Whether you need to capture your full screen, screen a YouTube clip you want to download, or share a specific item, knowing how to take screenshot on Mac is a necessary skill that is simple to learn. Macs have changed dramatically over the years. We’re now well into the new era of Macs, with the latest models powered by Apple’s CPU, including MacBook laptops, iMac all-in-ones, and the Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktops.
All of these devices, however, allow you to take screenshots using three basic Mac keyboard shortcuts. If you still have an older MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, you can use the fourth technique. MacOS also provides a number of methods for conveniently saving, deleting, and opening screenshots for markup.
This “how to take screenshot on Mac instruction” also applies to newer Macs, such as the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M3 processor and the M3 MacBook Air. We also tested these methods to ensure they work with macOS Sequoia, the most recent operating system upgrade. It’s worth noting that the methods listed below are keyboard shortcuts, so you can use them all at once to create a screenshot. Are you struggling to delete an Instagram account? We have a complete guide to help you.
How to Take Screenshot on Mac
Method 1: Cmd-Shift-3
This keyboard shortcut will take a screenshot of your full screen.
Method 2: Command-Shift-4.
This keyboard combination transforms your cursor into a crosshair, which you may drag to select a section of your screen to capture. To take the shot, release the mouse button or trackpad.
After pressing Cmd-Shift-4, you will have several other possibilities.
- Press and release the space bar: the crosshair transforms into a small camera icon that you may position over any open window. Click on the window you want to capture a screenshot of. This method produces a screenshot with a white border around the window and a subtle drop shadow.
- Press and hold the spacebar (after dragging to highlight an area but before releasing the mouse button or trackpad): This locks in the form and size of the selection area while allowing you to rearrange it on screen. It’s especially useful if your original selection area is a few pixels off; simply hold down the spacebar to reposition it before releasing the mouse button to take a screenshot.
- Hold down the Shift key (after dragging to mark an area but before releasing the mouse or trackpad): This locks in each side of the crosshair-created selection area except the bottom edge, allowing you to position it by moving your mouse up or down.
Without releasing the mouse button, press the Shift key again to adjust the right border of your selection area. You can move the bottom and right edges by holding down the mouse button or touchpad and using the Shift key.
Method 3: Command-Shift-5.
Cmd-Shift-5, a shortcut command introduced in MacOS Mojave in 2018, opens a little panel at the bottom of your screen that contains your screen capture options. Three screenshot buttons allow you to capture the complete screen, a window, or a portion of the screen.
On the right side, there is an Options button. It allows you to save your snapshot in one of six locations: Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview, or Other Location. You may also specify a 5- or 10-second delay to line up elements that would otherwise disappear when you use the screenshot tool.
By default, the Show Floating Thumbnail option is activated, which displays a small preview thumbnail of your just-obtained screenshot in the lower-right corner of your screen, similar to the snapshot method on iOS. Unlike on the iPhone, you may disable the preview thumbnail on your Mac. Finally, you can choose whether to display your mouse pointer in a screenshot or video.
If the screenshot panel is in your way, simply grab its left edge and slide it to a new location on your screen.
Bonus for Touch Bar MacBooks: Cmd-Shift-6.
If you have an older MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, you can also capture a screenshot of what is now displayed on the Touch Bar. Simply press Cmd-Shift-6 to capture an extremely wide and slender screenshot of your Touch Bar.
How to Take a Screenshot on MacBook Air
The command + shift + 3 keyboard shortcut is the quickest and easiest way to snap a screenshot of your full MacBook screen. To capture everything visible on your MacBook’s screen, press all three of these buttons simultaneously.
The snapshot will be saved to your desktop as a PNG file, and a short preview will show in the lower-right corner of your screen, which you can click to view, edit, share, or delete. The small preview in the lower right corner will eventually fade away, so if you’re taking multiple screenshots in succession, wait a moment until the preview slide is gone.
How to crop a screenshot on Mac
To crop a screenshot on Mac, use the following methods:
- Press and hold Command + Shift + 4, drag the crosshair to pick the region, and then release the trackpad.
- Use the Photos app. Two-finger click the screenshot, then Open With > Photos, Edit, Crop, and manually select the region or choose an aspect ratio.
- To crop, navigate to Tools > Crop or use the keyboard shortcut Command + K.
- Right-click and drag to choose the region, then choose the ‘Crop’ option from the Tools menu.
- Open the screenshot, navigate to the Markup Toolbar, click the “Crop” button, and and then drag the corners of the crop box to select the region you want to keep.
Where are screenshots saved on Mac?
By default, any screenshot you capture on your Mac is saved to the desktop. When you press one of the screenshot shortcuts, the image will show on your desktop, titled “Screen Shot,” followed by the date and time.
Holding down the Control key while taking a screenshot allows you to copy it to the clipboard. Your Mac’s clipboard is where whatever you copy or “cut” ends up – in other words, after the snapshot is stored there, you may paste it with Command + V.
When you copy a screenshot to the clipboard, it is not saved on your hard drive. This means that unless you paste the image somewhere and save it, the screenshot will disappear as soon as you copy something else.
Although these are the two default save locations for screenshots, you can change them at any moment. To do this:
- Press Shift+Command+5. This will access the advanced screenshot menu if you’re using macOS Mojave or later (if you bought or updated your Mac after 2018). The advanced screenshot option allows you to shoot photographs and movies. William Antonelli/Business Insider
- In the menu bar near the bottom of the screen, select “Options.”
- A pop-up will appear, separated into several pieces. The first part, “Save to,” allows you to choose where your screenshots will be saved by default — click one of the preset options or select “Other location” to specify a new folder.
Select a preset option or make your shortcut. William Antonelli/Business Insider.
Any screenshots you capture (when not holding Control) will be saved in the new place you’ve selected.
Conclusion
How to take screenshot on Mac is a simple yet effective tool that can boost your productivity, communication, and creative initiatives. Whether you use the quick keyboard shortcuts or the versatile Screenshot app, you now have all you need to capture and share what’s on your screen with ease.
Remember, practice makes perfect, so try out these ways until you find the one that best suits your workflow. Happy screenshotting!
