How to Screenshot on Mac: 6 Ways to Capture Screenshot on Mac

Knowing how to screenshot on Mac isn’t something to ignore. You’ll need the knowledge every so often. And it’s easy, just hidden.

The most basic way to take a screenshot on Mac is to press and hold three keys together: Shift, Command, and 3. Your screenshot will have been taken. If you want to edit the screenshot, spot a thumbnail in the corner of your screen, then click it to edit the screenshot.

Apple may have different MacBook types, but the methods to take a screenshot on Mac are the same across these different MacBook types – MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac. 

So, in this article, you’ll learn how to screenshot on Mac. We’ll also talk about how to capture a portion of the Mac screen and edit Mac screenshots. 

Let’s dive in.

What is a Screenshot on Mac?

To create a screenshot, you capture an image of your computer screen’s current display. The default location for saving screenshots is your Desktop folder; however, you have the option to modify this setting.

How to take screenshot on Mac Summary:

1. To take a screenshot on your Mac, press and hold the Shift, Command, and 3 keys together.
2. If a thumbnail is visible on your screen, you have the option to either click it to edit the screenshot or allow it to save automatically to your desktop.

Let’s discuss this in detail below.

Taking a screenshot on a Mac computer is not as straightforward as on a standard PC.But knowing how to take a screenshot on mac is an essential skill if you want to capture your Mac’s screen, window, or menu – whether it’s tickets to an event, an email you’ve just received, or simply a snapshot of your desktop.

Apple gives users a fair number of options to take screenshots on Mac, save, delete, and open the screenshot for markup.

How to take a screenshot on your Mac

If you’re using any kind of modern Mac, there are three ways to take a screenshot on Mac with keyboard shortcuts. You can take screenshots on your Mac in four different ways: capturing the entire screen, a window, a portion of it, or using the Touch Bar on a MacBook Pro.

1. Cmd-Shift-3 (or Shift + Command + 3): capture a screenshot of your entire screen
2. Cmd-Shift-4 (or Shift + Command + 4): capture a portion of the screen
3. Cmd-shift-4-space bar (Shift + Command + 4 + Space bar): capture a window or menu
4. Cmd-Shift-5 (or Shift + Command + 5): Choose how to capture the screen
5. Cmd-Shift-6 (or Shift + Command + 6): take a screenshot of what’s currently showing on the Touch Bar.
6. Take screenshots on Mac with the Mac screenshot app

macOS software offers easy options to save, delete and open screenshots for markup.

Let’s discuss how to take a screenshot on a mac methods in detail below:

#1. How to Screenshot on Mac: Full Screen, Partial, and Window Capture

Discover how to capture a screenshot on Mac using simple keyboard shortcuts. Capture your entire screen or select portions effortlessly.

1. Capture Entire Screen on Mac: Press Shift + Command + 3 simultaneously to snap a shot of your whole screen instantly. The screenshot will appear on your desktop.
2. Capture a Portion of the Screen: Utilize Shift + Command + 4 to transform your cursor into a crosshair. Drag it to select the area you want to capture. Release to save the screenshot on your desktop.
3. Capture a Single Window: For window capture, press Shift + Command + 4 + Space bar. Your cursor will be transformed into a camera icon. Simply click on the window you want to capture, and it will save to your desktop.
4. Advanced Options with Cmd-Shift-5: In macOS Mojave or later, press Shift + Command + 5 to access additional screen capture options. Choose between capturing the entire screen, a window, or a custom selection.

Note: If you spot a thumbnail in the corner of your Mac screen, click it to edit the Mac screenshot. Or, you can wait for the screenshot you’ve taken to save to your desktop, then locate and edit it.

Summary: Full Screen Capture on Mac

1. To take a picture of the entire screen on a Mac computer, simultaneously press the ‘Command’, ‘Shift’, and ‘3’ keys.
2. Look for a brief screen flash or change, indicating that the screenshot has been taken.
3. Typically, the captured screenshot is automatically saved to the Mac desktop for convenient access.

