How to Screenshot on Mac
The Mac operating system comes with native screenshotting capabilities, so you don’t need to install any other programs or apps to do it. If you want to capture screenshots of your desktop, an app window, or an area of your screen, here’s how to screenshot on Mac. Screenshotting in Mac isn’t as simple as it is on Windows PCs, but the method shown below allows you to take screenshots of specific areas of your screen and save them as PNG files—no third-party programs required. It’s easy to learn how to screenshot on Mac if you follow the instructions below!
How to Print Screen
Mac users can print screen using Command+Shift+3, which saves a file that’s then immediately available in your Pictures folder. The same keyboard shortcut (Command+Shift+3) works in reverse as well: Use it to take a screenshot of a part of your screen and save it as an image file. If you want that screenshot stored in a specific location, use Shift+Command+4; from there, click and drag to select exactly what you want saved.
To Take a Screenshot of the Entire Screen
Hold down Command + Shift + 3. If you are using a MacBook, your default save location is usually your desktop. To take a screenshot of only part of your screen, follow these instructions: Hold down Command + Shift + 4 (if you are using a laptop). Click and drag to select an area that you want to capture. The selected area will be highlighted with a blue box. Then let go of your mouse or trackpad button. Your image will be captured and saved as a file on your desktop. A new window appears, displaying all of your screenshots in chronological order. You can choose to delete them here, or save them to use later by simply dragging it into another folder or onto another device (like Google Drive).
There’s one more way you can easily capture screenshots: by pressing Control + Shift + 5, which saves your current window as an image instead of full-screen images like Command+Shift+4 does.[3] This feature is particularly helpful for taking quick shots from within apps when you don’t need or want all of your other windows showing up in your screenshot!
A Way to Capture Part of the Screen
Mac users have many options for capturing screenshots of their work, but some are more flexible than others. For example, by default you can use Command-Shift-3 to capture a full screenshot of your entire screen and save it to your desktop or Command-Shift-4 (from any app) then click and drag to select a specific part of your screen.
Where Do I Find My Screenshots?
After you’ve captured a screenshot, you can find it by clicking Files in your menu bar and selecting Screenshot. This will take you to a folder in your Home directory named Desktop Pictures. There, all of your screenshots are automatically stored. Keep in mind that they may be stored in different sizes; depending on how big or small they were when you took them, these files may be huge or minuscule.
Saving Your Picture Files
This is where things get a little tricky. While we’re sure there are several different methods you can use to get your screenshot, a quick Google search led us here. The first thing you need to do is find your picture file: In your Finder window, select View in the top menu bar, and then select Show View Options. This will bring up a small box with an image of a down arrow and three dots next to it.
Sharing with Others
If you plan on sharing your screenshot with others, be sure you resize it first. Sharing a large image will take up bandwidth and can make your message harder to read. Instead, size down your image using tools like Photoshop before you share it. To quickly resize images, try installing an app like Skitch from Evernote or Primo . These apps allow for easy resizing and annotating of screenshots. Both are available as free downloads in most stores.