Best screen capturing app
Mac OS Catalina 10.15 is the latest Apple OS X Operating system succeeding Mac OS 10.14 Mojave. The operating system not only ships a dark mode derived from its predecessor, but also packs a pile of upgrades including a redefined Screenshot module. Screenshot of Audacity running on Mac OS X On macOS, a user can take a screenshot of an entire screen by pressing ⌘ Cmd + ⇧ Shift + 3, or of a chosen area of the screen by ⌘ Cmd + ⇧ Shift + 4. This screenshot is saved to the user's desktop, with one PNG file per attached monitor. From crafting a clever visual joke to reporting problems to tech support, taking a screenshot is a useful trick to know on your computer. Thankfully, taking a screenshot (or screen grab) on OS X is incredibly simple. These are the commands to take different kinds of screenshots on your Macbook or other Mac computer. In its most basic form, taking a screenshot on a Mac can be achieved by holding down Command + Shift + 3, but many more options are available when you delve a little deeper. Screen Shot + year + month + date at time AM or PM. So for the example, if you have captured a screenshot on your Mac on the date of 28 March 2020 (around 9 AM and a few minutes later) then the name of the saved screenshot will be something like: Screen Shot 2020-28-03 at 09.08.29 AM.
For many new Apple users, particularly those who are migrating from Windows and are used to that Prt Scrn (Print Screen) button, the answer to the question of how to screenshot on Mac isn't immediately obvious.
Although it only takes pressing a couple of keys to take a screenshot on Mac, the fact remains that Mac screen capture is something that hasn't historically felt all that intuitive. For example, in addition to different key commands for screenshotting windows vs. smaller selections, recording video of your screen for a long time was only possible through QuickTime Player.
Best screenshot apps for macOS
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Although macOS Mojave has changed much of this, how to screenshot on Mac remains a heavy-hitting search query, as not everyone uses the latest version of macOS. Below you'll find more information on taking a screenshot on Mac (and capturing video), as well as some useful tools to make your Apple screenshot life easier.
Exploring Mac Screenshot Basics
As there's no dedicated button for print screen on Apple products, there are a few different commands associated with screen capture on Mac that vary slightly depending on your setup.
It makes sense to divide the world of how to take a screenshot on a Mac into pre and post-Mojave, since it was with this iteration of macOS that Apple really revolutionized their Mac screenshot command system.
1. Pre-Mojave Mac screenshot commands
If for whatever reason you don't want to upgrade to Mojave then you'll need to familiarize yourself with a couple of key Mac screenshot shortcut options:
- ⌘ + Shift + 3
- ⌘ + Shift + 4
The first of these commands is probably the easiest to get to grips with and the quickest one to take advantage of when taking a screenshot on Mac, as it captures the entire screen at once. If you're using multiple screens, it takes a screenshot in Mac OS for every screen you're using simultaneously. My passport for mac support.
The second of the commands represents a slightly more nuanced way to take a snapshot on Mac. Rather than capturing your entire screen, it prompts you to select the area you want to capture. If you follow it up with a press of Space, it allows you to choose the window you want to screencap instead.
Overall, while these commands do let you print screen on Mac, they feel sort of like an afterthought rather than a fully fledged feature of macOS. With so many people looking into how to screenshot on Mac, it's not surprising that Apple recently decided to make it a little more clear how to screenshot in Mac OS Mojave.
2. Post-Mojave Mac screenshot command menu
In addition to the above commands, which still work for Mojave users, there's now an option for them that's very much in keeping with the existing format of how to print screen on Mac — ⌘ + Shift + [Number].
If you're a Mojave user, you can use ⌘ + Shift + 5to bring up a screen capture menu that will allow you to:
- Capture Entire Screen
- Capture Selected Window(s)
- Capture Selected Portion
- Record Entire Screen
- Record Selected Portion
At the right-hand side of this menu there's also Options that lets you (among other things) select where your MacBook screenshot and video output is saved.
