How to screenshot on Mac: 5 simple ways

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Why macOS?

It doesn’t matter if you want to know how to screenshot on a Macbook Air or print screen on a Macbook Pro, both of them use the same methods to do screenshots, as do all other macOS devices. Normally, people are used to taking a screenshot by pressing the PrtScn button on Windows computers, but most modern Macs do not have dedicated keys.

Also, if you suddenly need to develop a website for Mac, you don’t have to limit yourself to purely Mac website building software. You can use any suitable online website builder. It will be equally good for any operating system. Including Mac System.

Method 1: Take a full-screen screenshot with hotkeys

Firstly, the full-screen screenshot is the immediate capture of any image/visual information, which is shown on your mac device screen at this moment.

To do a screenshot on Mac, the first method would be to press 3 keys at the same time:

+ +

⌘ is a special symbol used by mac devices; it is known as the Command symbol. This ⌘ Command is quick, and we will capture the entire screen. Additionally, if you are using multiple screens, it will capture all of them.

Method 2: Take a partial screenshot on Mac using hotkeys

+ +

This ⌘ Command is somewhat different as it will prompt you to select the area which you want to capture on your screen.

Capture a portion of the screen

  • This command has many options after pressing the keyboard button.
  • After pressing the buttons, the cursor will change into a cross sign.
  • Drag it to select the portion of the screen you wish to capture.
  • You can also press ESC to cancel.
  • Release the trackpad or mouse button to capture.
  • A thumbnail will appear, click it to edit the thumbnail.

Capture a menu or window

  • Open the area to be captured
  • Along with, + + press spacebar and the pointer will be converted to the camera icon.
  • You can press ESC to cancel
  • If you want to remove the window shadow, then also press and hold the option key while capturing.
  • You’ll see a thumbnail, click it to edit before saving.

Method 3: Take a screenshot on a Mac with Mojave

Mojave is a superb upgrade by Apple and offers various benefits over non-Mojave devices. In addition to the previous commands, Mojave users also have a third option:

+ + .

Upon pressing that key combination, a toolbar named Screenshot App will appear. This toolbar gives the option to choose capture modes and take screenshots.

Using the screenshot app, you can select between the following options:

  • Capturing the entire screen.
  • Capture selected windows.
  • Selected Portion Capturing.
  • Entire Screen Recording.
  • Selected portion Recording.

Screenshot app

In the prompt bar, there is also an option to change the default directory, which is the location in your file system that you want to save the desired screenshot. Further, a small thumbnail will also appear in the shot. Mojave users looking to screenshot can get some real benefit from this new feature.

Method 4: Take Screenshots on a Mac Pro with Touch Bars

  • Open the keyboard preferences.
  • Click customize control strip in the keyboard options.
  • Drag the chosen button to the touch bar and press done. You can increase the area of the touch bar control strip as needed.

Now it’s time to take a screenshot. 

  • Tap the screenshot button in the touch bar.
  • Tap Save and select the location to save to.
    You have the option to save to the desktop or any other folder, the clipboard, or the message area.
  • Next is the type of screenshot you want to take.
    For a selected portion, drag the cursor over a specific area. Select the options and drag the mouse cursor over the area and leave to take a shot.
    The window option will take the shot of any app window, select this option, and choose any window.
    The entire screen option will take a shot of the entire screen.

Way 5: Install Third-Party Apps

Some apps can take a screenshot on macOS, here we discuss some of the most popular and their usage.

The best screenshot apps for Mac

Snappy

Snappy is a feature-rich app with an advanced lookup. Surprisingly, it is also free. Moreover, the app supports annotation, sharing, pass encryption, and iCloud sync. Furthermore, snappy organizes all your screenshots for you really well.

The snaps are stored in the snap library and can be searched by the name of the app from which the snapshot was taken. In addition, snappy will transfer all your shots to iCloud, so you can see them on all of your Apple devices.

Snappy generates a unique link through which you can share your pictures anywhere. Not only can you add a password to your shared snaps, but also you can set a self-destructor time. Snappy has good integration with Dropbox, Twitter, Evernote, and others, where you can share your snaps easily.

LightShot for Mac

You can easily capture and share with the light shot app. The screenshot can be shared on social media channels and can be seen by anyone using a special link. In addition, lightshot also provides a cloud-based image editor where you can edit the image without overwriting the original image.

It is a simple and intuitive software that is ideal for a person looking for a smart screenshot capturing software. Not only that, but you can take a screenshot by selecting the desired area and your desired dimensions. Text of any color can also be added. Lightshot is a screen capturing, video capturing, and image editing software.

MonoSnap

Monosnap is a free tool for taking and annotating screenshots. You can export your images from Monosnap into different file types to support different software. It should be kept in mind that the app is for non-commercial usage.

Like most screenshot apps, Monosnap can capture a part of the screen, an application window, or capture the full screen.
With the 8x magnifier, Monosnap automatically adjusts the pixels of the selected image.

It also features a screen recorder, and it opens the screenshots in your favorite screenshot editor. You can even highlight certain areas in the image and can blur out private info. You can get 100 Gb free space at Monosnap cloud storage.

Clean shot X

An amazing piece of software, Clean Shot X has an app toolkit which feels like 6+ apps in 1. Moreover, it is the ultimate tool for screen capturing on Macs. You can use this tool for capturing full screen, part of a screen or recording a video. After taking a clean screenshot, open the editor to annotate, blur some parts, or draw.

Plus, it has a self-timer, screenshot pinning, and cloud service. The self-timer option helps to capture with a delay of some specified time. In addition to this, you can get shareable links of the screenshots taken by this superb tool.

