How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac

Taking a screenshot on a Mac is a fast and straightforward strategy to seize a picture of your display. Whether or not you wish to share a screenshot with somebody or put it aside to your personal information, there are a number of alternative ways to do it.

The commonest strategy to take a screenshot on a Mac is to make use of the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+3. It will seize a screenshot of all the display and put it aside to your desktop as a PNG file. In case you solely wish to seize a portion of the display, you should use the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+4.

On this article, we’ll focus on the alternative ways to take a screenshot on a Mac, together with find out how to seize all the display, a portion of the display, or a particular window.

The right way to Take a Screenshot on a Mac

Listed here are 8 necessary factors about taking screenshots on a Mac:

Command+Shift+3: Seize complete display.
Command+Shift+4: Seize portion of display.
Command+Shift+4+Area: Seize window.
Command+Management+Shift+4: Seize screenshot and save to clipboard.
Command+Possibility+Shift+3: Save screenshot as PDF.
Command+Possibility+Shift+4: Save portion of display as PDF.
Command+Possibility+Management+Shift+4: Save screenshot to clipboard as PDF.
Use Markup instruments: Annotate and edit screenshots.

These keyboard shortcuts assist you to simply seize and save screenshots in your Mac.

Command+Shift+3: Seize complete display.

The keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+3 is the most typical strategy to take a screenshot on a Mac. This shortcut will seize a picture of all the display, together with the menu bar and the Dock. The screenshot will likely be saved as a PNG file in your desktop.

To take a screenshot utilizing this shortcut, merely press and maintain down the Command, Shift, and 3 keys concurrently. You’ll hear a shutter sound and see a thumbnail of the screenshot within the lower-right nook of the display. The screenshot file will likely be named “Display screen Shot [date and time].png” and will likely be saved to your desktop.

You can too use the Command+Shift+3 shortcut to repeat the screenshot to the clipboard as a substitute of saving it as a file. To do that, merely press and maintain down the Command, Shift, and 3 keys concurrently, then launch the keys. The screenshot will likely be copied to the clipboard and you’ll paste it into any utility that helps photographs.

If you wish to change the default save location for screenshots, you are able to do so within the System Preferences. Open System Preferences, click on on Screenshots, after which choose the specified save location from the Save screenshots to drop-down menu.

The Command+Shift+3 keyboard shortcut is a fast and straightforward strategy to seize a screenshot of all the display on a Mac. You need to use this shortcut to save lots of screenshots to your desktop or copy them to the clipboard.

Command+Shift+4: Seize portion of display.

The keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+4 lets you seize a screenshot of a particular portion of the display. That is helpful if you happen to solely wish to seize a sure space of the display, reminiscent of a specific window or menu. To make use of this shortcut, merely press and maintain down the Command, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently.

Whenever you press these keys, the cursor will change to a crosshair. You possibly can then click on and drag the crosshair to pick the realm of the display that you simply wish to seize. After you have chosen the specified space, launch the mouse button. The screenshot will likely be captured and saved to your desktop as a PNG file.

You can too use the Command+Shift+4 shortcut to repeat the screenshot to the clipboard as a substitute of saving it as a file. To do that, merely press and maintain down the Command, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently, then press the Area key. The cursor will change to a digicam icon. You possibly can then click on on the window or menu that you simply wish to seize. The screenshot will likely be copied to the clipboard and you’ll paste it into any utility that helps photographs.

The Command+Shift+4 keyboard shortcut is a flexible device for capturing screenshots of particular areas of the display on a Mac. You need to use this shortcut to save lots of screenshots to your desktop or copy them to the clipboard.

Command+Shift+4+Area: Seize window.

The keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+4+Area lets you seize a screenshot of a particular window in your Mac. That is helpful if you wish to seize a screenshot of a specific utility window or dialog field.

To make use of this shortcut, merely press and maintain down the Command, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently, then press the Area key. The cursor will change to a digicam icon. You possibly can then click on on the window that you simply wish to seize. The screenshot will likely be captured and saved to your desktop as a PNG file.

