Screenshots are really easy to do on a mobile phone, as it usually involves just the click of a button or two. But what about when you are on a Mac? Happily, the process is pretty straightforward, once you know what you are doing!
So we are here to help, by giving you the insights you need, to be able to capture screenshots on your Mac quickly and easily. Everything you need to know is right here.
The benefits of screenshots
Screenshots are regarded by some as the single most important thing on the internet. While that's probably a contentious point of view, there is no denying that screenshots can certainly be very useful, whether it's for sharing information, collaboration with others, or explaining a situation much more easily than trying to use words. Show, don't tell, in other words.
So with all of this in mind, it would probably be pretty handy if you know how to capture a screenshot on that Mac that you use for most of your work, wouldn't it?
Well follow us, dear reader, as we lead you out of the fog of confusion, into the sunny uplands of enlightenment.
How to take a screenshot
Macs give you a variety of options for taking screenshots. You can capture an image of the whole screen, a specific window, or a portion of the screen.
In order to take a screenshot:
- Press and hold three keys together: Shift, Command and 3.
- If a thumbnail appears in the corner of the screen, you can click it to edit the screenshot. Otherwise, you can wait for it to be saved onto your desktop.
To capture a specific part of your screen:
- Press and hold Shift, Command and 4.
- A crosshair will appear. Drag this so that it highlights the area of the screen you wish to capture.
- If you wish to move the selection, you can press and hold the Spacebar. If you want to cancel the screenshot, press Escape.
- To capture the screenshot, release your mouse or trackpad button.
- As above, you can either wait for the image to be saved to your desktop, or you can edit it if the thumbnail appears.
To capture a window or menu:
- Open the window or menu you want to screenshot.
- Press and hold Shift, Command, 4 and Space Bar. The cursor will change to a camera icon. You can cancel the screenshot be pressing escape.
- To take the picture, simply click on the window or menu.
- Once again, you can click the thumbnail to edit it, or wait for it to appear on your desktop.
And there you have it. Three different ways to capture screenshots on a Mac, to help make your life just that little bit easier.