Select Screen Shots from the list on the left side of the window and you’ll see the Mac’s screenshot options and their default keyboard shortcut combinations on the right side. Find the screenshot command shortcut you’d like to modify and double-click the shortcut listed to the right. Taking a screenshot is as easy as hitting Shift-Command-3 to capture the whole screen, or Shift-Command-4 to capture a portion of the screen using the mouse cursor as a crosshair selection tool (a.
- Screenshot Selection Microsoft
- Osx Screenshot
- Screenshot Selection Mac
- Macbook Pro Screenshot Selection
- Mac Os Screenshot Selection
- Take Screenshot Selection Mac
- Print Screen On Mac
Best screen capturing app
Use CleanShot X for all your screen recording needs.
For many new Apple users, particularly those who are migrating from Windows and are used to that Prt Scrn (Print Screen) button, the answer to the question of how to screenshot on Mac isn’t immediately obvious.
Although it only takes pressing a couple of keys to take a screenshot on Mac, the fact remains that Mac screen capture is something that hasn’t historically felt all that intuitive. For example, in addition to different key commands for screenshotting windows vs. smaller selections, recording video of your screen for a long time was only possible through QuickTime Player.
Best screenshot apps for macOS
Get the ultimate screen capture on Mac - download and test the best screenshot apps. All utilities in one pack, give it a go!
Although macOS Mojave has changed much of this, how to screenshot on Mac remains a heavy-hitting search query, as not everyone uses the latest version of macOS. Below you’ll find more information on taking a screenshot on Mac (and capturing video), as well as some useful tools to make your Apple screenshot life easier.
Exploring Mac Screenshot Basics
As there’s no dedicated button for print screen on Apple products, there are a few different commands associated with screen capture on Mac that vary slightly depending on your setup.
It makes sense to divide the world of how to take a screenshot on a Mac into pre and post-Mojave, since it was with this iteration of macOS that Apple really revolutionized their Mac screenshot command system.
1. Pre-Mojave Mac screenshot commands
If for whatever reason you don’t want to upgrade to Mojave then you’ll need to familiarize yourself with a couple of key Mac screenshot shortcut options:
- ⌘ + Shift + 3
- ⌘ + Shift + 4
The first of these commands is probably the easiest to get to grips with and the quickest one to take advantage of when taking a screenshot on Mac, as it captures the entire screen at once. If you’re using multiple screens, it takes a screenshot in Mac OS for every screen you’re using simultaneously.
The second of the commands represents a slightly more nuanced way to take a snapshot on Mac. Rather than capturing your entire screen, it prompts you to select the area you want to capture. If you follow it up with a press of Space, it allows you to choose the window you want to screencap instead.
Overall, while these commands do let you print screen on Mac, they feel sort of like an afterthought rather than a fully fledged feature of macOS. With so many people looking into how to screenshot on Mac, it’s not surprising that Apple recently decided to make it a little more clear how to screenshot in Mac OS Mojave.
2. Post-Mojave Mac screenshot command menu
In addition to the above commands, which still work for Mojave users, there’s now an option for them that’s very much in keeping with the existing format of how to print screen on Mac — ⌘ + Shift + [Number].
If you’re a Mojave user, you can use ⌘ + Shift + 5to bring up a screen capture menu that will allow you to:
- Capture Entire Screen
- Capture Selected Window(s)
- Capture Selected Portion
- Record Entire Screen
- Record Selected Portion
At the right-hand side of this menu there’s also Options that lets you (among other things) select where your MacBook screenshot and video output is saved.
In other words, anyone looking for an easy answer to the question “how do you screenshot on a Mac?” could do a lot worse than considering an upgrade to Mojave in order to streamline the process.
3. Third-party Mac OS screenshot apps
You might notice that, even with the inclusion of ⌘ + Shift + 5 Mac screen capturing menu, the options for taking a Mac screenshot remain pretty basic. If you’re looking for a snipping tool for Mac that can do a little more, you may need to turn to a third-party developer.
CleanShot X is unbeatable here. The app toolkit is tailored for 50+ different changes, which makes it an ultimate screen capturing tool for Mac. You can use CleanShot X to capture screen — whether it’s a window, full screen, area, or even scrolling content, as well as record video.
While capturing anything on your desktop, you can choose to hide all desktop clutter and disable desktop notifications in one click. Once you have your clean screenshot, open it from the overlay window that pops up, and start editing. You can add annotations, blur specific parts, or draw — CleanShot X will help you customize virtually anything.
A few not-so-obvious yet cool features to mention are self-timer, screenshot pinning, and internal cloud. Want to capture something with a delay? CleanShot X has a self-timer that will help you pick the right moment. If you want your screenshot to be visible on the screen, pin it to desktop. Finally, save your screen captures to the internal CleanShot Cloud and get shareable links in a flash.
If you’re looking for something with a little more emphasis on screen recording, Capto could be the ideal solution for you. In addition to recording video, or just taking a snapshot on Mac, you can also annotate and edit captures via an intuitive iMovie-esque interface.