You can too use the Command+Shift+4+Area shortcut to repeat the screenshot to the clipboard as a substitute of saving it as a file. To do that, merely press and maintain down the Command, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently, then press the Area key and the Management key. The cursor will change to a digicam icon with a plus signal. You possibly can then click on on the window that you simply wish to seize. The screenshot will likely be copied to the clipboard and you’ll paste it into any utility that helps photographs.

The Command+Shift+4+Area keyboard shortcut is a handy strategy to seize screenshots of particular home windows in your Mac. You need to use this shortcut to save lots of screenshots to your desktop or copy them to the clipboard.

Command+Management+Shift+4: Seize screenshot and save to clipboard.

The keyboard shortcut Command+Management+Shift+4 lets you seize a screenshot of all the display or a particular portion of the display and put it aside to the clipboard as a substitute of saving it as a file.

To seize all the display:

Press and maintain down the Command, Management, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently. The screenshot will likely be captured and copied to the clipboard.
To seize a particular portion of the display:

Press and maintain down the Command, Management, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently, then click on and drag the crosshair to pick the realm of the display that you simply wish to seize. Launch the mouse button to seize the screenshot. The screenshot will likely be copied to the clipboard.
To seize a particular window:

Press and maintain down the Command, Management, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently, then press the Area key. The cursor will change to a digicam icon. Click on on the window that you simply wish to seize. The screenshot will likely be copied to the clipboard.
To seize a screenshot and annotate it:

Press and maintain down the Command, Management, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently, then press the A key. The cursor will change to a crosshair with a pencil icon. Click on and drag to pick the realm of the display that you simply wish to seize. A screenshot will likely be taken and the Markup instruments will robotically open, permitting you to annotate the screenshot.

After you have captured a screenshot utilizing the Command+Management+Shift+4 keyboard shortcut, you’ll be able to paste it into any utility that helps photographs. For instance, you’ll be able to paste the screenshot right into a doc, e-mail, or picture modifying program.

Command+Possibility+Shift+3: Save screenshot as PDF.

The keyboard shortcut Command+Possibility+Shift+3 lets you seize a screenshot of all the display and put it aside as a PDF file.

To seize all the display and put it aside as a PDF:

Press and maintain down the Command, Possibility, Shift, and 3 keys concurrently. The screenshot will likely be captured and saved as a PDF file in your desktop.
To seize a particular portion of the display and put it aside as a PDF:

Press and maintain down the Command, Possibility, Shift, and 3 keys concurrently, then click on and drag the crosshair to pick the realm of the display that you simply wish to seize. Launch the mouse button to seize the screenshot. The screenshot will likely be saved as a PDF file in your desktop.
To seize a particular window and put it aside as a PDF:

Press and maintain down the Command, Possibility, Shift, and 3 keys concurrently, then press the Area key. The cursor will change to a digicam icon. Click on on the window that you simply wish to seize. The screenshot will likely be saved as a PDF file in your desktop.
To seize a screenshot and put it aside as a PDF with annotations:

Press and maintain down the Command, Possibility, Shift, and 3 keys concurrently, then press the A key. The cursor will change to a crosshair with a pencil icon. Click on and drag to pick the realm of the display that you simply wish to seize. A screenshot will likely be taken and the Markup instruments will robotically open, permitting you to annotate the screenshot. As soon as you’re completed annotating the screenshot, click on the Completed button to put it aside as a PDF file in your desktop.

The Command+Possibility+Shift+3 keyboard shortcut is a handy strategy to seize screenshots of all the display or particular areas of the display and save them as PDF recordsdata. That is helpful if it is advisable share screenshots with others or if you wish to maintain them to your personal information in a transportable and simply shareable format.

Command+Possibility+Shift+4: Save portion of display as PDF.

The keyboard shortcut Command+Possibility+Shift+4 lets you seize a screenshot of a particular portion of the display and put it aside as a PDF file.

To make use of this shortcut, merely press and maintain down the Command, Possibility, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently. The cursor will change to a crosshair. Click on and drag the crosshair to pick the realm of the display that you simply wish to seize. After you have chosen the specified space, launch the mouse button.

The screenshot will likely be saved as a PDF file in your desktop. The file identify will likely be “Display screen Shot [date and time].pdf”. You possibly can open the PDF file in any PDF viewer, reminiscent of Preview or Adobe Acrobat Reader.