There are numerous other apps like Skitch, Jing, or Screenie, which can help you in solving the conundrum of how to screenshot on Mac.

Where do screenshots go on Mac?

There is no warning or notification about it, so it is not immediately clear where screenshots are saved. When you take a screenshot with the keyboard, the image will be saved as a .png file on the desktop and named for the time and date when the image was taken.

To change the default screenshots folder on macOS Mojave or later, follow these steps:

  • Go to Finder -> Applications -> Utilities -> Screenshot App
  • Alternatively, just press ⌘ Command key + Shift + 5
  • You should see the Screenshot App bar with some buttons
  • Click “Options” and change the default screenshot folder

Visually it looks like this:

screenshot app settings

How to Copy and Paste on a Mac?

You copy-paste using the keyboard on a Mac almost the same way as on Windows, or any other PC.

  1. Select the image, text or file to be copied.
  2. How to copy: Press +   together
  3. How to paste: click at the place where the object is to be pasted, then press the + key at the same time.

The alternative way is to simply use the mouse:

how to copy paste on a mac

  1. Select the image, text, or file to be copied.
  2. Click the right mouse button if you have it enabled in settings.
    If not + standard left mouse-click will work.
  3. From the opened menu, choose “copy”.
  4. Find a place where text or images should be pasted.
  5. Click the right mouse button, or key + left mouse click, to open the menu.
  6. From the opened menu, choose “paste”.

How to Screenshot on Macbook Air?

+ +

The Macbook Pro and Macbook Air both run macOS, so all five methods provided in this article are usable for them too. The only exclusion is the fourth method using the touch bar, as the Macbook Air doesn’t have a touch bar. Perhaps we will see it available in the future.

How to Organize Screenshots on a Mac?

When you take several screenshots on a mac, you might find a disorganized mess of images in the desktop or download folder. Unfortunately, this cluttered folder is the default feature of the mac screenshot.

You can use the finder to find the images, but it will not be a good visual experience again. This can be resolved by using Inboard, which works like a Pinterest for your desktop and filters all your images. Inboard is synced with your dribble account.

You might have solved the issue of how to screenshot on mac, but sharing can still be tricky. Sharing with friends and family is made easy with Dribble sync.

Drop share is another option for organizing images.

Predicting the Future of How to screenshot on mac

So far, we have discovered that taking a screenshot on a Mac is not difficult to learn. The new features clearly show that Apple understands the problem and is trying to make it easy for its users. Not only this, but there are also many apps on the market which have solved the snipping issues and have many other screenshot-related options.

It is a good idea to use free apps for taking screenshots that have a sync feature with your mac device.

FAQ’s


Is there any snipping tool in mac?

This is a default utility tool included in any mac device. It is comparable to the windows snipping tool. It has the selection, window, screen, and timed screen. To find the tool open finder > Then Apps > Utilities > Grab.

What can you do to take a long screenshot?

+ +

If you want to take a shot of the entire screen after that hold the button so that it can be saved on the pc.

What is the name of the Apple snipping tool?

Drop share is the apple snipping tool alternative that allows you to select, capture, and edit an area.

How do you print screen on mac?

It can be done by pressing any of the following:

+ +

+ +

+ +

How to zoom in or out on a Mac?

To zoom in and zoom out press and and keys to zoom in and zoom out, respectively.

How do you free-crop on mac?

Steps:

  • Open the image and press +
  • The tool will open and you can edit.
  • Again, click on +
  • And then press + for saving

How do I change the screenshot settings on a Mac?

screenshot app settings

To change screenshot settings, follow these steps:

  • Open Finder
  • Go to “Apps”
  • Open the utility folder
  • Choose the screenshot app
  • Open options
  • Change settings

What is the clipboard, and where is it?

The clipboard is a program that runs in the background, and it shows your most recent copied content, you can find it in the top toolbar finder option.

How to take a screenshot on Windows 10 with a Mac keyboard?

Press + to take s screenshot of an active window when using the apple pro keyboard.
Press + +  to capture.

Where do screenshots get saved on Mac?

By default, screenshots save to your desktop with the name “Screen Shot [date] at [time].png.”

Mac screenshot system automatically saves your screenshots on desktop, but you can change the directory from the utility tab.

Can I screenshot it on my laptop?

Install Apowersoft’s Android recorder which helps in capturing stills and recording videos.

How to take a screenshot on Windows?

Hit the Prtscn button to take the screenshot on the screen. In windows, the screenshot will be of the full screen.

For more information, check out our guide How to screenshot on windows.

How to screen record on Android?

If you are using an Android phone produced by Samsung, LG, or any other company, you can swipe down on your quick settings screen and, if your phone supports it, you will notice a screen recorder option there. After selecting it, you have to tap on the start button and wait for the short countdown to begin your recording. If not, then search in google “my_phone_model how to screenshot”. Another option is to use 3rd party apps.

More details in our guide – How To Screen Record On Android.

How to screenshot on a Chromebook?

Google does not have its own screen recording extension, but there are plenty of third-party screen recording extensions for you to choose from.

  1. Screencastify.
  2. Nimbus screenshot and screen video recorder.
  3. Screencast-o-Matic.
  4. Loom.
  5. Clapboard.

A more detailed guide is available here.

How to screenshot on Mac video:

How to screenshot on Mac Conclusion:

Apple software offers a great user experience. The Mojave update is a step up in comparison to pre-Mojave systems. Touch bar also gives additional benefits. You have many options to take screenshots: by hotkeys, by mouse, by a touch bar. I described 5 main methods, but you can discover more.

Good luck in exploring macOS!

Download How To Screenshot On Mac mp3 file

Thank you for reading!


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