How to Take a Screenshot on Mac

If you want to capture something on your Mac screen, whether it's the entire screen or just a part of your desktop, there are different ways to do that. Knowing how to take a screenshot on Mac is important if you want to save something on your display, whether it's an email, an online receipt, or an interesting photo that you want to share with your friends. Here we will walk you through different ways to screenshot on Mac without using a third-party app or tool and regardless of the version of macOS you're using and you can decide which method you like best. This article also covers guides on how to adjust screenshot settings like saving location and a timer.

How to Take a Screenshot on Mac

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

To screenshot the entire screen of your Mac:

Press and hold these keys together: Shift + Command + 3

The thumbnail of the screenshot will appear in the bottom right corner of your screen.

To screenshot a part of the screen on Mac:

1. Press and hold these keys together: Shift + Command + 4

2. Drag the crosshair icon in order to select your desired area. Then press and hold the Space bar while dragging to move the selection. This time if you want to cancel the screenshot, press Esc.

3. Release your mouse or trackpad button in order to screenshot.

4. You can wait for the screenshot to automatically save to your desktop or click on a thumbnail in the corner of the screen to edit it. 

To capture a certain window or menu:

1. Open the Window or Menu you want to take a screenshot.

2. Press and hold these keys together: Shift + Command + 4 + Spacebar. The pointer will then change to a camera icon. This time if you want to cancel the screenshot, press Esc.

3. Click on the Window or Menu to screenshot. If you want to keep the window's shadow out of the capture, hold down the Option key while you click.

Where are screenshots saved on mac?

By default, the screenshots are located on your Desktop as ”Screen Shot [date] at [time].png.” 

Using the Screenshot App

1. Open the launchpad on your macOS device.

2. Open the Other folder.

3. Launch the Screenshot app.

4. You may now select whether to take a complete screen snapshot, a screenshot of a single window or manually capture a piece of the screen by drawing a portion. Just pick the option you want. Once you've made your decision, click the Capture button to take a screenshot.

So that's how to take a screenshot on Mac. Capturing a screenshot is simple and doesn't require a third-party app. 

How to Crop and Edit a Screenshot on Mac

You can edit your screenshots using the Preview app. It's a pre-installed app on macOS devices. To launch this app:

1. Right-click on the screenshot thumbnail.

2. Click on Open with.

3. Select the Preview option from the drop-down list.

To crop an image:

1. Launch the Preview app by following the above steps.

2. Hold your right mouse button and drag to select your desired area.

3. Click on Tools then select Crop.

Or you can just press Command + K to crop the image.

By default, the selection you can crop is rectangular. If you want to change it to elliptical or lasso selection, just click on the 'selection' tool at the top left and choose the option you want. Then you can crop the desired area by following the steps above.

To rotate an image:

1. Launch the Preview app.

2. Click on the 'Rotate' icon at the top right to rotate your image to the left by 90 degrees.

Or you can simply press Command + R to rotate it to the right or Command + L to rotate it to the left.

You can also draw on the image, insert text, shapes, add signature, and customize your image the way you want with different markup tools available in the Preview app.

To open the Markup toolbar:

1. Launch the Preview app

Click on the Show Markup toolbar button or press Shift + Command + A.

To resize an image:

2. Click on the adjust size button from the Markup toolbar.

3. A new pane will show up. Click on the Fit into label and select the size you want from the drop-down list.

You can define the custom width and height by typing a value in the respective fields.

You can also change the unit of values by clicking on the menu beside the Height and Width options.

4. Click on OK to apply your change.

To adjust color of the screenshot:

1. Launch the Preview app.

2. Click on the Adjust color button from the Markup toolbar.

3. A new window will open. You can now change Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, and many different elements by dragging the sliders.

4. Click the X button at the top left to close the window.

How to Adjust Screenshot Settings on Mac

You may also change the options for taking a screenshot, such as designating a folder to store screenshots or even setting a timeframe to take screenshots.

1. Open the launchpad on your Mac device.

2. Open the Other folder.

3. Launch Screenshot app.

To change screenshot save location on a Mac:

After launching the Screenshot app, follow the steps below to change screenshot location on Mac:

1. Choose the Options tab from the bottom bar.

2. Then, under the Store To portion of the overflow menu, choose the folder where you want to save your screenshots.

3. To choose a directory manually, go to the Other location option and use the Finder to choose one.

To set a timer for a screenshot:

From the Options menu, click on your desired option present under the Timer section.

Then, click on the Capture button to take a screenshot after the set duration.

If you don't want to display the floating thumbnail of a recently captured screenshot, go to the Options menu and deactivate the 'Show Floating Thumbnail' option.

By default, the mouse pointer is not visible in the screenshots you take on your Macbook. If the need arises, you can always enable it by clicking on the Show Mouse Pointer option.

The Preview app is a powerful tool that you can use to edit and crop your screenshots without having to depend on a third-party app.

And that's it. You now have different ways at your disposal showing you how to take a screenshot on Mac. If you have any trouble taking a screenshot or editing your screenshot, simply leave a comment below and we will help you solve it. If you want to find out more tricks on how to use your Mac at its maximum capacity, follow us now!