You can too use the Command+Possibility+Shift+4 shortcut to seize a screenshot of a particular window and put it aside as a PDF file. To do that, merely press and maintain down the Command, Possibility, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently, then press the Area key. The cursor will change to a digicam icon. Click on on the window that you simply wish to seize. The screenshot will likely be saved as a PDF file in your desktop.

The Command+Possibility+Shift+4 keyboard shortcut is a flexible device for capturing screenshots of particular areas of the display on a Mac and saving them as PDF recordsdata. That is helpful if it is advisable share screenshots with others or if you wish to maintain them to your personal information in a transportable and simply shareable format.

Command+Possibility+Management+Shift+4: Save screenshot to clipboard as PDF.

The keyboard shortcut Command+Possibility+Management+Shift+4 lets you seize a screenshot of all the display or a particular portion of the display and put it aside to the clipboard as a PDF file.

To seize all the display and put it aside to the clipboard as a PDF:

Press and maintain down the Command, Possibility, Management, and Shift keys concurrently, then press the 4 key. The screenshot will likely be captured and saved to the clipboard as a PDF file.
To seize a particular portion of the display and put it aside to the clipboard as a PDF:

Press and maintain down the Command, Possibility, Management, and Shift keys concurrently, then press the 4 key and click on and drag the crosshair to pick the realm of the display that you simply wish to seize. Launch the mouse button to seize the screenshot. The screenshot will likely be saved to the clipboard as a PDF file.
To seize a particular window and put it aside to the clipboard as a PDF:

Press and maintain down the Command, Possibility, Management, and Shift keys concurrently, then press the 4 key and press the Area key. The cursor will change to a digicam icon. Click on on the window that you simply wish to seize. The screenshot will likely be saved to the clipboard as a PDF file.
To seize a screenshot and put it aside to the clipboard as a PDF with annotations:

Press and maintain down the Command, Possibility, Management, and Shift keys concurrently, then press the 4 key and press the A key. The cursor will change to a crosshair with a pencil icon. Click on and drag to pick the realm of the display that you simply wish to seize. A screenshot will likely be taken and the Markup instruments will robotically open, permitting you to annotate the screenshot. As soon as you’re completed annotating the screenshot, click on the Completed button to put it aside to the clipboard as a PDF file.

The Command+Possibility+Management+Shift+4 keyboard shortcut is a handy strategy to seize screenshots of all the display or particular areas of the display and save them to the clipboard as PDF recordsdata. That is helpful if it is advisable share screenshots with others or if you wish to maintain them to your personal information in a transportable and simply shareable format.

Use Markup instruments: Annotate and edit screenshots.

The Markup instruments in macOS assist you to annotate and edit screenshots simply and rapidly. You need to use the Markup instruments so as to add textual content, shapes, arrows, and different annotations to your screenshots. You can too use the Markup instruments to crop, resize, and rotate your screenshots.

To open the Markup instruments:

Merely click on on the Markup button within the screenshot thumbnail that seems within the lower-right nook of the display after you’re taking a screenshot. You can too press the Area key to open the Markup instruments.
So as to add textual content to a screenshot:

Click on on the Textual content button within the Markup toolbar after which click on on the screenshot the place you wish to add the textual content. A textual content field will seem. Kind your textual content into the textual content field after which click on exterior the textual content field to save lots of your adjustments.
So as to add shapes to a screenshot:

Click on on the Shapes button within the Markup toolbar after which choose the form that you simply wish to add. Click on on the screenshot the place you wish to add the form after which drag the mouse to attract the form. Launch the mouse button to save lots of your adjustments.
So as to add arrows to a screenshot:

Click on on the Arrows button within the Markup toolbar after which choose the kind of arrow that you simply wish to add. Click on on the screenshot the place you wish to add the arrow after which drag the mouse to attract the arrow. Launch the mouse button to save lots of your adjustments.

The Markup instruments are a flexible set of instruments that assist you to simply annotate and edit screenshots in your Mac. You need to use the Markup instruments so as to add textual content, shapes, arrows, and different annotations to your screenshots. You can too use the Markup instruments to crop, resize, and rotate your screenshots.

FAQ

Listed here are some incessantly requested questions on taking screenshots on a Mac:

Query 1: How do I take a screenshot of all the display?
Reply 1: Press and maintain down the Command, Shift, and 3 keys concurrently.

