There may be times when you need to take a screenshot on your Mac. You might have a software bug to report, an important pop-up, threaded web conversations, or even just a payment receipt you need for your records.
There are several ways to take a screenshot on a Mac computer running OS X or MacOS operating systems. You can
- Take a screenshot on Mac with Grab Utility.
- Use keyboard shortcuts to grab a screenshot.
- Use third-party applications to take your screenshot.
Keep in mind, you can also record your screen instead of taking a picture by using the QuickTime application.
How to take a screenshot on Mac with Grab Utility
The most common way to take a screenshot on a Mac is by using the built-in Grab application. This application can be found within your Utility folder located inside Finder and Launchpad.
In its most basic form, taking a screenshot on a Mac can be achieved by holding down Command + Shift + 3, but many more options are available when you delve a little deeper. Screenshots can be easily taken on a Mac using keyboard shortcuts like these: Hold down Command + Shift + 3 to capture the entire screen Hold down Command + Shift + 4 and then drag a box around.
- Click on Finder or Launchpad to locate the Utility folder.
- Click on Finder.
- Select Applications from the sidebar.
- Locate and double-click the Utilities folder to open it.
- Click on Launchpad and then click again on the Utilitiesbubble to open it.
- Locate the Grab icon inside the Utility folder/bubble and launch the application.
![Screenshot from microsoft Screenshot from microsoft](https://applemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/AppleMagazine.com-macOS-Catalina-Wallpaper-7-1024x1024.jpeg)
Using the grab application is easy. There is no “windowed” user interface for this application. It is completely controlled from the MacOS or OS X menu bar and/or keyboard shortcuts.
Using the grab application, you can choose four different types of screenshots.
- Selection: This option allows you to highlight the desired area you want to capture. Select Selection or press Shift+Command+A on your keyboard. Click and drag the highlighted box to make your selection.
- Window: The Window option allows you to choose a specific window to capture. Select Window or press Shift+Command+W. Click on the desired window.
- Screen: Choosing the Screen selection lets you to capture the whole screen. Select Screen or press Command+Z. Click anywhere on the screen.
- Timed Screen: The Timed Screen choice captures the whole screen on a ten-second delay. Select Timed Screen or press Shift+Command+Z. Click anywhere on the screen to start the timer.
Choose the option that works best for your needs. Once you have taken the screenshot, a pop-up will appear to show you a preview of your shot. When you close the preview, your Mac will prompt you to save your image. If you are happy with the results, label the image, select a save destination, and click on the Save button. Otherwise, click Don’t Save and try again.
Grab saves in
.tiff
format automatically. If you need to convert the image into a friendlier format, you will have to do so with another application.How to take a screenshot on a Mac using keyboard shortcuts
If you do not want to deal with launching the Grab application or converting your images from
.tiff
to formats such as .png
or .jpeg
, then you are in luck. Mac has offered a way to take screenshots with keyboard shortcuts for decades now. This little-known feature is easy to use.- Screen: Press Shift+Command+3 and a
.png
of the entire screen will automatically save to your desktop. - Selection: Press Shift+Command+4, click and drag curser to make your selection. Press Escape (esc) to cancel. A
.png
of your selection will be waiting on your desktop. - Window:Press Shift+Command+4 and the spacebar. Select desired window. Press Spacebar again to return back to selection mode or esc to cancel. A
.png
of the selected window will be saved to your desktop.
If you are using a PC keyboard, the following commands are as follows:
- Control is the Ctrl key.
- Option is the Alt key.
- The button with the Windows logo is the Command key.
Newer versions of Mac OS or OS X label the saved file as “Screen Shot” followed by the date and time. Older versions of Mac OS or OS X label the saved file as “Image” followed by a number, but only if more than one file labeled “Image” is located on your desktop.
How to take a screenshot on a Mac using third-party applications
There are numerous applications available for taking screenshots. You can scour the web or look inside the Mac App Store for any screenshot application that might appeal to you.
- Click on the App Store located on the MacOS and OS X dock to launch the application.
- Type the word screenshot in the search box and hit enter.
Be aware that many screenshot applications do cost money. Check to see the cost before you download. If you do decide to download an application that costs money and you are not happy with it, you must remove it promptly in order to receive a refund.
Keep in mind, there are countless applications to try and using them will likely differ from the MacOS and OS X native process.
Lightshot, Apowersoft Screenshot, and Cloud App, are the top-rated applications in this category.
