How to take a screenshot on a Mac

We show you how to take a screenshot on a Mac

(Image: © Future)

Knowing how to screenshot on Mac is a crucial skill that will come in handy sooner or later. Fifty-fifty if you don't demand it right this moment and are just using your Mac or Apple tree laptop to binge Netflix and brand Zoom calls to friends and family unit, there will come a fourth dimension where taking a screenshot volition be necessary.

Thankfully, information technology'southward a very simple process to practise, whether you're running macOS Big Sur or macOS Monterey. And, though it's simple, it'south versatile, and then you can capture an open up window, the entire screen, or just a specific portion of the screen. You lot can even apply the same tool to take a video recording of your screen or to annotate your screenshots before sending them to a friend or colleague.

With this guide, you'll learn the ins and outs of taking a screenshot on Mac. Nosotros'll evidence yous how to take full advantage of macOS' Screenshot tool. And, shortly, you'll observe yourself taking screenshots like a computer wizard.

Screenshot tool on macOS Big Sur — (Paradigm credit: Apple)

There are different ways to bring up the macOS Screenshot tool. On every Mac, yous can press the 'Shift' + 'Control' + '5' keys or launch the Screenshot tool through Launchpad. On compatible MacBook Pro models, you can also utilize Bear upon Bar.

There are five actions in the Screenshot tool. These actions include capturing the entire screen, capturing a window, or capturing a portion of the screen for screenshots. For video recording, the choices are to record the unabridged screen or recording a portion of the screen.

Mac Screenshot options — (Paradigm credit: Apple tree)

To first a screenshot or screen recording:

For the entire screen or a portion of it: Click 'Capture'.
For a window: Movement the cursor to the window, so click the window.
For recordings: Click 'Record'. To terminate recording, click the 'Cease Recording' button in the menu bar.

Screenshot options on macOS Big Sur — (Image credit: Time to come)

2. Screenshot options

Click 'Options' on the Screenshot tool to bring up additional settings. The bachelor options differ depending on whether you're taking a screenshot or a screen recording. Among the options are where to save the file and whether to add a timed delay. You can also add the ability to testify mouse pointers or clicks in the screenshot or video recording.

Additionally, when activated, the 'Show Floating Thumbnail' choice temporarily floats a thumbnail of the completed screenshot or video clip at the lesser-correct corner of the screen. You have a few seconds to drag this thumbnail into a document, mark information technology upward, or share information technology.

Thumbnail options include:

Swipe right to relieve the file immediately and go far disappear.
Drag the thumbnail into a document, an email, a note, or a Finder window.
Click the thumbnail to open a window where you can mark up the screenshot or trim the recording, or share information technology.

3. Taking screenshots with keyboard shortcuts

You can as well take a screenshot or tape video using keyboard shortcuts in macOS Big Sur. These shortcuts are used instead of the point and click method noted in a higher place.

The available keyboard shortcuts include actions to capture the entire screen, capture a portion of the screen, capture a window or the menu bar, or capture a card and carte du jour items. You can also utilise keyboard shortcuts to open the 'Screenshot' tool and capture the Touch Bar, where available.

Screenshot keyboard shortcuts in macOS Big Sur — (Image credit: Apple)

Keyboard shortcuts are customizable past going into the Apple tree menu, and then choosing 'System Preferences'. From there, select Keyboard > Shortcuts.

Bank check out our favorite MacBook and Mac desktop models.

Change the default format and save location of screenshots

If you're using a version of macOS earlier than macOS Mojave, then follow these instructions to alter the blazon and location of the files.

OS X saves screenshots as .png files by default, which can exist inverse to .jpg by inputting the following command into Concluding:

              defaults write com.apple tree.screencapture type jpg

It doesn't have to exist .jpg either - you can switch the file format to a number of supported extensions such as PDF, tiff, or bitmap, among others, by entering it at the end of the line.

To change the location enter in the post-obit command:

              defaults write com.apple.screencapture location

Then, enter in the path of the new folder yous desire to save the screenshots into, or drag and drop it into the Concluding window.

When yous're done, enter this control to load the new setting:

              killall SystemUIServer

How to annotate screenshots using Preview

How to take a screenshot on a Mac — (Image credit: Apple)

If you'd rather annotate your screenshots later, instead of clicking on the thumbnail to exercise and then immediately later capturing, you may certainly do so. When y'all're ready, click on the saved screenshot file to open it in Preview.

Preview won't only permit you lot crop, resize and tweak your screenshots – it also has some neat congenital-in annotation features that come in handy for placing text over them. Make sure the Edit Toolbar is visible (from the View menu) and yous'll meet options for drawing shapes, voice communication, thought bubbles and more.

For creating instructions out of screenshots, the arrow tool volition come up in particularly useful. There'southward likewise the selection to highlight text in unlike colours, strikethrough some text, add notes and type some text into boxes.

How to take a screenshot on a Mac using a Windows keyboard

If yous use a Windows keyboard with your Mac, you can still use the keyboard shortcuts listed above. Still, as Windows keyboards do not have the Command (⌘) key, y'all need to press the Windows primal (which holds the Windows icon).

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Bryan M. Wolfe is a staff writer at TechRadar, iMore, and wherever Future can use him. Though his passion is Apple-based products, he doesn't have a problem using Windows and Android. Bryan'southward a single father of a 15-yr-one-time girl and a puppy, Isabelle. Thank you for reading!