Quick Tips on How to Take Screenshot on Mac

We come across a lot of screens that we wish to revisit or capture for future references. Unlike Windows, MacOS doesn’t offer a lot of screenshot options and hotkeys. There are still a few tips and tricks that you can follow to take screenshots on Mac. Not just screenshots, this article is going to help you with recording good quality videos, screencasting, recording gameplay, creating tutorials, adding internal/external voice, or sharing live streaming on social networks.

Capture Fullscreen Screenshot

Most of the time, we capture a screenshot of the entire screen. Later on, we can customize it and crop it as needed but to capture a full-screen screenshot, you can press (Command + Shift + 3) hotkeys.

Drag to Select a Portion

Shortcut Mac Screenshot

If you have specific needs, you can always drag and select the portion of your screen. This free-scrolling is needed when you wish to capture notes or select a specific region out of multiple items. You can use (Shift + Command + 4) Hotkeys to drag and capture screenshots on Mac. Drag your finger on the trackpad or mouse and release to capture the screenshot.

(Shift + Command + 4) Options

Pointer Turns into a Little Camera

  1. You get a few options with this magical key combination. When you press (Shift + Command + 4) and you press and release the space bar, the pointer turns into a little camera. If you have multiple windows open, you can click on the desired window and it will take a screenshot of the selected window.
  2. If you just press and hold the space bar, it lets you drag and select the desired area. Before you release the space bar, you can actually reposition and select with accuracy before capturing the screenshot.
  3. You can also hold down the Shift key to lock each side of the selected area but let you reposition the bottom edge. You can move the mouse pointer up or down to reposition the selection.

Mac Screenshot Utility

Screenshot utility was introduced in 2018 with the release of MacOS Mojave. You can trigger this utility with (Shift + Command + 5) shortcut keys. It opens up a small panel at the bottom of the screen to take screenshots on Mac. You can capture a full-screen screenshot, capture the active window, or drag to select the area.

A lot of times you wish to capture the entire webpage on one screenshot. If you ever wanted to take Scrolling Screenshot on Mac, only the Best Tools to Take Scrolling Screenshot can help you in this regard.

Screen Recording Toolbar

Step 1. Initiate the screenshot utility by pressing (Command + Shift + 5).

Step 2. The screen recording toolbar will appear at the bottom. If you click on the first option to take a full-screen screenshot, your pointer will turn into a camera icon and you can click on the screen to take a screenshot or press the Return key.

Step 3. Switch between options like full screen, active screen, or drag to select the area and click on the Capture button to take a screenshot on Mac. You can also click on the record active window or drag to select the recording area and click on the capture button to screen record your activity.

Step 4. When you take a screenshot, you get different options to save it on the desktop, in documents, send it over an email, in a message or some other location. You also get options to set timers, add voice using a microphone, add mouse clicks, or more.

Using Quicktime Player to Record Screen

Tips: “You can also make use of QuickTime Player to record screens with multiple options.”

Best Screen Capture Tools for Mac

Alternatively, if you wish to learn how to take screenshots on a Mac with advanced capturing and editing options, you can make use of the best screen recording tools for Mac. These tools offer various utilities to take screenshots, record gameplay, capture full screen, active screen, selected area, webcam feed, mouse clicks, or voiceover with a screen recording.

The best screen recording apps are full of advanced features to capture, record, edit, and share screenshots on Mac. You can edit a screenshot by adding different objects like emojis, shapes, stickers, or text. You can also annotate the image and crop it as per your needs. You can add/edit thumbnails, watermarks, mouse clicks, highlighters, voice notes, and more. You can directly share the recorded content on different social networking platforms.

Summing Up

This article on how to take screenshots on a Mac has the best possible tips and tricks to take screenshots and capture your screen activity. The inbuilt options can help you take screenshots on Mac with the flexibility of selecting screens. You can make use of QuickTime Player to screen record your activity. For advanced screen capturing options, you can make use of the best screen recorders for Mac. These tools offer various capturing, editing, and sharing options.

By Janny Thomas
who is a technical content writer. As from being a capable engineer, her technical knowledge and expertise in research, blended with an intimate passion to write made her love her profession to the core. She is an avid reader.

Member since October, 2019
View all the articles of Janny Thomas.

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