How to ScreenShot on Mac: Ultimate Guides in 2024

• Press Shift + Command + 3 to capture full screenshot
• Press Shift + Command + 4 to change the cursor into crosshair, and drag the crosshair to specific part of screen to capture screenshot
• Press Shift + Command + 5 to capture three types of screenshots i.e. full screen, specific part, or highlighted area.
• Use Touch Bar to take screenshot on Mac

Are you a new Mac user? Do you want to know how to take a screenshot on Mac? It is really easy and simple, as all types of Macs, including modern Macs, i.e., MacBook laptops, iMac all-in-ones, Mac Mini, and Mac Studio desktops, have three basic options for taking screenshots using keyboard shortcuts. Similarly, the the Touch Bar is the fourth option used by MacBook Pro developers, and you will find different options for easily saving, deleting, and opening the screenshot on Apple’s MacOS software.

How to ScreenShot on Mac 

here is a full list of methods and steps on how to take a screenshot on a Mac;

Method 1: Full-screen screenshot on Mac

You can take a full screenshot by following the given steps;

1. Press and hold down Shift + Command + 3.
2. The sound of the camera shutter will be heard with a flash on your screen.
3. A thumbnail will appear briefly on the screen.
4. If it appears, simply click it and make changes using editing options.

 Method 2: Take a Specific Part of the Screen

1. Press Shift + Command + 4.
2. The mouse cursor will be changed into a crosshair, drag the crosshair to your selected area.
3. Release your mouse button or trackpad, and take your required screenshot.
4. You can cancel the process by pressing the Esc key. 
5. Press Shift + Command + 4 along with the spacebar, it will change the crosshair into the camera, hover the camera on the specific part, and click it.
6. The screen was captured with a grey border to show that it is saved. 
7. Now highlight the area by dragging the crosshair, press and hold down the Spacebar. The area was locked into shape and size, but you can drag it to any other part of the screen.
8. Release the Spacebar, and capture your screenshot.
9. You can adjust the height and width of the screenshot. Press the Shift key and hold it down, adjust the height and width of the box, and use the mouse button or trackpad to take screenshots. 

Method 3: Use the Screenshot Menu

You can avail in-built Screenshot app for the latest version of MacOS i.e. Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and so on. You can easily screenshot using the app by following the given app;

1. Open the app by pressing Shift + Command + 5.
2. It will open a small menu panel at the bottom of the screen.
3. On the left side of the panel, three icons are available for taking your screenshot; full screen, any specific section, or highlighted area. Please select your required option and click it.
4. On the right side, you will find two icons for recording video; full-screen recording, or highlighted section. Select anyone and go through the recording process.
5. You can get help from the “Options” menu, as it assists you in saving your screenshot, and the time taken to press for Capturing the screenshot i.e. 5- or 10-second delay to schedule the capturing process.
6. You can also turn on the Show Floating Thumbnail option by default using the Options menu. When you take a screenshot, a tiny thumbnail appears at the bottom of the screen. The screenshot saves to your system after the thumbnail disappears.
7. You can click the thumbnail, and it will redirect you to a new window, here you can edit the screenshot i.e. add text to it, adjust the size and shape using the crop option, and share it using your Apple ID account. 

Method 4: Take a Screenshot using Touch Bar

It is the best option for users, who are used to Windows and take screenshots using the Print screen option. The Touch Bar on Mac may be the best alternative to this. You need to follow the given options;

1. Open your Apple menu, click on System Preferences, and then click on Keyboard.
2. Press the Customize Control Strip option.
3. Select the location to create a screenshot button on the Touch Bar.
4. Use the drag-and-drop option to place the required button.
5. It is the time to grab your screen using your Touch Bar.
6. Tap to the screenshot button, it will open the screen capture menu.
7. Tap on the ‘Save To‘ option, in case you change your location to save screenshots.
8. Select the part of the screen you want to capture, e.g., the full screen, a specific section, or a single window.
9. Move your cursor to the part and take your screenshot. 

Method 5: Record your Mac Screen

Press Command + Shift + 5 keys, and it will open a small toolbar at the bottom of the screen. It offers several buttons for different tasks i.e.

1. Take a screenshot of the full screen.
2. Take a specific part of the screen.
3. Take a screenshot of the highlighted area.
4. Record the entire screen.
5. Record any specific part of the screen.
6. Use the Options menu to customize your screen.
7. On selecting everything, click the Capture option, and have your captured screen. 
8. You can click on the Record option for the recording screen, and click on the Stop option to stop the recording. 

Method 6: Copy your Screenshot to the Clipboard

1. Copy the screenshot to the clipboard by pressing the Control and holding it down. 
2. If you don’t want to save the screenshot in the image gallery, save it to the clipboard.
3. You can paste it into a document i.e. Word or any photo editing app.

How to Locate the Mac Screenshot?

