How to take a screenshot on a Mac

Mac Screenshot Guide: Say goodbye to Print Screen keys and easily capture the screen

The Print Screen key cannot be found? Don't worry, Mac screenshots are not just about relying on a single button. Mastering the correct shortcut keys or methods makes it easy to take screenshots. A more convenient way is to use some auxiliary applications. Let's get started!

The best Mac screenshot tool recommendations

CleanShot X provides simple and easy-to-use steps to easily capture full screen, windows, selected areas, etc. Available on the Setapp platform.

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Mac screenshot: Quick Solution

The Mac system has built-in tools and shortcut keys, as well as some efficient third-party applications, which can help you quickly capture the screen. The following table lists some recommended methods to help you find the most suitable screenshot method:

我的需求	操作方法
截取全屏	按下 Command Shift 3。
集中管理截图	使用Capto将所有截图保存在应用库中。
截取选定区域	按下 Command Shift 4。
截屏并复制到剪贴板	按下 Shift Command 5 > 选项 > 在“保存到”中选择“剪贴板”。
恢复截图	使用Xnapper截屏，并在截图历史记录中查找旧截图。
轻松截取自定义截图	使用CleanShot X截取滚动截图、区域截图、全屏截图、窗口截图等。
立即保存截图到云存储	使用Dropshare将截图保存到云存储并生成可分享链接。或者使用CleanShot X。
从视频中截取高质量截图	使用SnapMotion或Elmedia Player。
使用预览应用截屏	打开预览 > 打开要截取的图像 > 文件 > 截取屏幕 > 选择“从选区”、“从窗口”或“从全屏”。
使用终端截屏	打开终端 > 输入 screencapture ~/Desktop/picture.png > 按回车键。

How to intercept full screen of Mac

As mentioned earlier, Mac screenshots do not use the Print Screen key directly like Windows. But Command Shift 3 can achieve the same functionality.

By default, this shortcut will take a full screen image and save it to your Mac desktop. But the disadvantage is that too many screenshots can make the desktop messy.

One of the solutions is to use Capto. In addition to taking full screen, the app can also capture windows or menus on your Mac. Most importantly, it saves all files in the app, keeping the Mac desktop neat and tidy.

How to use Capto to capture full screen:

1. Install and open the app.
2. Click the Capto icon in the menu bar.
3. Select "Seave Full Screen" (or press Control Command 3).

After the screenshot is taken, the screenshot will be displayed in the application window and will not be stacked with other files on the Mac. It's very fast and convenient and I use it a lot.

How to intercept the selected area

Sometimes, you only need to take a part of your Mac screen. In this case, try the Command Shift 4 shortcut keys. It turns the mouse cursor into a crosshair, which you can click and drag to select the screen area. After the mouse is released, the Mac will take a snapshot of the area.

For more shortcut key help, please check out this guide on Mac screenshots.

How to take screenshots and copy to Mac clipboard

When using Mac screenshot shortcuts, the image is not automatically copied to the clipboard. This is a bit troublesome, but there is a solution.

If you want to save the screenshot to the clipboard, you need to change the screenshot options for your Mac:

1. Press Shift Command 5 to open the Screenshot app.
2. Click "Options".
3. Select Clipboard in Save to.

Now, any screenshots you take will be saved to your Mac's clipboard.

Tip: If you choose to save the screenshot to the clipboard, the Mac's Screenshot app will not retain a copy of the screenshot. This means that if you accidentally copy other content to the clipboard, you cannot recover the screenshot.

To prevent this, I use Xnapper. This tool not only allows you to take custom screenshots on your Mac, but also saves them in Screenshot History. The best part is that you can call up the last screenshot with one click.

Another reason I like this app is that Xnapper can easily delete sensitive information such as IP addresses or credit card numbers after screenshots.

Is there an easier way to take screenshots?

Mac's screenshot shortcut keys are useful for taking full screen or partial screens. But if you want to perform more advanced image capture, these shortcuts appear to be limited in functionality. For example, you quickly intercept a emoticon on Reddit, save it to the cloud, and share the link with friends. All of these cannot be done using Shift Command 5 only.

Instead, consider using CleanShot X for Mac screenshots. In fact, this app is my most commonly used screenshot tool. I used it to take almost all the work screenshots. Why? Because it can perform scrolling screenshots, screen recording, screenshots in the previous area, etc.

Another recommended screenshot tool is Dropshare. It's more like a file sharing app with screenshot tools. But if you are working on a project and need to quickly share screenshots with colleagues, it will become your favorite app. Basically, you can take a screenshot and save it to cloud storage immediately, and then share it from your Dropshare account with simple links (even using restricted URLs to protect sensitive information).

