Here Are 5 Ways to Take a Screenshot on Mac

Taking a screenshot on a Mac is a simple yet powerful tool, allowing you to capture and share moments from your digital life. Whether it’s snagging a frame from a video, saving an important document, or just capturing your latest high score, macOS offers several straightforward methods to take a screenshot. Here’s a guide to all the possible ways to capture your screen on a Mac.

Command-Shift-3:

This is the go-to method for taking a quick snapshot of your entire screen. As soon as you press these keys, your Mac captures the entire screen, saving the screenshot as a file on the desktop.

Command-Shift-4:

For more control, use this combination. It turns your cursor into a crosshair, which you can drag to select a portion of your screen to capture. Release the mouse button or trackpad to take the screenshot.

Command-Shift-4, then Spacebar:

After hitting Command-Shift-4, if you press the spacebar, the cursor changes to a camera icon. You can then click on any open window to take a screenshot of the window only, with a nice shadow effect by default.

Touch Bar Capture (for MacBook Pros with Touch Bar):

If you have a MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, press Command-Shift-6 to take a screenshot of what is currently displayed on the Touch Bar.

Using Preview:

Preview, the image viewer and PDF viewer of the macOS, also has the option to take screenshots. Go to File > Take Screenshot and choose from “From Selection,” “From Window,” or “From Entire Screen.”

Each method has its unique advantages, catering to different needs. Whether you’re a professional needing precision or a casual user looking for a quick capture, macOS ensures you’re covered. With this range of options, taking screenshots on a Mac is not just about capturing the screen; it’s about flexibility and control over what you capture.