Screenshot on a Mac
This guide show you:
- How to screenshot or video record your screen on different operating systems
- Different ways to screenshot on your Mac
Different methods to take a screenshot
Press Shift-Command (⌘)-5 on your keyboard to see all the options possible to capture stills and record video of your screen.
Use the onscreen controls to select through the different options, from capturing a part or your entire screen, to recording a video of your screen. See how to do these below:
Capture the entire screen
- Click in the onscreen controls. Your pointer changes to a camera.
- Click any screen to capture that screen, or click Capture in the onscreen controls.
- Use the thumbnail to mark up, share, save, or take other actions.
Capture a window
- Click in the onscreen controls. Your pointer changes to a camera.
- Click a window to capture that window.
Tip: To exclude the window's shadow from the screenshot, press and hold the Option (⌥) key while you click.
- Use the thumbnail to mark up, share, save, or take other actions.
Capture a selected portion of the screen
- Click in the onscreen controls.
- Drag to select an area of the screen to capture. To move the entire selection, drag from within the selection.
- Click Capture in the onscreen controls.
- Use the thumbnail to mark up, share, save, or take other actions.
Capture a menu
- Click the menu to reveal its contents.
- Press Shift-Command-5 while the menu is shown.
- Click Capture a Selected Window.
- Use the thumbnail to mark up, share, save, or take other actions.
Manual methods and other shortcuts to screenshot
Capture the entire screen
Press Shift-Command-3, then find the screenshot saved to your desktop.
Capture a window
- Press Shift-Command-4.
- Press the Space bar. The pointer changes to a camera .
- Click a window to capture that window.
To exclude the window's shadow from the screenshot, press and hold the Option (⌥) key while you click.
- Find the screenshot as a .png file on your desktop.
Capture a selected portion of the screen
- Press Shift-Command-4.
- Drag to select the area of the screen to capture. To move the entire selection, press and hold Space bar while dragging.
- After you release your mouse or trackpad button, find the screenshot as a .png file on your desktop.
Capture a menu
- Click the menu to reveal its contents.
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Press Shift-Command-4.
- Drag to select the area of the menu to capture, then release your mouse or trackpad button to capture that area.
- Or press Space bar to change the pointer to a camera , then click the menu to capture it.
- Find the screenshot as a .png file on your desktop.
Change the settings
Click Options in the onscreen controls to change these settings:
- Save to: Choose where your screenshots are automatically saved, such as Desktop, Documents, or Clipboard.
- Timer: Choose when to take the screenshot: immediately, 5 seconds, or 10 seconds after you click to capture.
- Show Floating Thumbnail: Choose whether to show the thumbnails
- Remember Last Selection: Choose whether to default to the selections you made the last time you used this tool.
- Show Mouse Pointer: Choose whether to show the mouse pointer in your screenshot.