Search custom screenshots, screen recordings and GIFs

If you want to take a full screen, the Mac screenshot shortcut key is enough. But if you want to take special screenshots, such as making short commentary videos or taking video screenshots, you need a more advanced screenshot tool.

According to your needs:

• Custom screenshot: Can be used with CleanShot X, Capto, Xnapper or Dropshare.
• Screen recording: CleanShot X, Capto or Dropshare can be used.
• Create GIF: You can use Xnapper.

Obviously, CleanShot X is the ideal screenshot tool if versatility is required. In other words, applications such as Capto, Xnapper and Dropshare also have their own advantages. For example, Xnapper allows you to change the background of the screenshot and adapt it to the resolution of various social media.

See articles about the best screenshot apps for Mac to learn more.

How to take video screenshots on Mac

Watching a TV show, I hope to share exciting clips with my friends immediately? Of course, you can use Mac's shortcut keys to take screenshots from the movie, but it's important to note that this is not easy.

To get the perfect screenshot, you need to resize to match the pixels. If you get it wrong, you need to repeat the steps. A better approach is to use SnapMotion. It has a snapshot button that allows you to capture the entire screen while watching a video. You can also decide on the image format and the target location where you save the video screenshot.

Or, you can try using Elmedia Player. Like SnapMotion, Elmedia Player also allows you to take screenshots of any image in the video. Most importantly, it can automatically take a series of screenshots when playing videos.

Please read also:

• Mac screenshot save location
• How to delete screenshots on Mac
• The best screenshot application for Mac
• Send screenshot

How to use the preview app to take screenshots

On Mac, preview is the default application for viewing images and PDF files. It also allows you to take screenshots of the document you opened. The method is as follows:

1. Open the preview app on your Mac.
2. Open the image you want to capture.
3. Click "File" > "Search Screen" in the menu bar.
4. Select From Selection, From Window, or From Full Screen.

After taking the screenshot is taken, the preview will display the screenshot in another window. You can choose to save it to your Mac.

How to use terminal screenshots

If you are used to using terminal apps, you can also take screenshots by calling its screenshot utility. The command is simple. Simply enter screencapture ~/Desktop/picture.png and press Enter. Your Mac will then take full screen and save it to the desktop picture.png file.

Tip: When using terminal screenshots, you cannot intercept specific windows or areas. Additionally, you need to manually change the file name to prevent subsequent screenshots from overwriting them. If you find these troublesome, you can use screenshot tools such as CleanShot X.

Now, you can easily take screenshots of your Mac

It may take some time to learn screenshot shortcuts for Mac. But once you get the grasp of them, screenshots are a breeze. Remember these shortcut keys:

• Command Shift 3 Snaps full screen
• Command Shift 4 Intercept the selected area
• Command Shift 5 Open the screenshot app

In addition, you can use some apps to take unique screenshots and manage them better. For example:

• CleanShot X can be scrolled to create long screenshots and more.
• Capto can intercept menus, windows and floating panels.
• Xnapper allows you to recover screenshots from screenshot history.
• Dropshare automatically saves screenshots to the cloud.
• SnapMotion and Elmedia Player allow you to take high-quality video screenshots.

You can find all the apps I mentioned on Setapp, as well as other apps that can increase Mac productivity. Now, try it for seven days for free.

FAQ

How to take screenshots in other formats other than PNG?

In the preview application, you can open and export screenshots in various formats, such as TIFF, JPEG, PDF, etc. Open the screenshot in preview > Go to "File" > "Export". In the dialog box, select the desired format from the Format drop-down menu > Click Save. Alternatively, you can use SnapMotion to capture and save screenshots of different file formats.

How to take a screenshot of the MacBook touch bar?

If you are using MacBook Pro, press Command Shift 6 to take a screenshot of the touch bar.

How to take a hand-drawn screenshot?

You can use Capto to capture free-form screenshots. The method is as follows:

1. Install and open Capto.
2. Select "Intercepted Area".
3. When you see the mouse pointer becomes a crosshair, press the F key.
4. Click and freely draw the shape you want to cut.
5. Release the mouse and click the camera icon.

Capto intercepts everything within the boundary.

How to take long screenshots (scrolling screenshots of web pages or long PDFs)?

Put the entire area into a single screenshot using CleanShot X. Install and open the app > Click the app icon on the menu bar > Select "Scroll Screenshots", and then gently scroll the web page or PDF. The app will generate a long screenshot containing all the text you scrolled through.

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