How to take a screenshot on a Mac

(Pocket-lint) - There are a cardinal reasons for taking a screenshot - besides referred to arsenic a screencap oregon screengrab - adjacent connected a Mac.

A screenshot lets you seizure precisely what you're seeing connected your MacBook oregon iMac screen, either for yourself to notation aboriginal oregon to stock with others. You tin screenshot an image, a web page, a spreadsheet, a folder, you sanction it. It's a precise useful diagnostic that we honestly usage dozens of times a day, whether it's capturing an full surface oregon possibly conscionable a model oregon a information of a window.

We've adjacent changed wherever our screenshots prevention to connected our laptop. Here's everything you request to cognize astir screenshotting connected a Mac.

How to instrumentality a screenshot connected your Mac

There are 2 ways to seizure your full screen, a information of the screen, oregon a model oregon menu: Using keyboard shortcuts oregon the Screenshot app. In either instance, aft taking a screenshot, if you spot a thumbnail successful the country of your screen, you tin click it to edit the screenshot. You tin besides transcript a screenshot to paste determination other - conscionable by pressing and holding Control portion you instrumentality it.

Browse the assemblage supra to larn screenshotting keyboard shortcuts and adjuvant Screenshot app tips.

Capture the full screen

To instrumentality a screenshot of your full screen, property and clasp these 3 keys: Shift, Command, and 3.

Alternatively, you tin usage the Screenshot app. Press Command + Shift + 5 to unfastened it, and prime the seizure full surface enactment from the menu. You volition besides spot the enactment to grounds the contents of your full screen, not conscionable representation capture, successful the Screenshot app's menu.

Capture a information of the screen

To instrumentality a screenshot of a information of the screen, property and clasp these 3 keys: Shift, Command, and 4. Drag the crosshair cursor to prime the country of the surface you privation to seizure and past merchandise your rodent oregon trackpad fastener to really capture. But, earlier you release, if you privation to determination your enactment around, conscionable property and clasp the abstraction barroom portion dragging. To cancel, property Escape.

Alternatively, usage the Screenshot app. Press Command + Shift + 5 to unfastened the app, and prime the seizure information enactment from the menu. You volition besides spot the enactment to grounds the contents of your selection.

Capture a model oregon menu

Open the model oregon paper that you privation to capture, and past property and clasp these keys: Shift, Command, 4, and Space bar. The cursor volition alteration to a camera icon. You tin past click the model oregon the paper to seizure it (to exclude the window's shadiness from the screenshot, conscionable property and clasp the enactment cardinal portion you click). To cancel taking the screenshot, property the Escape key.

Alternatively, usage the Screenshot app. Press Command + Shift + 5 to unfastened the app, and prime the seizure model enactment from the menu. You volition besides spot the enactment to grounds the contents of your window, not conscionable seizure successful an image, successful the paper of the Screenshot app.

Where to find screenshots connected a Mac

By default, your screenshot volition prevention to the desktop with the sanction ”Screen Shot [date] astatine [time].png.”

Change wherever screenshots prevention connected a Mac

MacOS Big Sur oregon later

If your Mac is moving a newer mentation of MacOS (specifically, Big Sur oregon later), you tin usage the Screenshot app to alteration the default determination of saved screenshots connected a Mac. Once you unfastened the app, conscionable spell to Options successful the paper bar, and prime wherever you'd similar screenshots to go.

1. Press these keys to unfastened the Screenshot app: Command + Shift + 5.
2. Click connected Options.
3. Choose a folder that is listed, oregon take Other Location to prime thing else.
4. Once you take that destination, your settings volition beryllium saved.
5. To adjacent retired of Screenshot app, deed the X fastener the menu.

Older versions of MacOS

If your Mac is moving thing older than Big Sur, you tin usage the Terminal to alteration wherever screenshots save. It's truthful easy. First, make your screenshots folder and sanction it immoderate you privation to telephone it. Now, let's constituent each aboriginal screenshots to it. Follow these steps:

1. Open Terminal (press Command + Space.
2. Type "Terminal" and hold for the app's icon to appear. Click the icon to unfastened the app.
3. In Terminal, benignant the pursuing (you request a abstraction aft location):
   defaults constitute com.apple.screencapture location 
4. Drag and driblet your screenshots folder connected the Terminal model to auto-fill the directory path.
5. Now property Enter.
6. Type the pursuing to prevention changes:
   killall SystemUIServer

To entree your screenshots folder connected the desktop, conscionable make an alias (right-click connected folder, prime Create Alias, and determination Alias to the desktop).

Writing by Maggie Tillman. Editing by Alex Allegro. Originally published connected 9 April 2020.