This wikiHow teaches you how to take a screenshot on a Mac. There are many easy ways to take a screenshot! You can capture the entire screen, a portion of the screen, or an individual window or menu. In macOS Mojave and later, you can use the Screenshot app for these tasks. On macOS High Sierra and earlier, you can use the Grab Utility tool.

[Edit]things you should know

• To take a quick screenshot of the entire screen, press .
• To capture only part of the screen, press .
• To capture a window or menu, then press Spacebar.
• In macOS Mojave and later, press to open the built-in Screenshot app.

[Edit]step

[Edit]capture entire screen

1. Make sure that your screen displays exactly what you want to display in your screenshot image. Make sure all relevant windows are visible.
   
2. Press . This keyboard shortcut takes a screenshot of everything on your screen. If your sound is on, your computer should make a brief camera shutter noise.^[1]
   
3. Find your screenshot on your desktop. This will be a .png file labeled “Screen Shot” labeled with the date and time.
   
   • Older versions of OS X will save this as “Picture #” – for example, if this is the 5th screenshot on your desktop it will be labeled “Picture 5”.
4. Use screenshot. Once you have taken your screenshots, they are now ready to be used as needed. You can attach them to an email, upload them to the web, or even drag them directly into an application such as a word processor.
   

[Edit]Take a screenshot of a portion of your screen

1. Press . Your cursor will change to a small crosshair reticle.^[2]
   
2. Click and drag your cursor to highlight the area you want to photograph. A gray rectangle should appear where you drag your cursor. If you need to adjust your window at all, press Escape to go back to the regular cursor without taking a picture.^[3]
   
3. Let go of the mouse. If your computer’s sound is on, you should hear a brief camera shutter sound. This means that your screenshot has been taken.^[4]
   
4. Find your screenshot on your desktop. This will be a .png file labeled “Screen Shot” labeled with the date and time.
   
   • Older versions of OS X will save this as “Picture #” – for example, if this is the 5th screenshot on your desktop it will be labeled “Picture 5”.
5. Use screenshot. Once you have taken your screenshots, they are now ready to be used as needed. You can attach them to an email, upload them to the web, or even drag them directly into an application such as a word processor.
   

[Edit]capture an open window

1. Press then press the spacebar. The cursor will change to a small camera.
   
2. Move your cursor over the window you want to capture. The camera will highlight individual windows in blue as it moves over them. You can use keyboard commands such as this to alternate through your windows while in this mode.
   
3. Click on Window. The picture of the window you select will be saved to the desktop by default, just like other screenshot methods.
   
4. Find your screenshot on your desktop. This will be a .png file labeled “Screen Shot” labeled with the date and time.
   
5. Use screenshot. Once you have taken your screenshots, they are now ready to be used as needed. You can attach them to an email, upload them to the web, or even drag them directly into an application such as a word processor.
   
   • When you’re finished taking a screenshot, see How to delete cookies on your Mac.

[Edit]save screenshot to clipboard

1. Press . This method works exactly as above, except the screenshot doesn’t create a file right away. Instead, the image is saved to the Clipboard, the same temporary storage area where your computer remembers the text you copy.
   
   • You can also take a screenshot of a portion with this method and draw over the appropriate portion of your screen using your reticle, exactly as with the portion screenshot method.
2. Use to paste your image. Your screenshot image can be pasted directly into any compatible application, such as a Word document, image editing programs, and many email services.
   
   • you can also use Edit > Paste in the menu bar.
   • Next, see How to view your web browser history on your Mac.

[Edit]Use the Screenshot app (Mojave and later)

1. Press . This opens the Mac’s built-in Screenshot app. A small gray menu of screenshot tools will appear. The app can take screenshots of the entire screen, a portion of the screen, and individual windows. You can also choose to set a timer and include a cursor. The app also allows you to record your screen.^[5]
   
2. Choose a tool. Click on the tool you want to use to take the screenshot. Here are your options:
   
   • capture full screen
   • capture a window
   • capture a portion of the screen
   • record full screen
   • record a portion of the screen
3. Click. Here, you can set a timer, show the cursor in the screenshot, and indicate where you want to save the screenshot.
   
4. Click. This will take a screenshot of the entire screen or the portion you select.
   
   • To capture a window, using the Window tool, click a window on the screen.

[Edit]Use the Grab Utility Tool (High Sierra and earlier)

1. >> go to This opens the Grab Utility tool application. You will see the menu shown in the top left of your screen, but no window will open.
   
   • This tool has been replaced by the Screenshot app in later versions of macOS.
2. Click on the menu and choose from four different options.
   
   • Click to take a picture of your full screen Screen, A window will pop up telling you where to click and letting you know that the window won’t be visible in the shot.
   • Click to take a picture of a part of your screen selection, A window will pop up instructing you to drag your mouse over the part of your screen you want to capture.
   • To take a picture of a specific window, select window, Then, click on the window you want to take a picture of.
3. When the new window opens, select you can also choose save as Give it a different name and/or move it to a more suitable location, but note that it can only be saved as a .tiff file. Note that the file is not automatically saved.
   

[Edit]Advice

• It is possible to change the shortcut used for taking a screenshot by going into System Preferences, then going to the Keyboard area, and clicking on the Screenshot section of Shortcuts. By clicking on the type of screenshot you want to change the shortcut for, you can press a combination of keys to create a new shortcut.
• Advanced users with knowledge of the Mac OS X Lion Terminal application can also use the “screen-capture” command to take a screenshot from the command line.
• Screen-capture tools’ files are saved as PNG files by default on the desktop. You can change the default location using the Screenshots app in macOS Mojave or later. To change where screenshots are saved, click the Options menu in the app.
• An alternative to saving the Grab file as a TIFF formatted file is to copy it and open Preview. Then in Preview, File – New from Clipboard, and the image will open, which can then be exported as a jpg or png file to a folder of your choice. And if you select all and copy the image, you can import it directly into Microsoft Excel via Paste or Paste Picture with the Shift key held down, for example.
• An alternative but more elaborate way of taking a screenshot is available through Mac OS X Lion’s Preview application. The screenshot options appear on the “File” menu and match the options available through keyboard shortcuts.
• For more interesting Mac tips, check out our expert guide on using Focus Mode.
• If you need additional screenshot features that are not available in the built-in tools, you can use third-party screenshot apps. Skitch by Evernote is free and offers tons of editing features. CleanShot X is a paid app with screen recording and the ability to screenshot scrolling windows. MonoSnap has free and paid options with video recording and integration with other apps.

[Edit]Warning

• Posting screenshots containing copyrighted information can have legal implications, so be aware that you have the right to capture any information you see on your screen.
• When taking a screenshot to give to other people or to publish on the Internet, make sure that no personal or confidential information is captured in the image.

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[Edit]Reference

[Edit]quick summary