Capto does wonders for software walkthroughs. And given its strong visual component, it’s also perfect for those with auditory shyness who would rather add captions than a voiceover. Capto’s built-in organizer is pretty helpful for keeping track of your screenshots too.
Mac OS screenshot organization
If you take a lot of screenshots then you’re probably way too used to your Downloads folder or Desktop being clogged up with images that have filenames like “Screen Shot 2019-XX-XX at 21.36.15”.
Unfortunately, this inelegant and cluttered outcome is the default Mac screenshot shortcut. Not particularly helpful for keeping all of your images in check, especially when macOS is prone to heavily abbreviating filenames.
While it’s possible to use Finder in conjunction with Preview to view all of your caps, that still isn’t a particularly satisfying visual experience. One of the best solutions is Inboard, which functions like a private Pinterest for your desktop and allows you to tag and filter all of your screenshots for later use.
Inboard takes care of the design savvy out there too with a feature that connects your Dribbble account to import all your likes for digestion at a later date.
But even once you’ve solved the question of how to do a screenshot on a Mac, sharing those screenshots with, say, colleagues or friends isn’t necessarily the easiest thing to do.
Rather than emailing files back and forth, or having to upload everything to a public Google Drive, you might consider a solution like Dropshare. As the name suggests, it makes sharing screenshots (and other files) as simple as dropping them into the relevant area.
Dropshare connects with a range of major third-party cloud apps, but you can also lean on proprietary Dropshare Cloud if you prefer, which is helpful if you want to keep your Mac screen capture sharing separate from your other sharing activity.
The future of how to take a screenshot on a Mac
As you can see from above, learning how to screenshot on Mac isn’t particularly difficult, and screen capture on Mac is now easier than ever thanks to the addition of a dedicated MacBook screenshot and video capture menu in macOS Mojave.
It’s clear from this new feature that Apple understands the issue of how to print screen on Mac is one that has been, to put it lightly, unintuitive in the past, so you can likely expect to see further tweaks to the process in the future.
In the meantime, there are some excellent options in the snipping tool for Mac market that facilitate the process and offer a range of diverse features you won’t find among those built-in options for taking a screenshot on Mac.
Best of all, you can try all the apps mentioned here: CleanShot, Capto, Inboard, and Dropshare absolutely free with a 7-day trial of Setapp, a Mac platform with over 150 essential apps for any task at hand. Now you’re all set for your screenshotting game.
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The interest in screenshots has increased steadily since 2009.
And it’s no secret that we’re big fans of screen capture and screenshots here at TechSmith.
And it’s no secret that we’re big fans of screen capture and screenshots here at TechSmith.
Screenshots (also known as a screen grab or screen capture) are great to grab images from web pages, capture desktop applications, and create program how-tos.
And believe it or not, one of the biggest questions we get is: How do I capture a screenshot?
Well, there are a lot of built-in programs and free tools (Snipping Tool, Mac Grab, etc.) to capture your screen.
But, if you need to take a lot of screenshots and want more flexibility and robust tools, Snagit is a great option.
One of the best parts of capturing your screen with Snagit is that you can show people exactly what you see on your desktop.
Today, I’ll show you how to take a screenshot on Windows without the snipping tool and on Mac without the Grab tool.
The complete guide on how to capture screen images
Feel free to use the quick links to jump to the section that you are most interested in.
Here are all the types of screen capture we will cover in this guide:
How to take a screenshot of your entire screen (Windows | Mac)
How to take a screenshot of a selected portion of your screen (Windows | Mac)
How to take a screenshot of a window (Windows | Mac)
How to take a screenshot of a menu (Windows | Mac)
How to take a screenshot of your entire screen (Windows | Mac)
How to take a screenshot of a selected portion of your screen (Windows | Mac)
How to take a screenshot of a window (Windows | Mac)
How to take a screenshot of a menu (Windows | Mac)
The first thing you’ll want to do is download and install your screen capture software.
Capture your screen today!
Download a free trial of Snagit to quickly and easily take screenshots of your computer screen, mark them up, and share them.
If you don’t already have Snagit, you can download it for free and try the software for 15 days. Snagit works on both Windows and Mac. So no matter what platform you use it will work on your system.
You can capture your entire screen or only a selected portion of it. The screenshot automatically opens in the Snagit Editor where you can preview, edit, and share the capture.
?Recommended Reading:Snagit vs Snipping Tool: 5 Reasons You Need To Switch
How to take a screenshot on PC
These methods work with different versions of Microsoft Windows, including Windows 8 and Windows 10.
How to take a screenshot of your entire screen (on Windows 7, 8, and 10)
Step 1: Click the Capture button or Press PrtScn (Print Screen Button).
Step 2: Once the orange crosshairs appear, click the Fullscreen button to capture the full screen.
Step 2: Once the orange crosshairs appear, click the Fullscreen button to capture the full screen.
How to take a screenshot of a selected portion of your screen (on Windows 7, 8, and 10)
Step 1: Open the Capture window.