Query 2: How do I take a screenshot of a particular portion of the display?
Reply 2: Press and maintain down the Command, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently. The cursor will change to a crosshair. Click on and drag the crosshair to pick the realm of the display that you simply wish to seize. Launch the mouse button to seize the screenshot.

Query 3: How do I take a screenshot of a particular window?
Reply 3: Press and maintain down the Command, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently. Then, press the Area key. The cursor will change to a digicam icon. Click on on the window that you simply wish to seize. The screenshot will likely be captured and saved to your desktop.

Query 4: How do I save a screenshot as a PDF file?
Reply 4: Press and maintain down the Command, Possibility, Shift, and 3 keys concurrently to seize all the display and put it aside as a PDF. To seize a particular portion of the display and put it aside as a PDF, press and maintain down the Command, Possibility, Shift, and 4 keys concurrently. Click on and drag the crosshair to pick the realm of the display that you simply wish to seize. Launch the mouse button to seize the screenshot. The screenshot will likely be saved as a PDF file in your desktop.

Query 5: How do I annotate a screenshot?
Reply 5: Open the screenshot within the Preview app. Click on on the Markup button within the toolbar. The Markup instruments will seem. You need to use the Markup instruments so as to add textual content, shapes, arrows, and different annotations to the screenshot. Click on on the Completed button to save lots of your adjustments.

Query 6: How do I modify the default save location for screenshots?
Reply 6: Open System Preferences. Click on on Screenshots. Choose the specified save location from the Save screenshots to drop-down menu.

These are only a few of essentially the most incessantly requested questions on taking screenshots on a Mac. When you’ve got another questions, please seek the advice of the Apple Assist web site or the macOS consumer information.

Along with the knowledge offered within the FAQ, listed here are just a few extra ideas for taking screenshots on a Mac:

Suggestions

Listed here are just a few ideas for taking screenshots on a Mac:

Tip 1: Use keyboard shortcuts.
The quickest and best strategy to take a screenshot on a Mac is to make use of keyboard shortcuts. The commonest keyboard shortcut for taking a screenshot is Command+Shift+3. This shortcut will seize a screenshot of all the display. To seize a screenshot of a particular portion of the display, use the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+4. You can too use the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+4+Area to seize a screenshot of a particular window.

Tip 2: Save screenshots in numerous codecs.
By default, screenshots on a Mac are saved as PNG recordsdata. Nonetheless, it’s also possible to save screenshots in different codecs, reminiscent of JPEG, TIFF, and PDF. To vary the default save format for screenshots, open System Preferences, click on on Screenshots, after which choose the specified save format from the Format drop-down menu.

Tip 3: Annotate screenshots.
You need to use the Markup instruments in macOS to annotate screenshots. This lets you add textual content, shapes, arrows, and different annotations to your screenshots. To open the Markup instruments, merely click on on the Markup button within the screenshot thumbnail that seems within the lower-right nook of the display after you’re taking a screenshot. You can too press the Area key to open the Markup instruments.

Tip 4: Use screenshot utilities.
There are a variety of screenshot utilities out there for Mac that may give you extra options and performance. For instance, some screenshot utilities assist you to seize scrolling screenshots, file screencasts, and share screenshots simply.

These are only a few ideas for taking screenshots on a Mac. By following the following pointers, you’ll be able to take and edit screenshots rapidly and simply.

Taking screenshots on a Mac is a fast and straightforward strategy to seize photographs of your display. Whether or not it is advisable share a screenshot with somebody or put it aside to your personal information, there are a number of alternative ways to do it.

Conclusion

The commonest strategy to take a screenshot on a Mac is to make use of the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+3. This shortcut will seize a screenshot of all the display. To seize a screenshot of a particular portion of the display, use the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+4. You can too use the keyboard shortcut Command+Shift+4+Area to seize a screenshot of a particular window.

You can too use the Markup instruments in macOS to annotate screenshots. This lets you add textual content, shapes, arrows, and different annotations to your screenshots.

By following the guidelines on this article, you’ll be able to take and edit screenshots in your Mac rapidly and simply.

So, the following time it is advisable seize a picture of your display, keep in mind the keyboard shortcuts and ideas that you simply realized on this article.