The best tricks for taking macOS screenshots on Mac or MacBook computers
Most users know how to take screenshots in Windows , since on the computer keyboard itself we find the helpful ” Print Screen ” key. But do you know how to take screenshots on macOS-based computers like Mac or MacBook ? Thanks to our guide of tricks, you will learn all the possible options at our disposal to take screenshots on Apple computer equipment , from the most simple or complex keyboard shortcuts to applications specially designed for it, as well as several possibilities to deal with the images obtained after capturing. Then,how to take screenshots on macOS-based computers like Mac or Macbook .
How to take screenshots on macOS
Below we offer you several options to take screenshots on macOS , from keyboard shortcuts to different operating system configuration options .
How to take a full screen shot
The first step is to learn how to take a screenshot in the easiest way, which will allow us to save an image of the entire screen . To do this, we just have to press the keyboard combination Cmd + Shift + 3 ; A full-screen screenshot will automatically be taken, an image that will be automatically saved on the computer’s Desktop or where it is saved by default.
How to take a screenshot of just one part
On the other hand, it is possible that we do not want to capture the entire image on the screen, so it is also possible to capture only a part of it; For this reason, macOS allows us to capture only the part that interests us by selecting the area by dragging the cursor across the screen at the same time that we press the keyboard combination Cmd + Shift + 4 . The cursor will automatically transform into a crosshair, which will allow us to select the part of the screen that interests us and save the image when we release the cursor.
Also, if we make a mistake when capturing the image, we can modify the selected area before releasing the cursor; depending on the key we press, one option or another will be performed:
- Shift: modifies the area with horizontal or vertical limitation
- Option: modify the selected area from the center out
- Space bar: modify the selected area
How to take a screenshot of a window
Beyond capturing a full screen image or only a part of it, we can also capture only a certain window open on the macOS desktop, in order to obtain a clean image without other disturbing elements. To do this, we just have to press Cmd + Shift + 4 and then the space bar . The cursor will turn into a camera icon , which will allow us to select the window we want to capture by clicking on it; the capture will be saved automatically showing only the selected window.
How to take screenshot with timer
In this case, we will have to resort to the official macOS application to take screenshots called Snapshot . Thus, if we want to take a screen capture with a timer , we must access the official Instant app in the Utilities folder . Once open choose Capture – Timer screen . A 10-second timer will automatically be activated to take a screenshot automatically after that period of time.
How to take a screenshot showing the cursor
If we want to highlight any element of the screen using the mouse pointer, we can also take screenshots showing the cursor . To do this, we must take the screen capture through the Preview application . Once we have accessed the app we must go to File – Screenshot – Of the entire screen . A countdown will be activated that will allow us to place the cursor wherever we want on the screen; once the screen is captured, the image will also display the cursor.
How to capture the lock screen
MacOS computers display a lock screen prior to user login or after a sleep time; Regardless of whether it is interesting or not to take a screenshot of a lock screen, it is possible to do so. To do this, lock the screen with Ctrl + Cmd + Q and then press the keyboard combination Cmd + Shift + 3 . When we unlock the screen again, the screenshot will appear on our Desktop or in the default location of the screenshots.
How to make JPEG or TIFF screenshot
By default, screenshots in macOS are saved in PNG format , but through the Snapshot application we can configure the format of the screenshots so that they are saved in other image formats such as JPEG or TIFF . To do this, open the Snapshot app and go to the Capture – Selection – Window – Screen or Screen with timer tab . When you complete the capture save the file by accessing File – Save and choose the name of the file and the format in which you want to save it, such as .png , .jpeg or .tiff .
Main formats to save screenshots:
- png: Portable Network Graphic
- pdf: Portable Document Format
- jp2: JPEG 2000
- tif: Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)
- gif: Graphics Interchange Format
- pct: Macintosh QuickDraw Picture (PICT)
- bmp: Microsoft Windows Bitmap
- sgi: Silicon Graphics
- tga: Truevision Targa
How to take a screenshot of the Touch Bar
The teams MacBook Pro include the possibility to make screenshots of Touch Bar , ie secondary window that computer. To do this, we must press Cmd + Shift + 6 and a capture will automatically be saved with the image of the secondary screen of the equipment.
How to take a screenshot with SnapNDrag Pro
We can also opt for third-party applications through iTunes , apps that can be free or paid and that can give us even better results than the default methods of macOS. Among the most recommended options we find the payment application SnapNDrag Pro , an app that will allow us to obtain optimal results with:
- One-click screenshots
- Organization by folders
- Capture editing
- Send snapshots to macOS emails or Messages directly with the share button
- Drag captures directly to another program
SnapNDrag Pro is available on iTunes at a price of 10.99 euros .
How to print a screenshot in macOS
Locate the image file of the screenshot; By default it will be saved on the Desktop of your Mac computer . Open it by double clicking; When the image is open in Preview you select the tab File – Print or press the keyboard shortcut Command + P .
How to change where the screenshot is saved
As we say, screenshots on Mac are saved on the desktop of the macOS computer by default through keyboard shortcuts. If we take the screen captures with the Snapshot application, the captures may be stored in the Documents folder . To change the location for saving screenshots, follow these steps:
- Locate where the screenshots are stored and write down the address
- Create a new folder on the desktop called Captures
- Open the Terminalapplication located in the Applications Utilities folder of your macOS computer
- Type the following address ” defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~ / Desktop / Captures” (without the quotes) and hit the Enter key . Change everything after “location” depending on where the folder is located
- Type the address ” killall SystemUIServer” (without the quotes) and hit the Enter key
- Check that the changes have taken effect by taking a screenshot with one of the previous tricks and checking that they appear in the new destination folder
