To take a Mac print screen of the front most window press the follow key combination Option (alt) + Function (fn) + Shift ⇧ + F11 After the screenshot has been taken open Paint, MS Word or any other app and perform the paste action to paste the print screen in the document. Learn the Basic Commands on How to Print Screen on Mac. Windows print screen command is. Personally, I use this method a lot but you have to repeat this method to memorize and learn how to use it properly on your Mac. 2.1 Capture selected screen area and save it to the clipboard for further use in apps. Command ⌘ + Control + Shift + 4 + Drag with mouse. Capture the selected area of the screen and save it on the clipboard. If you have bought new Mac or switched over to Mac in 2020, here is my beginners guide for new Apple fans on How to take a screenshot (print screen) on a Mac & MacBook Pro. Specially useful, if you are looking for the Print Screen button present on most of the standard keyboards designed for Windows OS.
Last Updated on December 11, 2019
Did you just get your first Mac after using Windows for a long time? You'll be thrilled with the effectiveness of the macOS. It takes a simple command, and the system does what you want it to do.
Macs hold a reputation of being more user-friendly than any other type of computer. But when it comes to taking screenshots on Mac, you'll be puzzled.
On a Windows computer, you just hold Ctrl and Print Screen together. But you won't find the key print screen on Mac. The command is a bit different.
In fact, you'll need to learn a few different commands to start taking screenshots.
No problem; we've got you covered!
The good news is that it takes minutes to learn how to screenshot on Mac. Let's start with the tips.
Easy Tips: How to Take a Screenshot on Mac
- Learn the Basic Commands on How to Print Screen on Mac
Windows print screen command is pretty simple, but it's also very basic. It captures the entire screen. That's it.
If you want a screenshot of a particular window or section, you'll have to take a different kind of action.
It's similar to Macs. The basic command gives you a full screenshot on Mac. Let's cover that, and then we'll progress to more specific actions.
You need to hold three keys to capture the entire screen on a Mac:
Command + Shift + 3
You'll instantly hear the 'photo-snapping' sound and you'll see a small window in the bottom right corner. That's your screenshot. Click on that window to expand it.
You can edit your screenshot right away. You can add colors, shapes, and text, draw something on it and crop it.
This command works on all Macs, including those with pre-Mojave operating systems.
- Select the Area You Want to Capture
If you don't want to take a full screenshot on Mac and then crop it, you'll benefit from another command:
Command + Shift + 4
This command also works on pre-Mojave operating systems.
When you hold these keys, you'll see the cursor changed. It shows screen coordinates. When you press Space, you'll be able to choose the window you want to print screen on Mac. Then click on that window and you'll get your image.
- Use the Most Versatile Command
If you run Mojave or Catalina on your Mac, you can still use the previous two commands. However, you can also shift to a more sophisticated one:
Command + Shift + 5
In fact, this is the only combination of keys you need to memorize if you want to take any kind of screenshot on Mac. It's versatile enough to cover all your needs, and it eliminates the need for a third-party app for most people.
Try pressing those keys now.
You'll see a highlighted section on the screen. You can move it around and resize it to capture any section. But you can also do the following:
- Capture the entire screen
- Capture a selected window
- Capture a portion of the screen
- Record the entire screen
- Record a portion of the screen
Now we're getting advanced.
With Command + Shift + 5, you can take all kinds of screenshots on Mac, but you can record the screen as well. Recordings are very useful if you're tutoring someone.
You can show them how to use an app or how to do something on the computer. Explaining with words and screenshots isn't as effective as screen recordings in such situations.
You'll see Options coming up after the icons for the above-listed functions. This enables you to choose where you want to save the screenshot on Mac. You can also set a timer for the recording.
Are you using a MacBook Pro with a touch bar? You'll see the same icons on your touch bar after pressing Command + Shift + 5, so you can guide the commands from there. This is one of those rare instances when you'll really appreciate having that touch bar.
- Capture the Touch Bar
This command is only useful for those with MacBook Pros with a touch bar:
Airdrop android to mac. Command + Shift + 6
It will instantly capture the touch bar, no matter what it shows at the moment. You'll rarely use it, but it may come in handy if you're showing someone how to use an app.
- Use an App for more Sophisticated Screenshots on Mac
For someone who needs more, even the Command + Shift + 5 option doesn't deliver enough functionality. Maybe you need to blur or annotate certain elements of the screenshot. MacOS gives you only basic editing features, so you'll need to rely on a third-party app to do that.
CleanShot is a nice one for taking and editing print screen on Mac in detail. If you want advanced screen recording features, you should try Capto. This one allows you to add voiceover to the recording, so you can explain what you're doing on the computer. It's pretty cool.
Don't Let Them Get Messy
Whenever you take a screenshot, your Mac will assign it with a title (the day and time it was taken), and it will save it to your desktop in a PNG file. This is the default situation, which you can manipulate however you choose.
If you frequently take screenshots, you don't want to rely on the default setting. You'll end up with a mess of files with names that mean nothing to you. When you need a particular screenshot, it will be impossible for you to find it.