In the Notifications area, click the red TechSmith Snagit icon to open the Capture window on the screen. If you’re in the Snagit editor, click the Capture button in the toolbar to bring up the Capture window.
Step 2: Choose your screen capture settings.
The Capture window gives you a lot of flexibility depending on what type of screen capture you want to take. Grab your entire desktop, a region, or a window with Snagit’s All-in-One Capture®. Take a quick image screenshot, or even record a video.
Step 3: Click the Capture button.
Click the Capture button on any tab in the Capture window to start your screen capture. You can also start a capture with the current settings by pressing the PrtScn button (Print Screen), which is the default global capture hotkey. You can also customize and change the global capture hotkey.
Step 4: Click and drag the crosshairs to take a screenshot of the active window.
How to take a screenshot of a window (on Windows on Windows 7, 8, and 10)
Step 1: Click the Capture button or Press PrtScn (Print Screen).
Step 2: Move the cursor over the window to capture. When an orange dashed border appears around the window, click to select the highlighted area.
How to take a screenshot of a menu (on Windows on Windows 7, 8, and 10)
Step 1: First, select the Image tab in the Capture window.
Step 2: Next, select Menu in the Selection dropdown.
Step 3: Select the Delay option and set the number of seconds for the delay. (Optional)
Step 4: Click the Capture button or press PrtScn (Print Screen).
Step 5: Finally, your countdown will begin. Open the desired menu, and move your cursor over the menu to capture.
TIP: Save a Preset
To save the capture settings for future use, select Add Preset dropdown > New preset from current settings.
To save the capture settings for future use, select Add Preset dropdown > New preset from current settings.
How to take a screenshot on a Mac
These methods work with different versions of macOS–10.10 (Yosemite), or higher.
How to take a screenshot of your entire screen (on Mac)
Step 1: Click the Capture button or press Ctrl-Shift-C.
Step 2: Once the orange crosshairs appear, click the Fullscreen button to capture the entire screen.
Screenshot Selection Microsoft
How to take a screenshot of a selected portion of your screen (on Mac)
Step 1: Open the Capture window.
In the menu bar, click the TechSmith Snagit icon to open the Capture window on the screen. If you’re in the Snagit editor, click the Capture button in the toolbar to bring up the Capture window.
Step 2: Choose your screen capture settings.
The Capture window gives you a lot of flexibility depending on what type of screen capture you want to take. Grab your entire desktop, a region, or a window with Snagit’s All-in-One Capture®. Take quick image screenshots. Or even record videos.
Step 3: Click the capture button.
Click the Capture button on any tab in the Capture window to start your screen capture. You can also start a capture with the current settings by pressing using the keyboard shortcut Control-Shift-C, which is the default global capture hotkey. You can also customize and change the global capture hotkey.
Step 4: Click and drag the crosshairs to select part or all of your screen.
How to take a screenshot of a window (on Mac)
Step 1: Click the Capture button or press Control-Shift-C.
Step 2: Move the cursor over the window to capture. When an orange dashed border appears around the window, click to select the highlighted area.
How to take a screenshot of a menu (on Mac)
Osx Screenshot
Step 1: First, select the Image tab in the Capture window.
Step 2: Next, select Menu in the Selection dropdown.
Step 3: Select the Delay option and set the number of seconds for the delay. (Optional)
Step 4: Click the Capture button or press Control-Shift-C.
Step 5: Finally, your countdown will begin. Open the desired menu, and move your cursor over the menu to capture.
After you’re done, you can save your screenshots or add polish with the image editing features in Snagit. This will you give you a faster and better workflow than just using the print screen key and Microsoft Paint.
Capture your screen today!
Download a free trial of Snagit to quickly and easily take screenshots of your computer screen, mark them up, and share them.
Screenshot Selection Mac
Frequently asked questions
How do I do a screen capture?Snagit is the best screen capture tool you can find. It’s perfect if you need to take a lot of screenshots and want more power and flexibility than built-in options.
How do you take a screenshot on Windows?Click the Capture button in Snagit or Press PrtScn (Print Screen). Then, click and drag the crosshairs to select part or all of your screen.
Macbook Pro Screenshot Selection
How do I do a screen capture on a Mac?Click the Capture button or press Ctrl-Shift-C. Then, click and drag the crosshairs to select part or all of your screen.
Can I turn screen captures into a video?Snagit now lets you turn screenshots into videos with narration and annotation. Learn how to Create Video from Images.
How do you take a scrolling screenshot?Mac Os Screenshot Selection
From Snagit’s All-in-one tab click the Capture button, move the crosshairs over the window to capture, and click one of the yellow arrows depending on the direction you want to scroll. Snagit captures everything visible in the window and creates a single image that you can edit.
Take Screenshot Selection Mac
How do I take a screenshot of a menu?Print Screen On Mac
First, select the Image tab in the Capture window. Next, select Menu in the Selection dropdown. Select the Delay option and set the number of seconds for the delay. Click the Capture button or press PrtScn (Print Screen). Finally, your countdown will begin. Open the desired menu, and move your cursor over the menu to capture.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in 2017 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.