How to Take a Screen Capture on Mac

How to Take a Screen Capture on Mac

Are you a proud owner of a Mac and want to know how to take a screen capture? Whether you need to capture an entire screen, a specific window, or just a portion of your screen, Mac offers built-in tools that make it incredibly easy. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the various methods available for taking screen captures on your Mac.

Capturing the Entire Screen

If you want to capture everything that is currently displayed on your screen, follow these simple steps:

1. Press the Command (⌘), Shift, and 3 keys simultaneously.
2. You will hear a camera shutter sound, indicating that the screen capture has been taken.
3. The resulting image file will be saved as a PNG file on your desktop with the filename “Screen Shot [date] at [time].png”.

Note: If you have multiple screens connected to your Mac, each screen will have its own individual screen capture.

Capturing a Specific Window

If you only need to capture a specific window instead of the entire screen, use these steps:

1. Select the window you want to capture by clicking on it.
2. Press the Command (⌘), Shift, and 4 keys simultaneously. Your cursor will change into a crosshair.
3. Your cursor will now change into a camera icon. Move it over the desired window and click once to take the screenshot.

Note: If you have multiple windows of the same application open, use the Option (⌥) key along with the other keys mentioned above to capture a specific window.

Capturing a Portion of the Screen

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

1. Press the Command (⌘), Shift, and 4 keys simultaneously.
2. Click and drag your cursor to select the desired area. As you drag, you can see the dimensions of the selected area.
3. Release your mouse button to take the screenshot.

Capturing Touch Bar Screenshots (for MacBook Pro users)

If you own a MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, taking screenshots of it is just as easy. Here’s how:

1. Press the Command (⌘), Shift, and 6 keys simultaneously.
2. The resulting image file will be saved as a PNG file on your desktop with the filename “Touch Bar Shot [date] at [time].

Note: If you want to change the default save location of your screen captures, you can do so by using the Terminal application and entering a specific command.

Wrapping Up

Capturing screenshots on your Mac is an essential skill that can come in handy for various purposes. Whether you need to save important information, share a funny moment, or capture an error message for troubleshooting, the built-in screen capture tools on Mac make it a breeze. Give them a try and start capturing your screen with ease!