Make the effort to name each screenshot and put it in a relevant folder. If you need to use it right now, do it and get rid of it. If you know you'll need it later on, store it in the cloud. You can even use private Pinterest boards to organize your screenshots.
Just don't keep them on your Mac; they will clutter it.
You See? It's Easy to Take a Screenshot on Mac
You just got a new computer, hoping it would be easy to use. But you tried taking a screenshot and you had no idea what to do. That made you nervous, didn't it?
As with everything else in the macOS, things are easy. You just need to know the correct key combination. In most cases, Command + Shift + 5 works well. It enables you to take instant screenshots or screen recordings and edit them right away.
Best screen capturing app
For many new Apple users, particularly those who are migrating from Windows and are used to that Prt Scrn (Print Screen) button, the answer to the question of how to screenshot on Mac isn't immediately obvious.
Although it only takes pressing a couple of keys to take a screenshot on Mac, the fact remains that Mac screen capture is something that hasn't historically felt all that intuitive. For example, in addition to different key commands for screenshotting windows vs. smaller selections, recording video of your screen for a long time was only possible through QuickTime Player.
How To Print Screen On Mac Keyboard
Best screenshot apps for macOS
Get the ultimate screen capture on Mac - download and test the best screenshot apps. All utilities in one pack, give it a go!
Although macOS Mojave has changed much of this, how to screenshot on Mac remains a heavy-hitting search query, as not everyone uses the latest version of macOS. Below you'll find more information on taking a screenshot on Mac (and capturing video), as well as some useful tools to make your Apple screenshot life easier.
Exploring Mac Screenshot Basics
As there's no dedicated button for print screen on Apple products, there are a few different commands associated with screen capture on Mac that vary slightly depending on your setup.
It makes sense to divide the world of how to take a screenshot on a Mac into pre and post-Mojave, since it was with this iteration of macOS that Apple really revolutionized their Mac screenshot command system.
1. Pre-Mojave Mac screenshot commands
If for whatever reason you don't want to upgrade to Mojave then you'll need to familiarize yourself with a couple of key Mac screenshot shortcut options:
- ⌘ + Shift + 3
- ⌘ + Shift + 4
The first of these commands is probably the easiest to get to grips with and the quickest one to take advantage of when taking a screenshot on Mac, as it captures the entire screen at once. If you're using multiple screens, it takes a screenshot in Mac OS for every screen you're using simultaneously.
The second of the commands represents a slightly more nuanced way to take a snapshot on Mac. Rather than capturing your entire screen, it prompts you to select the area you want to capture. If you follow it up with a press of Space, it allows you to choose the window you want to screencap instead.
Overall, while these commands do let you print screen on Mac, they feel sort of like an afterthought rather than a fully fledged feature of macOS. With so many people looking into how to screenshot on Mac, it's not surprising that Apple recently decided to make it a little more clear how to screenshot in Mac OS Mojave.
2. Post-Mojave Mac screenshot command menu
In addition to the above commands, which still work for Mojave users, there's now an option for them that's very much in keeping with the existing format of how to print screen on Mac — ⌘ + Shift + [Number].
If you're a Mojave, Catalina, or Big Sur user, you can use ⌘ + Shift + 5to bring up a screen capture menu that will allow you to:
- Capture Entire Screen
- Capture Selected Window(s)
- Capture Selected Portion
- Record Entire Screen
- Record Selected Portion
At the right-hand side of this menu there's also Options that lets you (among other things) select where your MacBook screenshot and video output is saved.
In other words, anyone looking for an easy answer to the question 'how do you screenshot on a Mac?' could do a lot worse than considering an upgrade to Mojave in order to streamline the process.
3. Third-party Mac OS screenshot apps
How To Paste Print Screen On Mac
Mac full coverage powder foundation review. You might notice that, even with the inclusion of ⌘ + Shift + 5 Mac screen capturing menu, the options for taking a Mac screenshot remain pretty basic. If you're looking for a snipping tool for Mac that can do a little more, you may need to turn to a third-party developer.
CleanShot X is unbeatable here. The app toolkit is tailored for 50+ different changes, which makes it an ultimate screen capturing tool for Mac. You can use CleanShot X to capture screen — whether it's a window, full screen, area, or even scrolling content, as well as record video.While capturing anything on your desktop, you can choose to hide all desktop clutter and disable desktop notifications in one click. Once you have your clean screenshot, open it from the overlay window that pops up, and start editing. You can add annotations, blur specific parts, or draw — CleanShot X will help you customize virtually anything.
A few not-so-obvious yet cool features to mention are self-timer, screenshot pinning, and internal cloud. Want to capture something with a delay? CleanShot X has a self-timer that will help you pick the right moment. If you want your screenshot to be visible on the screen, pin it to desktop. Finally, save your screen captures to the internal CleanShot Cloud and get shareable links in a flash.
If you're looking for something with a little more emphasis on screen recording, Capto could be the ideal solution for you. In addition to recording video, or just taking a snapshot on Mac, you can also annotate and edit captures via an intuitive iMovie-esque interface.