Screenshots save automatically on the desktop with the name Screen Shot, as it is set by default on your system. You can change the default location of screenshots. Simply follow the given steps for the purpose;

1. Open your screenshot menu by pressing Shift + Command + 5.
2. Select the ‘Options’ menu, and tap it to open.
3. Select the ‘Save To‘ option from the menu, and click on Pre-listed locations to choose any one.
4. Otherwise, you have the option ‘Other Locations‘, it enables you to select the folder where you want to save your screenshot. 
5. In macOS Mojave or later, the Screenshot app allows you to schedule screenshot saving. To do so, open the app and press Shift + Command + 5 together. 
6. Apple TV app and some other such apps do not have the option to take screenshots. You can copy your required screen to the clipboard, press the Control key, hold down, and paste the screenshot on any other document. 

Annotate Easily

Several markup tools are available in Floating Thumbnail to annotate screenshots. The floating thumbnail can be slipped by itself, or you can swipe it. Click it and get access to the Markup View preview window to avail of the markup tools. Avail gave outcomes by right-clicking the Floating Thumbnail;

1. Save your screenshot to any of your required locations i.e. desktop, document folder, or clipboard.
2. It is possible to open the saved screenshot into Nail, Message, Preview, or Photos.
3. Display in the Finder option.
4. Remove the screenshot.
5. Open into Markup preview.
6. Save it where you want.

How to Print out Screenshots Using Preview?

Preview is the local image and PDF viewer used in Apple devices. It helps you carry on with your workflow reliably. It also offers a screenshot tool that enables the users to capture a full screen, a specific part, or a window. It provides a quick and auto-opening process for screenshots right in a new window. You can easily edit it using multiple editing tools, resize it, and add annotations also. 

1. Open the app menu and click on the File option.
2. Click on the screenshot option and select the option you want to capture, e.g., full screen, specific section, or window.
3. Click on the Capture option to take your required screenshot. 
4. Open the screenshot by clicking on the Floating thumbnail. Then, you can edit it or save it to your preferred location. 

How to Organize MacOS Screenshots

Taking screenshots has become a vital parts of our digital work, as we take screenshots for multiple purposes i.e.  Gaming, office work, or any other such task. The screenshots are saved in your Downloads folder or desktop with the same name or style i.e. screenshot 2022-xx-xx at 22.40.25, and locating is difficult, especially when you‘re MacOS is embedded with multiple other abbreviating filenames.

You can use the Finder option along with Preview, but it is also ineffective. Is it better to use any image editor i.e. Photobook that enables you to rename, resize, and compress photos in bulk. The app offers a simple process, such as using the drag and drop option to transfer screenshots to the app and click the ‘Start’ button. It will very quickly arrange your screenshots while renaming them into a folder. 

How to Share Screenshots from MacOS?

Sharing screenshots using MacOS is also a bit difficult. You can use the email address for this purpose or upload them to Dropshare, the best solution for sharing your screenshots or other files. It connects multiple cloud apps offered by third parties, helping you share your screenshots exclusively while leaving the other sharing activities aside. 

Third-party Screenshot apps for MacOS

If you are not interested in capturing screenshots using the built-in tools, you can simply use a third-party app for the purpose. You will find multiple apps developed by third parties, and we are giving details of some of them.

Lightshot

1. Download the app on your MacOS, and press Command + Shift + 9 to launch it on your device.
2. The screen got dark while giving the sign that it was taking a screenshot.
3. Select the area of the screen for taking screenshots with the help of a mouse pointer.
4. A highlighted area will appear, press Command + A to select the entire screen.
5. A toolbar beside the highlighted area is available. It helps you perform several tasks, Such as adding text, lines, rectangles, arrows, and colors. 
6. Save your captured screen by pressing Command + S. You can save it to your selected location also. 

Capto

Capto is also the best solution, especially if you want to record the screen. It helps you record on-screen videos, take screenshots, edit processes, and add annotations. It also offers a voiceover instead of captions.

Yac

Yac combines asynchronous voice and video messaging tools that offers quick services for sharing content with friends and colleagues. Record your message, attach your screen recording along with annotations, and hit the send option. 

CleanShot X

It is also an unbeatable third-party app while tailoring with 50 different changes. It is the best screen-capturing app for Mac, as it offers all types of screen capturing including an entire screen, a window, a specific area, scrolling content, and even recording screen video or GIFs also. Before opening the app, it is better to hide all of the clutter from the screen, and next start your image capturing reliably along with editing, adding annotation, and so on.  

Monosnap

It is a well-received snapshot tool that offers multiple editing tools, such as annotation, video recording, drag-and-drop, a blur feature, and so on. You can also make your captured area accurate using an 8x magnifier cropping tool. The tool is free of charge and comes with 2GB of free cloud storage. 

Snagit 

Techsmith develops it and offers a super customized interface. It enables you to capture text from images paste it on an editor, and nicely rearrange your components of images, it is integrated with almost all big apps including Microsoft 365, Gmail, and so on. 

Droplr

It is a high-feature-pack tool that big business companies and enterprises use. It offers high-resolution screen capturing and recording in a fool-proof, secure environment. 

Final Words

So friends, it is clear that taking screenshots on Mac is not as difficult, as some of us think. It is quite easy, especially with the addition of a screenshot and video capture menu on the MacBook. No doubt, multiple improvements are going on by Apple?s developers to make your workflow seamless. You can use any of the built-in options, or third-party apps for the purpose. 

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