How to Take a Screenshot on Mac in 2023

Knowing how to take a screenshot on a Mac is a useful ability to have because there are times when you'll need to record your screen in order to share a chat conversation or report an error. Even though Macs come equipped with everything you need to snap screenshots, the procedure is not very simple.

This post provides you with five simple ways to snap a screenshot on a Mac. You'll discover how to record the screen of your Mac using built-in features, the Touch Bar, keyboard shortcuts, and an external programme. You should have a firm grasp on how to quickly and efficiently snap screenshots on your Mac by the end of this article.

How to take a screenshot on a Mac using keyboard shortcuts (fast but limited)

On practically all Mac devices, including MacBook laptops, iMac all-in-ones, and Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktops, you can take screenshots using keyboard shortcuts. The shortcuts allow you to easily snap screenshots of your full screen, a segment of your screen, or even a specific window.

1. Capture the entire screen

Step 1.  Press and hold the "Command", "Shift" and “3” keys at the same time. This will take a screenshot of your entire screen.

Step 2. You will see a floating thumbnail in the bottom-right corner of your screen. You can swipe the thumbnail away or let it slip away on its own, and it'll be saved to your desktop by default. Or you can click on the thumbnail to open it in a new editing window. You can crop the screenshot in this window, draw or type on it, or share it easily.

2. Take a partial screenshot

Step 1. Press and hold the "Command", "Shift" and “4” keys simultaneously.

Step 2. Your mouse cursor will become a crosshair. You can drag it to select the area that you wish to capture. Once done, just release the mouse button to take the screenshot.  

Step 3. Then you might see a thumbnail in the corner of your screen. Click it to edit the screenshot. Or wait for the screenshot to save to your desktop.

3. Capture a specific window

Step 1. Open the window that you want to capture.

Step 2. Press and hold the "Command", "Shift", “4” and “Space bar” keys at the same time.

Step 3. Your mouse cursor will become a camera icon. Simply click on the Minecraft window to capture it.

Step 4. You can see a thumbnail in the corner of your screen. Click it to edit the screenshot. Or wait for the screenshot to save to your desktop.

How to take screenshots using the Touch Bar (for newer Macbook Pro)

You can easily take screenshots using a Macbook Pro with a Touch Bar. You can add the screenshot feature to your Touch Bar and capture anything on your Mac’s screen with only one tap.

1. How to take a screenshot on Mac by using the Touch Bar

You can add the screenshot button to your Touch Bar to quickly take a screenshot by clicking the button. Please check the steps below.

Step 1. Go to the "Control Strip" section of the "System Preferences" menu and select the "Screenshot" option.

Step 2. Use the "Customize Control Strip" button to add the "Screenshot" button to the Touch Bar.

Step 3. When you tap the "Screenshot" button on the Touch Bar, you can capture a selected portion, a window, or the entire screen. The screenshot will be saved to your desktop.

2. How to capture the screenshot of the Touch Bar

Want to take a screenshot of your Touch Bar? You simply press “Command + Shift + 6” keys to capture the entire Touch Bar and save the screenshot to your desktop.

How to take a screenshot on Mac with the built-in screenshot menu (free but limited)

A built-in screenshot menu is available on macOS Mojave and later. It allows users to take screenshots and record the screen of their Mac quickly. That means if you’re a Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, or Monterey user, you can easily access the built-in screenshot menu and start screenshot capture. Just check the steps below.

Step 1. Press the “Command + Shift + 5” keys on your keyboard to open the screenshot menu.

Step 2. The screenshot menu will appear at the bottom of the screen. It has several options for taking a screenshot on Mac, including capturing the entire screen, a specific window, or a selected area.

Step 3. Choose the option you want to use to take the screenshot. If you capture a specific window or a selected area, the cursor will change to a crosshair. Click and drag the crosshair to select the area you want to capture.

Step 4. When you have selected the area you want to capture, release the mouse button. The screenshot will be taken and appear at the right-bottom of the screen for a few seconds. You can click it to edit it further or let it go then it will be saved to your desktop.

How to screenshot on Mac with Preview (backup solution)

Preview is a built-in app on Mac that allows you to view and edit a wide range of file types, including images, PDFs, and documents. Additionally, it is a versatile tool that can help you take screenshots.

Like the keyboard shortcuts and screenshot menu, Preview allows you to capture screenshots from the entire screen, a selected area, or a specific window. The difference is that the Preview lets you name the file before saving it to your preferred location.

Here is how to screenshot on Mac with Preview.

Step 1. Open the window or screen that you want to capture.

Step 2. Launch the Preview app on your Mac, open the File menu, click Take Screenshot, then choose From Selection, From Window, or From Entire Screen, according to your needs.

Step 3. Once the screenshot is captured, you can edit it by cropping it, adjusting the color and contrast, or adding annotations. To save your edited screenshot, go to the "File" menu and select "Save".

Conclusion  

In general, there are two ways to snap a screenshot on a Mac. One makes use of built-in tools, while the other makes use of a third-party screenshot programme. For simple and quick screenshot capturing, you can use shortcuts or screenshot menus. If you want to capture the screen and further edit it, you can use Awesome Screenshot & Recorder, which has a variety of screenshot choices and annotation tools.

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