#2. How to screenshot on Mac: Capture a portion of the screen

To capture a portion of the screen, use the keyboard shortcut: Shift + command + 4. This keyboard shortcut combination changes your cursor into a crosshair, allowing you to drag and select a portion of your screen to capture.

Here are the steps:

1. Press and hold these 3 keys together: Shift + Command + 4.
2. Move the crosshair (cursor) to choose the section of the screen you want to capture.
3. To move the area selection, press and hold your Space bar while dragging. Press the Esc (Escape) key to cancel taking the mac screenshot.
4. Now, to take the mac screenshot, release your mouse or trackpad button. The screenshot saves to your desktop when you let go of the mouse button (or trackpad).

A mac screenshot captured by this method will feature a white border around the window with some drop shadow.

Note: If you want to edit the screenshot, spot the thumbnail in the corner of your screen and click it to edit the screenshot. Alternatively, you have the option to wait for the screen capture to be automatically saved to your desktop, then locate and edit it.

#3. How to screenshot on Mac: Capture a single window

To capture a screenshot of a window on a Mac, simultaneously press these four keys: Shift + Command + 4 + Space bar (Cmd-shift-4-space bar). This process is akin to capturing a portion of the screen.

To capture a window, follow these steps:

1. First, open the window or menu that you want to capture, a screenshot on a Mac, simply press and hold Shift + Command + 4. (or Command + Shift + 4). Your cursor will transform into a crosshair.

2. While maintaining the three keys, press the space bar. This action converts the cursor into a camera icon, marking the start of the capture process. (To abort the screenshot, press the Esc (Escape) key.)

3. Hover over any window (or menu), and it will be highlighted with a light-blue overlay effect.

4. To exclude the shadow from the screenshot, press and hold the Option key while clicking.

5. The image you took will be stored in the designated location on your desktop.

Additionally, if you wish to edit the screenshot, locate the thumbnail in the corner of your screen and click on it. Alternatively, you can allow the screenshot to save to your desktop before accessing and editing it. This method of capturing Mac screenshots extends beyond windows and menus. You can capture the desktop, menu bar, dock, or even an open menu individually. Furthermore, the captured image preserves the window and its shadow against a transparent background (PNG). Therefore, to omit the shadow, press and hold the Option key (or Alt) while saving the image.

#4. How to take a screenshot on Mac: Cmd-Shift-5 Screen capture panel options 

To take a screenshot on a Mac, you can utilize the shortcut Command + Shift + 5, which opens up a screen capture panel with various options. This feature was introduced in macOS Mojave in 2018. When you press these keys together, a small panel appears at the bottom of your display, offering three screenshot buttons:

• Capture the entire screen,
• Capture a specific window, or
• Capture a selected portion of the screen.

Additionally, there are two video capture buttons:

• Record the entire screen, or
• Record a selected portion of the screen.

You can close the screenshot panel by clicking the X button on the far left or by pressing the Escape key. On the right side of the panel, there is an Options button that allows you to choose where to save your screenshot, such as Desktop, Documents, Mail, Clipboard, Messages, or Preview. You can also set a 5- or 10-second delay to prepare items that may disappear when capturing the screenshot.

#5. How to take screenshot on Mac: Mac Touch Bar screenshot Shift + Command + 6 

You can use this method only if you have an older 15- or 16-inch MacBook Pro or a current 13-inch MacBook Pro – the last model with the Touch Bar.

This method allows you to take a mac screenshot of what’s currently showing on the Touch Bar. 

Just hit Shift + Cmd + 6 to take a very wide and skinny screenshot of your Touch Bar.

Please be aware that these choices are displayed on the OLED strip if you own a MacBook Pro equipped with a Touch Bar.

Longtime Mac screenshotters (people who’ve been using Mac screenshots for a while) may be slow to adopt the Cmd-Shift-5 shortcut. 

