How to Take a Screenshot on Mac
Capturing screenshots on a Mac is fast and straightforward. macOS provides multiple built-in methods to take screenshots based on your specific needs. Whether you’re looking to capture the entire screen, a specific window, or just a selected portion, these steps will guide you effectively.
1. Capture the Entire Screen
To take a screenshot of your entire screen:
- Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 3.
- The captured screenshot will be saved to your desktop by default.
2. Capture a Selected Portion of the Screen
If you want to screenshot a specific area:
- Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 4.
- Your cursor will change to a crosshair.
- Click and drag to select the area you’d like to capture, then release the mouse button.
3. Screenshot a Specific Window
To capture just a specific app window:
- Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 4 and then tap the Spacebar.
- The cursor will turn into a camera icon.
- Click on the window you want to capture, and the screenshot will be saved to your desktop.
4. Use the Screenshot Tool (macOS Mojave or later)
macOS also offers a convenient screenshot tool:
- Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 5 to open the screenshot toolbar.
- From there, you can choose to capture the full screen, a selected window, or a portion of the screen. You can also record your screen from this menu.
5. Save and Edit Your Screenshots
By default, macOS saves screenshots on the desktop as .png files. If you wish to edit them, simply click the thumbnail that appears in the bottom corner after capturing. Use Preview or another image editor for further adjustments.
