"How to take a screenshot on a MacBook" is one of the most popular search queries as new users of the MacBook Air M2 and MacBook Pro figure out how to capture pictures of their display.
Whether you're saving something for later or sending a friend something you saw while browsing the web, Mac screenshots are a great way of quickly relaying information.
Without further ado, we'll show you step-by-step how to take a screenshot on Mac in macOS.
How to take a screenshot on Mac
The easiest way to capture a full screenshot of the entire macOS desktop is by using a nifty keyboard combination.
Follow the steps below to take a full-screen screenshot on your MacBook:
- Press and hold these three keys together: Shift + Command + 3.
- This will bring up a thumbnail in the corner of your screen. You can either wait for it to swipe away, where it will be saved to your desktop.
- Or you can click on it to edit. Click the pencil to gain access to cropping and annotating.
- Click done and the edited version will be save
How to take a partial screenshot on a Mac
If you don't need to capture everything on your screen, you can take a partial screenshot of a picture, block of text, or whatever it is you want to grab. With this method, you can save time by cropping as you capture instead of editing afterward.
Follow the steps below to take a cropped screenshot on your MacBook:
- Press and hold Shift + Command + 4.
- A crosshair will appear. Click and drag the crosshair to select the area you would like to capture.
- You can move the selection by holding the space bar as you drag.
- Release your mouse or trackpad button to take the screenshot.
- To cancel the screenshot, press Esc.
How to take a manual screenshot with the macOS Screenshot app
The latest editions of macOS let you take a manual screenshot with the aptly-named application, Screenshot. Added to macOS Mojave, Screenshot gives you various capture options, including full screen, a portion of the screen, or a manual click-and-drag selection.
You can even record your screen from this app and choose where files save so you don't lose them later.
Here is how to use the Screenshot app to capture objects in macOS:
- Press Shift + Command + 5 to open Screenshot, or search for it via the macOS search. A toolbar will appear at the bottom of your display.
- Click on the tool you want to use. You can capture the entire screen, capture a window, capture a portion of the screen, record the entire screen or record a portion of the screen.
- For the entire screen or a portion of it, click Capture. For a window, move the cursor to the window, then click the window. For recordings, click Record. To stop recording, click the Stop Recording button in the menu bar.
- In Options, you can specify where you want the file to be saved so you know exactly where to look when it's time to upload.
