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How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac
How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac

take a picture of your screen, how to take a screenshot on Mac, Apple

Isabelle Talkington avatar
Written by Isabelle Talkington
Updated over a week ago

How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac

Method 1: Taking a Full-Screen Screenshot

  1. Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 3

    • This captures the entire screen.

    • The screenshot will be saved automatically to your desktop.

Method 2: Capturing a Selected Portion of the Screen

  1. Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 4

    • Your cursor will change to a crosshair.

  2. Select the Area to Capture

    • Click and drag to select the area you want to capture.

    • Release the mouse button to take the screenshot.

    • The screenshot will be saved automatically to your desktop.

Method 3: Capturing a Specific Window

  1. Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 4

    • Your cursor will change to a crosshair.

  2. Press the Space Bar

    • The cursor will change to a camera icon.

  3. Select the Window

    • Click on the window you want to capture.

    • The screenshot will be saved automatically to your desktop.

Method 4: Using the Screenshot Toolbar (macOS Mojave and later)

  1. Press Command (⌘) + Shift + 5

    • This opens the screenshot toolbar at the bottom of the screen.

  2. Choose Your Screenshot Option

    • You can choose from several options: Capture Entire Screen, Capture Selected Window, or Capture Selected Portion.

    • Select the desired option.

  3. Take the Screenshot

    • If you choose Capture Entire Screen, click anywhere on the screen to take the screenshot.

    • If you choose Capture Selected Window, click on the window you want to capture.

    • If you choose Capture Selected Portion, drag to select the area and click Capture in the toolbar.

  4. Save the Screenshot

    • The screenshot will be saved to your desktop by default.

Method 5: Using the Preview App

  1. Open Preview

    • Go to Applications and open Preview.

  2. Select File > Take Screenshot

    • Choose from From Selection, From Window, or From Entire Screen.

  3. Take the Screenshot

    • Follow the prompts to capture the screenshot based on your selection.

  4. Save the Screenshot

    • The screenshot will open in a new Preview window.

    • Save the file by selecting File > Save.

By following these steps, you can easily take screenshots on a Mac using different methods based on your needs.

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