Capto does wonders for software walkthroughs. And given its strong visual component, it's also perfect for those with auditory shyness who would rather add captions than a voiceover. Capto's built-in organizer is pretty helpful for keeping track of your screenshots too.
Mac OS screenshot organization
If you take a lot of screenshots then you're probably way too used to your Downloads folder or Desktop being clogged up with images that have filenames like 'Screen Shot 2019-XX-XX at 21.36.15'.
How To Print A Screen From Apple
Unfortunately, this inelegant and cluttered outcome is the default Mac screenshot shortcut. Not particularly helpful for keeping all of your images in check, especially when macOS is prone to heavily abbreviating filenames.
While it's possible to use Finder in conjunction with Preview to view all of your caps, that still isn't a particularly satisfying visual experience. One of the best solutions is PhotoBulk, a bulk image editor designed to rename, resize, and compress photos in bulk.
Simply select or drag and drop the images you want to rename, type in the name for the group, and click Start. All your renamed images will be tucked neatly into their own folder.
Pro tip: You can set the exact format of your image names and pick the exact number the count starts from.
But even once you've solved the question of how to do a screenshot on a Mac, sharing those screenshots with, say, colleagues or friends isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do.
Rather than emailing files back and forth, or having to upload everything to a public Google Drive, you might consider a solution like Dropshare. As the name suggests, it makes sharing screenshots (and other files) as simple as dropping them into the relevant area.
Dropshare connects with a range of major third-party cloud apps, but you can also lean on proprietary Dropshare Cloud if you prefer, which is helpful if you want to keep your Mac screen capture sharing separate from your other sharing activity.
The future of how to take a screenshot on a Mac
As you can see from above, learning how to screenshot on Mac isn't particularly difficult, and screen capture on Mac is now easier than ever thanks to the addition of a dedicated MacBook screenshot and video capture menu in macOS Mojave.
It's clear from this new feature that Apple understands the issue of how to print screen on Mac is one that has been, to put it lightly, unintuitive in the past, so you can likely expect to see further tweaks to the process in the future.
In the meantime, there are some excellent options in the snipping tool for Mac market that facilitate the process and offer a range of diverse features you won't find among those built-in options for taking a screenshot on Mac.
Best of all, you can try all the apps mentioned here: CleanShot, Capto, and Dropshare absolutely free with a 7-day trial of Setapp, a Mac platform with over 200 essential apps for any task at hand. Now you're all set for your screenshotting game.
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
Read on
Capto does wonders for software walkthroughs. And given its strong visual component, it's also perfect for those with auditory shyness who would rather add captions than a voiceover. Capto's built-in organizer is pretty helpful for keeping track of your screenshots too.
Mac OS screenshot organization
If you take a lot of screenshots then you're probably way too used to your Downloads folder or Desktop being clogged up with images that have filenames like 'Screen Shot 2019-XX-XX at 21.36.15'.
How To Print A Screen From Apple
Unfortunately, this inelegant and cluttered outcome is the default Mac screenshot shortcut. Not particularly helpful for keeping all of your images in check, especially when macOS is prone to heavily abbreviating filenames.
While it's possible to use Finder in conjunction with Preview to view all of your caps, that still isn't a particularly satisfying visual experience. One of the best solutions is PhotoBulk, a bulk image editor designed to rename, resize, and compress photos in bulk.
Simply select or drag and drop the images you want to rename, type in the name for the group, and click Start. All your renamed images will be tucked neatly into their own folder.
Pro tip: You can set the exact format of your image names and pick the exact number the count starts from.
But even once you've solved the question of how to do a screenshot on a Mac, sharing those screenshots with, say, colleagues or friends isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do.
Rather than emailing files back and forth, or having to upload everything to a public Google Drive, you might consider a solution like Dropshare. As the name suggests, it makes sharing screenshots (and other files) as simple as dropping them into the relevant area.
Dropshare connects with a range of major third-party cloud apps, but you can also lean on proprietary Dropshare Cloud if you prefer, which is helpful if you want to keep your Mac screen capture sharing separate from your other sharing activity.
The future of how to take a screenshot on a Mac
As you can see from above, learning how to screenshot on Mac isn't particularly difficult, and screen capture on Mac is now easier than ever thanks to the addition of a dedicated MacBook screenshot and video capture menu in macOS Mojave.
It's clear from this new feature that Apple understands the issue of how to print screen on Mac is one that has been, to put it lightly, unintuitive in the past, so you can likely expect to see further tweaks to the process in the future.
In the meantime, there are some excellent options in the snipping tool for Mac market that facilitate the process and offer a range of diverse features you won't find among those built-in options for taking a screenshot on Mac.
Best of all, you can try all the apps mentioned here: CleanShot, Capto, and Dropshare absolutely free with a 7-day trial of Setapp, a Mac platform with over 200 essential apps for any task at hand. Now you're all set for your screenshotting game.
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
Read onSign Up
