How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac in 4 Easy Steps

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How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac in 4 Easy Steps

Most of Apple’s venerable Macs now come in new M1 and M2 variants, although screenshotting is still done in the same way.

If you own a recent Mac, such as a MacBook laptop, an iMac all-in-one computer, a Mac Mini desktop, or a Mac Studio desktop, there are three standard keyboard shortcuts you can use to snap screenshots. Owners of MacBook Pros have a fourth option: the Touch Bar. You also have a good variety of options in Apple’s macOS program to quickly save, remove, and open the snapshot for annotation.

These guidelines also apply to the most recent Macs, such as the M2 MacBook Air and the recently updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with a new M2 chip. These suggestions have been tried and true in MacOS Ventura, the most recent operating system upgrade.

1st Approach: Cmd-Shift-3

With the use of this keyboard shortcut, you may screenshot your full screen.

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Procedure 2: Cmd-Shift-4

With the use of this keyboard shortcut, you can transform your cursor into a crosshair that you can drag to choose a specific area of your screen to record. To take the picture, let go of the mouse or trackpad button.

After pressing Cmd-Shift-4, you have a variety of alternative options, including:

When the spacebar is pressed and then released, the crosshair changes into a tiny camera icon that you may move over any open window. To take a screenshot of the window you want, click on it. This method produces screenshots with a white border around the window and a faint drop shadow.

Press and hold the spacebar (after dragging to highlight an area but before releasing the mouse button or trackpad): This allows you to move the selection area on the screen while locking in its size and form. If your initial selection region is off by a few pixels, you may easily reposition it by holding down the spacebar before releasing the mouse button to take a screenshot.

Holding down the Shift key locks in all sides of the crosshairs-made selection area except the bottom edge, allowing you to move your mouse up or down to position the bottom border after dragging to highlight an area but before releasing the mouse button or trackpad.

Reposition the right border of your selection area by releasing the Shift key while continuing to hold down the mouse button. By holding down the Shift key while using the mouse button or touchpad, you can switch between moving the bottom and right edges.

Approach 3: Cmd-Shift-5

Cmd-Shift-5, a keyboard shortcut command, brings up a little panel with your screen capture options at the bottom of your display. It was first featured in macOS Mojave in 2018. You can take a screenshot of your full screen, a window, or a portion of it using one of the three buttons.

Likewise, you can record your entire screen or a portion of it using the two video recording buttons. The screenshot panel can be closed using the X button on the left, or you can just press the Escape key to leave.

There is an options button on the right side. You can specify a 5- or 10-second delay to allow you to line up elements that could otherwise disappear when you use your snapshot tool. It also lets you pick where to store your screenshot: Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview, or Other Location.

The Show Floating Thumbnail option, which by default is enabled, displays a tiny preview thumbnail of the screenshot you just took in the lower-right corner of your screen, much to how iOS handles screenshots. On your Mac, you have the option to disable this preview thumbnail, unlike on your iPhone. Finally, you may decide whether to include a screenshot or video of your mouse pointer.

You can grasp the left edge of the screenshot panel and move it to a different location on your screen if it is blocking your view.

Cmd-Shift-6 is an added benefit for Touch Bar MacBooks.

You can also capture a screenshot of what is currently displayed on the Touch Bar if you have an older MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar. To take a very long and slender screenshot of your Touch Bar, simply press Cmd-Shift-6.

Simple annotation

You’ll have quick access to Markup tools to annotate your screenshot if you use the Floating Thumbnail. It will be stored in the location where you most recently saved a screenshot whether you swipe away the floating thumbnail or just let it disappear on its own. When you click the floating thumbnail, a Markup View preview window (rather than Preview) will open with all of the markup capabilities available in Preview.

Right-clicking the Floating Thumbnail will allow you to:

  • To your desktop, Documents folder, or clipboard, save the captured image.
  • Open it in Preview, Mail, Messages, or Photos.
  • Show Delete in Finder
  • Open it in the previously mentioned Markup preview window.
  • Close (and save) (and save)

The Cmd-Shift-5 shortcut may take some time to catch on with veteran Mac screenshots, but I find that I use it more because it allows me to rapidly remove screenshots that I know I made a mistake on and annotate screenshots without opening Preview. The addition of the 5- and 10-second delay options is very beneficial and welcome.