High-quality screenshots can be taken on any Mac computer. You can edit them or share them however desired. You will also have the ability to take video of your screen if you purchased or upgraded your Mac in 2018.
These are five methods to take screenshots on your Mac.
Quick tip – Your Mac allows you to take screenshots and videos of your screen. For more information, see our screen recording on a Mac article.
Mac screenshot shortcuts
All methods for taking screenshots on a Mac use the Command, Shift, and Number keys.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Function |
| Shift + Command + 3 | Take a picture of the whole screen. |
| Shift + Command + 4 | To capture a screenshot, highlight a particular part of the screen. |
| Shift + Command + 5 | To record video or modify your screenshot options, open the screenshot menu. |
| Shift + 6 | If your Mac has one, take a screenshot of it. |
Shift + Comand + 3: Take a screen shot of the entire screen
Hold down Shift + Command + 3 to capture the entire screen
Note – If you have multiple monitors it will take and save screenshots from each one.
You can edit your screenshot by clicking the thumbnail preview that appears in the bottom-right corner when you take a picture. This feature can be turned on or off by using the screenshot menu.
Shift + Comand + 4: Capture a section or window
1. Click Shift + Command + Four.
2 The crosshair will appear on your mouse cursor. To select an area on your screen, click and drag the crosshair.
3. Release the trackpad or mouse button to capture the area. Or press the Esc key for cancellation.
This is not the only thing you can do with this technique. You can unlock additional options by pressing Shift + Command+ 4.
- Capture a specific window: Press Shift + Comand + 4, then hit the spacebar. The crosshair will transform into a camera. Click on the capture button by hovering the cursor of the camera over the window. It will be surrounded by a gray border when the screenshot has been saved.
- Set the size and shape. Drag the crosshair to highlight an area. Then press and hold the Spacebar. This will lock the box and prevent it from changing in size. Drag the box to any place on the screen and release the spacebar to take a screenshot.
- Adjust the height: Drag the crosshair to highlight an area. Then, hold and press the Shift key. This will allow you to adjust the box’s height and width. The Shift key allows you to toggle between width and height. To take a screenshot, release the trackpad or mouse button.
Shift + Comman + 5: Use this screenshot menu
The Screenshot app is available in the current macOS versions (Mojave and Catalina, Big Sur Big Sur, Monterey and Ventura).
1. To open Screenshot, press Shift + Command 5. At the bottom of your screen will be a small menu panel.
2 You can take a screenshot from the entire screen, one window or a selected section of the screen using the three icons to the left. You can record a video of your entire screen or just one section using the next icons to the right. To select the method you wish to capture a screenshot, click on one of the icons to the left.
3. To take a screenshot, click the Capture button to the right.
You can also access the Options menu. You can choose to save your screenshot or how long you would like between pressing Capture, the screenshot being taken and that.
You will also find the Show floating thumbnail option in the Options menu. This option is automatically turned on and will be marked with a checkmark to the left. When you take a picture, this option will make a small thumbnail appear in the lower-right corner. The thumbnail will disappear after a few seconds and the screenshot will not be saved to your computer.
To open the screenshot in another window, click on this thumbnail. You can:
- Type or draw the image.
- You can also cut it into a different shape or size.
- It can be shared via your Apple ID account.
Take a picture of the Touch Bar
You can still take screenshots of the Touch Bar on some Mac computers, even though not all Macs have it.
You can take a screenshot of anything on your Touch Bar by pressing Shift + Comand + 6. This will instantly capture all of your Touch Bar.
Where can I find my Mac screenshots
Screenshots will automatically appear on your desktop by default. The default title of the screenshot is “Screen Shot”, followed by the date/time it was taken.
These steps will allow you to modify the location where your screenshots are saved to.
1. To open the screenshot menu, press Shift + Command+ 5
2. To open the menu, click Options.
3. Select one of the pre-selected locations in the Save to menu or click on Others Locations to choose the folder where you want to save your screenshots by default.
Quick tip – Holding down the Control key as you take a screenshot will copy it to your clipboard, instead of saving it. The screenshot can be pasted anywhere you have the ability to insert images.
Third-party screenshot applications for macOS
You can also use third-party apps for macOS if you don’t like the built-in tools. Lightshot is a great free tool for taking screenshots. It’s also very easy to use.
1. Get and install Lightshot for your Mac.
2. Launch lightshot by pressing Command + Shift+9 on your keyboard. The screen of your Mac will darken and indicate that you are ready to take a picture.
3. Drag the mouse pointer to select an area on your screen you wish to screen capture. While the highlighted area will be displayed normally, all other areas will remain darkened. To select the entire screen, you can press Command + a
4. To add elements to your screenshots, you can use the toolbar to the right of the highlighted area.
5. Use Command + to select the location where you wish to save the image to your computer.
