Learn How To Take Screenshot On Mac (Step-Wise Guide)

MacBook is one of the powerful notebooks with blazing-fast processors, newer performance and portability. Day by day, the technology advances for MacBook series, as well. Now, you can record the screens of MacBooks besides only by taking a screenshot on Mac. 

If you want to know in detail how to take a screenshot of a particular section or how to screenshot the entire page on Mac, then you are in the right place. Here, we have provided all the probable methods to take a screenshot on Mac. Let’s check them out.

How to Take Screenshot (Mac)?

You can use a screenshot to report any issue to the responsible authority. Else you can save a screenshot of a joke or anything to memorize it. Thankfully, the methods available for screenshot Mac are really simple and easy to implement. 

You can screenshot a particular selected area, a full window, etc on Mac. Go through the section below to learn all the screenshot processes on Mac.

Method 1: Take Screenshot of the Full Screen

If you have to complain to some authority about some issue, then it is better to take a screenshot of the whole screen. To implement this task, follow the guidelines mentioned below.

1. You have to press and hold down the Shift+Command+3 keys, simultaneously. 
2. Notice if you can hear a click like a camera does while capturing a photo. 
3. Now, you can locate the screenshot on the desktop. The file gets saved as a png file with the name ‘screenshot time/date’.

That’s it. You have captured a screenshot of the whole screen of the Mac device. Well, it works for all macOS versions. But if you own macOS Mojave or later versions, then you have to follow another process listed below.

1. Press and hold this combination of keys: Shift+Command+5. You can observe capture controls on the screen of the Mac.
2. You have to choose that icon that indicates the entire screen. The pointer transforms into a camera icon. 
3. You can now click anywhere on the screen.

The thumbnail of the screenshot appears at the corner of the screen of the MacBook. Now, you can do whatever you want to do with the screenshot.

Method 2: Take a Selected Area Screenshot

If you don’t want to save the full screen, then you can opt for this. You can consider a particular section of which you want to take screenshot on Mac. Use the basic steps to accomplish the task on all macOS versions.

1. Press and hold Command+Shift+4 keys at the same time. 
2. Capture the window by adjusting the window by clicking and dragging.
3. The screenshot will get saved on the desktop after you release the mouse or trackpad button.

Now, if you own a macOS Mojave version, then you have to track the following guidelines as follows.

1. Press and hold the Shift+Command+5 keys to explore the on-screen capturing controls.
2. You need to opt for the Selected portion icon from the Control bar.
3. Click and drag over the screen to take a screenshot on Mac. 
4. After that, you need to click on the Capture icon.
5. The thumbnail of the screenshot appears at the corner of the screen. 

Now, you can use the screenshot. Wait a while if the thumbnail doesn’t appear readily. Sometimes, it may take some more time.

Method 3: Capture Screenshot of a Window

You can take a screenshot of a window on your Mac devices. Stick to the guidelines mentioned below in the same way as it is stated.

1. Press the combination of the keys: Shift+Command+4.
2. Next, tap the Spacebar. The pointer should now look like a camera.
3. Point to that window which you want to capture as a screenshot. You can avoid the shadow of the window just by pressing and holding the Option key while taking the screenshot.
4. The screenshot will get saved on the desktop of your Mac device.

For macOS Mojave or later versions, you have to apply a different procedure to take a screenshot on Mac. The following steps will depict the procedure for macOS Mojave or later versions.

1. Press and hold Shift+Command+5. After doing this, the capture controls will appear.
2. Now, choose the Capture Selected Window option. The pointer now converts to a camera-like icon.
3. Click on the window that you have to capture. You can exclude the shadow of the Windows by pressing and holding the Option key while clicking the screenshot.
4. The thumbnail of the screenshot saved on the desktop of the Mac device.

Method 4: Capture Screenshot of a Menu

Additionally, you can take a screenshot of a Menu and its options on the Mac device. Use the following guidelines below for all basic macOS versions.

1. Click on the Menu to reveal its options.
2. Next, press and hold the keys Shift+Command+4.
3. Click and drag the pointer over the Menu to take a screenshot of the Menu. Release the pointer when the screenshot is captured.
4. The screenshot will save at the desktop on the device.

Now, if you use macOS Mojave or later versions, you can use the following method to capture a screenshot on Mac.

1. Explore the Menu on the device by simply clicking. 
2. Next, press and hold the Shift+Command+5 keys to launch the on-screen Capture Control panel.
3. You can either use the Window icon or the selected portion icon.
4. Drag and adjust the pointer to take a screenshot of the menu.

That’s it. You are done with taking the screenshot of the menu.

Method 5: Take a Screenshot Using Preview

You can use Preview which is the default application of Mac to manage taking screenshots and pictures. Learn how you can take a screenshot on Mac just by using the Preview application. 

1. Open up the Preview application. You can locate the application through Finder.
2. Next, click the File option. Choose the Take Screen Shot option from the drop-down menu.
3. You can find three options as follows: From Selection, From Window, From Entire Screen. Opt for the choice that matches your requirements.
4. Adjust the screenshot and choose the Save option from the File menu.
5. Provide a name, type for the screenshot.

Method 6: Take a Screenshot of the Touch Bar

This method doesn’t work for all macOS versions. It works on a Mac device consisting of the Touch Bar. Basically, you can use this, if you have macOS Sierra 10.12.2 or later versions. Just press the Shift, Command, and 6 keys to click a screenshot of the Touch Bar on the Mac device. The screenshot will appear on the desktop.

Hopefully, you find the guide helpful on how to take a screenshot on Mac. After taking the screenshot on your Mac successfully with the abovesaid methods, you can now paste the screenshot to any document and change its file type, as well.