Taking a screenshot on a Mac is an incredibly useful feature. Whether you're trying to capture an image of your desktop or a particular window, it's a quick and easy way to share an image with someone, or to save the image for later. In this tutorial, we'll walk you through how to take a screenshot on a Mac in 2023.
Using Keyboard Shortcuts to Take a Screenshot on a Mac
The easiest and quickest way to take a screenshot on a Mac is to use the keyboard shortcuts. There are two main keyboard shortcuts, depending on whether you want to capture the entire screen or just a specific window. We'll go over both of them here:
To Capture the Entire Screen
To capture the entire screen, press the Command + Shift + 3 keys simultaneously. This will take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it as a .png file on your desktop. You can then open the image in an image editor to edit or share it.
To Capture a Specific Window
To capture a specific window, press the Command + Shift + 4 keys simultaneously. This will bring up a crosshair cursor that you can drag and select the window you want to capture. Once you have selected the window, the screenshot will be saved as a .png file on your desktop. You can then open the image in an image editor to edit or share it.
Using the Grab App to Take a Screenshot on a Mac
The Grab app is an app that is pre-installed on all Mac computers and is used for taking screenshots. To open the Grab app, go to the Applications folder and double-click on the Grab app icon. Once the app is open, you can use the following options to take a screenshot:
To Capture the Entire Screen
To capture the entire screen, click on the Capture menu at the top of the window and select “Screen”. This will take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it as a .tiff file on your desktop. You can then open the image in an image editor to edit or share it.
To Capture a Specific Window
To capture a specific window, click on the Capture menu at the top of the window and select “Window”. This will bring up a list of all the windows currently open on your Mac. Select the window you want to capture and the screenshot will be saved as a .tiff file on your desktop. You can then open the image in an image editor to edit or share it.
Using the Preview App to Take a Screenshot on a Mac
The Preview app is another app that is pre-installed on all Mac computers and is used for taking screenshots. To open the Preview app, go to the Applications folder and double-click on the Preview app icon. Once the app is open, you can use the following options to take a screenshot:
To Capture the Entire Screen
To capture the entire screen, click on the File menu at the top of the window and select “Take Screenshot”. This will take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it as a .png file on your desktop. You can then open the image in an image editor to edit or share it.
To Capture a Specific Window
To capture a specific window, click on the File menu at the top of the window and select “Take Screenshot of Selection”. This will bring up a crosshair cursor that you can drag and select the window you want to capture. Once you have selected the window, the screenshot will be saved as a .png file on your desktop. You can then open the image in an image editor to edit or share it.
Using the Screenshot App to Take a Screenshot on a Mac
The Screenshot app is an app that is pre-installed on all Mac computers and is used for taking screenshots. To open the Screenshot app, go to the Applications folder and double-click on the Screenshot app icon. Once the app is open, you can use the following options to take a screenshot:
To Capture the Entire Screen
To capture the entire screen, click on the Capture menu at the top of the window and select “Screen”. This will take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it as a .png file on your desktop. You can then open the image in an image editor to edit or share it.
To Capture a Specific Window
To capture a specific window, click on the Capture menu at the top of the window and select “Window”. This will bring up a list of all the windows currently open on your Mac. Select the window you want to capture and the screenshot will be saved as a .png file on your desktop. You can then open the image in an image editor to edit or share it.
Using the Command Line to Take a Screenshot on a Mac
If you're comfortable using the command line, you can also take a screenshot on a Mac using the terminal. To do this, open the terminal and type in the following command:
screencapture -C -t png ~/Desktop/screenshot.png
This command will take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it as a .png file on your desktop. You can then open the image in an image editor to edit or share it.
Conclusion
Taking a screenshot on a Mac is quick and easy. Whether you use the keyboard shortcuts, the Grab app, the Preview app, the Screenshot app, or the command line, you can easily capture an image of your screen and save it for later. We hope this tutorial has helped you learn how to take a screenshot on a Mac in 2023.