But it’s a good way to take screenshots on Mac because of the ability to annotate screenshots without needing to open Preview and quickly delete screenshots when you know you’ve messed up. Also, the 5- and 10-second delay options are useful additions.

#6. How to take a screenshot on Mac with the Mac screenshot app

The first five methods described above involve taking screenshots on Mac using keyboard shortcuts. 

Keyboard shortcuts work easily and well, especially for programmers, but everyone else can use a point-and-click user interface. 

So, Apple also includes a Screenshot app on Mac, which gives you more control over screenshots on Mac. 

With the Mac screenshot app, you can take screenshots after a 5-second or 10-second delay, giving you time to open a menu or carry out another setup before capturing an image. This might not be possible with keyboard shortcuts. 

How to screenshot on a mac: Where is the Mac screenshot app?

There are three ways to find the Mac Screenshot app:

1. Find Mac screenshot app through Launchpad 

• Open your Mac’s Launchpad and scroll through until you see the screenshot app. Alternatively, you can type “Screenshot” in the search bar at the top, locate the Screenshot app, and then double-click to launch it.

2. Find Mac screenshot app through Spotlight search. 

• Hold Command while simultaneously pressing the Spacebar to initiate a Spotlight Search.
• Then type “Screenshot,” and the Mac screenshot app will appear in the results.
• When you see it, click on “Screenshot” from the top section of the search results to launch the application.

If you come across a Screenshot option further down in the search results, clicking on it will initiate a web search for “screenshot” as a search term.

3. Mac Screenshot app on Finder

• The screenshot app might be on the Finder, so check to ensure.
• Access the Finder (identified by the smiling blue face icon at the bottom-left corner of the Dock), and then choose “Applications.”
• Afterward, navigate to the Utilities folder, and then scroll down until you locate the Screenshot application. Finally, open it by clicking on it.

If you think you’ll use the Screenshot app frequently, keep it in the Dock. Just right-click the app icon and select Keep in dock from the Options menu.

How to use the Mac screenshot app

When you open the Mac Screenshot app, you’ll see the same thing as when you open the Mac Touch Bar screenshot with the keyboard shortcut: Shift + Command + 6.

It’s a floating toolbar near the bottom of the screen with buttons suggesting the type of screenshot that they capture:

• Far left is full-screen capture
• Window capture 
• Partial screen capture

In the next section, you’ll see: 

• Full- and partial-screen recording buttons appear.
• Options menu.
• Capture button.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Choose one of the screenshot buttons based on the type of screenshot you want to grab. To save a copy of what’s currently displayed on the screen, use the “Capture” function.The capture won’t include the Screenshot toolbar.
2. If any setup is required, like displaying a menu to capture its contents in the screenshot, navigate to the Options menu and choose either the 5-second or 10-second delay.
3. This will also allow you to pick a different default save location for your screenshots. You can also send screenshots to another app like Messages or Mail. And, if you want to see the mouse pointer arrow in the screenshot, just enable Show mouse pointer in the same Options menu. Apple enables the Floating Thumbnail option by default. But when you take multiple screenshots in a row, some images might capture the thumbnail since it appears on-screen. So, you might consider switching off the Floating thumbnail in the Options menu, especially when you want to take quick screenshots.

How to screenshot on a mac: Where to find Mac screenshots

By default, Mac screenshots save to your desktop. They save with the name ”Screen Shot [date] at [time].png.” 

But in macOS Mojave or later, Apple allows you to change the default location of saved screenshots.

1. You have the option to alter the Mac screenshot storage location from the Options menu within the Screenshot app.
2. Alternatively, you have the option to drag the thumbnail directly to a document or folder for easy access.

How to add annotations on Mac Screenshots

The Mac screenshot app or the Floating Thumbnail has built-in macOS’ Markup capabilities, which you can use to annotate your screenshot. 

You can use this to add highlight texts on your screenshot easily, make freehand sketches, draw arrows to point out details, add your signature, and more.