How to record your screen on a Mac using the QuickTime application
To record your screen instead of taking a photo, simply launch the Quickytime.app from Finder or Launchpad and press Control+Command+N on your keyboard.
- When the black box appears labeled “Screen Recording,” click on the Record button.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to finish recording your screen.
If you are a diehard Apple fan and also own iOS devices, you can take screenshots with them by pressing the Home and Lock buttons at the same time. The image will be saved to your camera roll and you can access it through the Photos app.
© Samantha Lee/Business Insider Samantha Lee/Business Insider© Reuters There are several ways to take a screenshot on Windows 10. Reuters- Windows 10 provides several ways to take screenshots of your entire computer screen, or just select parts of it.
- The fastest way to take a screenshot on Windows 10 is by pressing the 'PrtScn' button on your keyboard. There are various key combos to take screenshots of portions of the screen.
- Microsoft also provides a Snipping Tool to take custom screenshots, and draw on the images.
- You can take screenshots within games by opening the Game Bar with the Windows + G keyboard shortcut.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
If you need to capture a screenshot of something on your computer screen, Windows 10 offers a variety of methods for doing just that. Program to cut music mac.
Whether you want to save the entire screen, or just a piece of it, we've rounded up all the most common techniques for taking a Windows 10 screenshot.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
Windows 10 Home (From $129.99 on Amazon)
How to take a screenshot on Windows 10 with the PrtScn key
The simplest way to save a copy of whatever is on your computer screen is to simply press the 'Print Screen' key on your keyboard. It's usually labeled 'PrtScn' (or something very similar) and is located in the top row, among or near the Function keys.
On some keyboards (particularly laptops) you might need to trigger the Print Screen using the Function key (in other words, hold the Function key and then press PrtScn).
© Dave Johnson/Business Insider The PrtScn key copies the entire screen to the clipboard, so you can paste it elsewhere, but there are several modifier keys you can use to change the way this key works. Dave Johnson/Business InsiderWindows features several PrtScn variations:
- Press PrtScn. This copies the entire screen to the clipboard. You can paste the screenshot into any program that displays images, like Paint or Microsoft Word.
- Press Alt + PrtScn. This copies the active window to the clipboard, which you can paste into another program.
- Press the Windows key + Shift + S. The screen will dim and the mouse pointer will change. You can drag to select a portion of the screen to capture. The screenshot will be copied to the clipboard, which you can paste into another program. (This shortcut only works if you have the latest version of Windows 10 installed, called the Windows 10 Creators Update.)
- Press the Windows key + PrtScn. This saves the entire screen as an image file. You can find it in the 'Pictures' folder, in a subfolder called 'Screenshots.'
How to take a screenshot on Windows 10 with Snipping Tool
Microsoft includes a much more flexible screenshot utility with Windows 10, called Snipping Tool.
You can use Snipping Tool to grab a screenshot and save it as an image file without first pasting the screenshot into another program. Ms office equivalent for mac.
1. Start the Snipping Tool from the Start menu.
2. In the 'Mode' drop down, choose the kind of screenshot shape you want — you can choose anything from full screen to rectangular to a free-form shape.
© Dave Johnson/Business Insider You can choose the kind of screenshot that Snipping Tool takes with the program's menus. Dave Johnson/Business Insider3. Click New, and your screen will freeze. You can then use the mouse to create the screenshot. The screenshot will then appear in the Snipping Tool window.
4. If you want to include something like a tooltip, which only appears after a mouse movement, you can specify how long to wait before taking the screenshot using the Delay menu.
5. If you want to, once you've taken your screenshot, you can use the drawing tools to annotate the screenshot.
6. When you're done, click 'File' and then click 'Save As' to save the completed screenshot to your computer.
7. You can also click the copy button in the Snipping Tool window — it looks like two pages laid over one another — to copy the image to your clipboard.
How to take a screenshot on Windows 10 with the Game Bar
The Game Bar is an overlay you can use within most Windows games to take screenshots and record video. Here's how to use it:
1. Start a game from the Start menu or the Xbox Console Companion program.
2. While playing the game, press the Windows key + G. The Game Bar overlay should appear.
© Dave Johnson/Business Insider The Game Bar has a screenshot tool that appears as an overlay on top of games. Dave Johnson/Business Insider3. Click the camera icon to take a screenshot, or you can use the keyboard shortcut: Windows key + Alt + PrtScn.
The screenshot will be automatically saved to the 'Videos' folder in a subfolder called 'Captures.'
If you're playing a game on Steam, you can also press F11 to take a screenshot. It will be added to your screenshots folder on Steam.