire Screen

To capture the entire screen on your Mac, follow these steps:

1. Press Command + Shift + 3: Press and hold the Command, Shift, and 3 keys simultaneously.
2. Find the Screenshot: After pressing the keys, you will hear a camera shutter sound indicating that the screenshot has been taken. The captured image will be saved as a file on your desktop with a name similar to “Screen Shot YYYY-MM-DD at HH.MM.SS AM/PM.png”.
3. Congratulations! You have successfully taken a screenshot of your entire screen.

Method 2: Capture a Selected Portion of the Screen

If you only want to capture a specific portion of your screen instead of the whole screen, follow these steps:

1. Press Command + Shift + 4: Press and hold the Command, Shift, and 4 keys simultaneously. Your cursor will change into a crosshair.
2. Select the Area: Click and drag your cursor to select the area you want to capture. While dragging, you can also hold down the Spacebar to move the selected area without resizing it.
3. Release the Mouse Button: Once you have selected the desired area, release the mouse button to take the screenshot.
4. Find the Screenshot: Similar to Method 1, you will hear a camera shutter sound, and the captured image will be saved as a file on your desktop.

Method 3: Capture a Specific Window

If you want to capture a specific window or dialog box rather than capturing the entire screen or a selected portion, follow these steps:

1. Press Command + Shift + 4 + Spacebar: Press and hold the Command, Shift, 4, and Spacebar keys simultaneously. Your cursor will change into a camera icon.
2. Select the Window: Move your cursor over the window or dialog box you want to capture.

   The highlighted window should turn blue when it is selected for capturing.

3. Click to Take Screenshot: Click on the window once to take the screenshot. You will hear the camera shutter sound, and the captured image will be saved as a file on your desktop.

Tips and Tricks for Screenshots on Mac

Here are some additional tips and tricks that can enhance your screenshot experience on Mac:

• Change Default Screenshot Location: By default, screenshots are saved on your desktop. However, you can change this location by using Terminal commands or third-party applications like TinkerTool or OnyX.
• Add Annotations: After taking a screenshot, you can open it in Preview (the default image viewer) and use its annotation tools to add text, shapes, highlights, arrows, and more.
• Screenshot Touch Bar: If you have a MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, you can customize it to include a Screenshot button for quick access. To do this, go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Customize Control Strip.

Now that you know how to screenshot on your Mac using various methods and have some extra tips up your sleeve, capturing and sharing moments from your screen will be a breeze. Happy screenshotting!