To access the Markup toolbar after taking a screenshot, click on the thumbnail in the bottom-right corner. Alternatively, right-click on the Floating Thumbnail and select Markup.

• Choose where to save the screenshot – – on your desktop, Documents folder, or clipboard.
• Choose where to open the screenshot – – in Mail, Messages, Photos, or Preview.
• Delete.
• Show in Finder.
• Open the screenshot in the Markup preview window (as described above).
• Close (and save).

How to edit a screenshot taken on Mac

You might have noticed that a little thumbnail preview shows up in the bottom-right corner of your screen every time you take a screenshot. If you wish to edit a screenshot quickly, click on this preview to open up the editor. 

Here, you can make various edits to the capture, such as crop it, add text, add shapes, and much more. Everything is customizable, so don’t be afraid to change up the default colors or pick a new font. When editing is complete, click the Done button in the upper corner of the window to save. Do note that this will overwrite the original screenshot.

Third-party applications to take screenshots on Mac

While the built-in options to take screenshots on Mac are quite extensive, many people are looking for further ways to take screenshots. If you want extended functionality, make sure to check out the applications listed below and consider downloading them to make your screenshots appear just the way you want them to.

Some of these tools can also help you capture screen recordings.

1. CleanShot

CleanShot is an application all about manipulating your screenshots after taking them. It allows you to easily blur out parts of a screenshot to hide confidential or distracting information, provides quick shortcuts for sharing your screenshots, and much more. Messy desktop? No issue; simply check the “Hide Desktop Icons” option. Want to annotate something quickly on the screen? The built-in editor has got your back.

The application is free to download on this website. No hidden fees or additional costs, just clean and pleasing screenshots.

2. Lightshot

 Lightshot is a popular application on Windows. Once you have chosen, adding shapes or drawings to your screenshot is simple. However, it also has a macOS version free to use for all Apple fans. It’s lightweight and easy to use, providing you with options to screenshot sections or the entire screen. After making your selection, you can easily draw or put shapes on your screenshot. Numerous methods, including printing, copying to a clipboard, and online uploading, make sharing and saving simple.

You can download Lightshot for free on this website. The Windows equivalent is available on the same page if that is of interest.

3. Skitch

Skitch is the way to go if you want to enhance your screenshot editing and annotation skills. is the way to go. When marking screenshots, the software provides a plethora of options, tools, and shapes to choose from. This makes it simple to insert text, add arrows, highlight specific regions of the screen capture, and even blur out certain areas.

Skitch is completely free of charge and available to download here. By doing a simple search for the app and selecting the Get option, you may also locate it in the App Store.

Do you know where your screenshots are saved now that you know many ways to snap screenshots on a Mac?

On a Mac, modify the location of a screenshot

By default, your screenshots are saved directly to the desktop.to the desktop. This could be enough to make your desktop appear messy. to store your pictures to a different location.

1. Open the Screenshot application.
2. Click Options after that.
3. Select the location of your preference from the list of suggested options.
4. It will automatically save your photographs here now that you have a new location.

How to remove screen grabs on a Mac

Despite their small size, they have the ability to occupy a significant amount of disk space when they accumulate. Even though they are not all that big, when they pile up, they can take up a lot of disk space. Similar to other files, screenshots may take up space. Even though they are not all that big, when they pile up, they can take up a lot of disk space. Therefore, we recommend that you regularly remove the one that you are not using.

If you are not sure where you have saved your pictures, we suggest that you use the Cleaner-App program. Follow the guidelines below to get rid of the unwanted pictures.

1. Launch the app for cleaning.
2. Next, choose the screenshot area and sort the sizes according to file size, date, or name, if preferred. Once the unwanted files have been chosen, click Review and Remove.
3. Quickly go through the files you want to delete. When you are done, click Remove.
4. Lastly, empty the trash can to create space.

Final Thought

With any luck, you now have all the information you need to take screenshots on the macOS operating system. Do not hesitate to get in touch with our support staff if you need any additional assistance with technical questions. We are here to help you at all times!