Title: "how to Screenshots on Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide"
Introduction:
Welcome to our comprehensive guide on how to take screenshots on your Mac effortlessly. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned user, this blog script will walk you through various methods to capture your screen, from the entire display to specific portions of it. Let's dive right in!
Capturing the Entire Screen:
To take a screenshot of your entire screen on a Mac, simply press Command ⌘ + Shift + 3 simultaneously. The screenshot will be automatically saved as a PNG file on your desktop.
Capturing a Specific Area:
If you want to capture only a portion of your screen, use Command ⌘ + Shift + 4. You'll notice that the cursor changes to a crosshair. Click and drag to select the desired area, then release the mouse button to take the screenshot.
Capturing a Specific Window:
To capture a screenshot of a particular window, press Command ⌘ + Shift + 4 + Spacebar. The cursor will change into a camera icon. Hover the camera over the window you wish to capture, and it will be highlighted. Click the mouse to take the screenshot.
Utilizing Modifier Keys:
Adding modifier keys to the screenshot shortcuts can offer extra functionalities. For instance:
To copy the screenshot to the clipboard instead of saving it, add the Control key to any of the commands (e.g., Command ⌘ + Control + Shift + 3).
For saving only a portion of the screen to the clipboard, use Command ⌘ + Control + Shift + 4.
Changing Screenshot File Formats:
By default, screenshots are saved as PNG files. To change the format, you can use the Terminal app and enter specific commands. For example, to save screenshots as JPG files, open Terminal and type:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
killall SystemUIServer
Screenshots of the Touch Bar (for MacBook Pro users):
If you're using a MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, taking screenshots of it is simple. Use Command ⌘ + Shift + 6 to capture the Touch Bar display.
Editing Screenshots with Markup:
After taking a screenshot, a thumbnail will appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Click it to open the screenshot in Markup, where you can add annotations, shapes, text, and more.
Taking a Screenshot of the Entire Screen:
To capture everything that's currently displayed on your Mac, follow these simple steps:
Press the "Command (⌘)" + "Shift" + "3" keys simultaneously.
The screenshot will be automatically saved to your desktop.
Capturing a Specific Area of the Screen:
If you only need to capture a portion of the screen, use the following method:
Press the "Command (⌘)" + "Shift" + "4" keys together.
Your cursor will turn into a crosshair.
Click and drag to select the area you want to capture.
The screenshot will be saved on your desktop.
Taking a Screenshot of a Specific Window:
If you want to capture a specific window, here's how to do it:
Press the "Command (⌘)" + "Shift" + "4" keys simultaneously.
Press the "Spacebar."
Your cursor will turn into a camera icon.
Click on the window you want to capture.
The screenshot of the window will be saved on your desktop.
Capturing a Screen and Saving to Clipboard:
To capture a screenshot and save it to your clipboard for easy pasting, follow these steps:
Press the "Command (⌘)" + "Control" + "Shift" + "3" keys together to capture the entire screen.
Or use "Command (⌘)" + "Control" + "Shift" + "4" to capture a specific area.
The screenshot will be copied to your clipboard for pasting into other applications.
Taking a Screenshot of the Touch Bar (for MacBook Pro users):
If you have a MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar, you can also capture its contents:
Press the "Command (⌘)" + "Shift" + "6" keys simultaneously.
The screenshot will be saved to your desktop.
Additional Tips:
To change the default location where screenshots are saved, go to "Finder," then "Preferences," and click on the "General" tab.
Screenshots are saved in PNG format by default, but you can change the format by using the "Terminal" and adjusting the settings.
if you are dont understand than apply this method
Step 1: Cmd-Shift-3
This keyboard shortcut captures a screenshot of your entire screen.
Step2: Cmd-Shift-4
Use this keyboard combo to turn 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 shot.
You have a number of other options Cmd-Shift-4:
Press and release the spacebar: The crosshair turns into a little camera icon, which you can move over any open window. Click on your desired window to take a screenshot of it. A screenshot captured by this method features a white border around the window with a bit of a drop shadow.
Press and hold the spacebar (after dragging to highlight an area but before releasing the mouse button or trackpad): This locks in the shape and size of the selection area but lets you reposition it on the screen. It's very handy if your initial selection area is off by a few pixels; just hold down the spacebar to reposition it before releasing the mouse button to snap a screenshot.
Hold down the Shift key (after dragging to highlight an area but before releasing the mouse button or trackpad): This locks in each side of the selection area made with the crosshairs save the bottom edge, letting you move your mouse up or down to position the bottom edge.
Without releasing the mouse button, release the Shift key and hit it again to reposition the right edge of your selection area. You can toggle between moving the bottom edge and right edge by keeping the mouse button or touchpad engaged and pressing the Shift key.
Step 3: Cmd-Shift-5
A shortcut command introduced way back in MacOS Mojave in 2018, Cmd-Shift-5 calls up a small panel at the bottom of your display with your screen capture options. There are three screenshot buttons that let you capture the entire screen, a window or a selection of your screen.
Likewise, the two video-recording buttons let you record your entire screen or a selection of it. On the left is an X button to close the screenshot panel, but you can also just hit the Escape key to exit out.
On the right side is an Options button. It lets you choose where to save your screenshot -- Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview or Other Location, and set a 5- or 10-second delay so you can line up items that might otherwise disappear when you engage your screenshot tool.
By default, the Show Floating Thumbnail option is enabled, which puts a little preview thumbnail of your just-captured screenshot in the lower-right corner of your screen, similar to the screenshot procedure with iOS. Unlike on your iPhone, you can turn off this preview thumbnail on your Mac. Lastly, you can choose to show your mouse pointer in a screenshot or video.
If the screenshot panel is in your way, you can grab its left edge and drag it to a new spot on your screen.
Step 4 : Touch Bar MacBooks: Cmd-Shift-6
If you've got an older MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, you can also take a screenshot of what's currently showing on the Touch Bar. Just hit Cmd-Shift-6 to take a very wide and skinny screenshot of your Touch Bar.
Easy annotation
If you embrace the Floating Thumbnail, you'll gain quick access to Markup tools to annotate your screenshot. You can swipe the Floating Thumbnail away or just let it slip away on its own and it'll be saved to the spot you last saved a screenshot. Click the Floating Thumbnail and it'll open in a Markup View preview window (but not Preview) with all of the markup tools you get in Preview.
You can right-click the Floating Thumbnail :
Save the screenshot to your desktop, Documents folder or clipboard.
Open it in Mail, Messages, Preview or Photos.
Show in Finder.
Delete.
Open in the Markup preview window described above.
Close and save.
Longtime Mac screenshotters may be slow to adopt the Cmd-Shift-5 shortcut, but I find myself using it more for the ability to annotate screenshots without needing to open Preview, and quickly delete screenshots that I know immediately I messed up. The 5- and 10-second delay options are also useful and appreciated additions.
Conclusion:
Congratulations! You've now mastered the art of taking screenshots on your Mac. Whether you need to capture an entire screen, a specific window, or just a portion of your display, you have all the tools you need at your fingertips. With these simple shortcuts and tips, you'll be able to create screenshots effortlessly and enhance your productivity. Happy screenshotting!