In other words, anyone looking for an easy answer to the question 'how do you screenshot on a Mac?' could do a lot worse than considering an upgrade to Mojave in order to streamline the process.
3. Third-party Mac OS screenshot apps
You might notice that, even with the inclusion of ⌘ + Shift + 5 Mac screen capturing menu, the options for taking a Mac screenshot remain pretty basic. If you're looking for a snipping tool for Mac that can do a little more, you may need to turn to a third-party developer.
CleanShot X is unbeatable here. The app toolkit is tailored for 50+ different changes, which makes it an ultimate screen capturing tool for Mac. You can use CleanShot X to capture screen — whether it's a window, full screen, area, or even scrolling content, as well as record video.
While capturing anything on your desktop, you can choose to hide all desktop clutter and disable desktop notifications in one click. Once you have your clean screenshot, open it from the overlay window that pops up, and start editing. You can add annotations, blur specific parts, or draw — CleanShot X will help you customize virtually anything.
A few not-so-obvious yet cool features to mention are self-timer, screenshot pinning, and internal cloud. Want to capture something with a delay? CleanShot X has a self-timer that will help you pick the right moment. If you want your screenshot to be visible on the screen, pin it to desktop. Finally, save your screen captures to the internal CleanShot Cloud and get shareable links in a flash.
If you're looking for something with a little more emphasis on screen recording, Capto could be the ideal solution for you. In addition to recording video, or just taking a snapshot on Mac, you can also annotate and edit captures via an intuitive iMovie-esque interface.
Capto does wonders for software walkthroughs. And given its strong visual component, it's also perfect for those with auditory shyness who would rather add captions than a voiceover. Capto's built-in organizer is pretty helpful for keeping track of your screenshots too.
Mac OS screenshot organization
If you take a lot of screenshots then you're probably way too used to your Downloads folder or Desktop being clogged up with images that have filenames like 'Screen Shot 2019-XX-XX at 21.36.15'.
Unfortunately, this inelegant and cluttered outcome is the default Mac screenshot shortcut. Not particularly helpful for keeping all of your images in check, especially when macOS is prone to heavily abbreviating filenames.
While it's possible to use Finder in conjunction with Preview to view all of your caps, that still isn't a particularly satisfying visual experience. One of the best solutions is Inboard, which functions like a private Pinterest for your desktop and allows you to tag and filter all of your screenshots for later use.
Inboard takes care of the design savvy out there too with a feature that connects your Dribbble account to import all your likes for digestion at a later date.
But even once you've solved the question of how to do a screenshot on a Mac, sharing those screenshots with, say, colleagues or friends isn't necessarily the easiest thing to do.
Quake mac os x. Rather than emailing files back and forth, or having to upload everything to a public Google Drive, you might consider a solution like Dropshare. As the name suggests, it makes sharing screenshots (and other files) as simple as dropping them into the relevant area.
Dropshare connects with a range of major third-party cloud apps, but you can also lean on proprietary Dropshare Cloud if you prefer, which is helpful if you want to keep your Mac screen capture sharing separate from your other sharing activity.
The future of how to take a screenshot on a Mac
As you can see from above, learning how to screenshot on Mac isn't particularly difficult, and screen capture on Mac is now easier than ever thanks to the addition of a dedicated MacBook screenshot and video capture menu in macOS Mojave.
It's clear from this new feature that Apple understands the issue of how to print screen on Mac is one that has been, to put it lightly, unintuitive in the past, so you can likely expect to see further tweaks to the process in the future.
In the meantime, there are some excellent options in the snipping tool for Mac market that facilitate the process and offer a range of diverse features you won't find among those built-in options for taking a screenshot on Mac.
Best of all, you can try all the apps mentioned here: CleanShot, Capto, Inboard, and Dropshare absolutely free with a 7-day trial of Setapp, a Mac platform with over 150 essential apps for any task at hand. Now you're all set for your screenshotting game.
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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Mac Screenshot Keyboard Shortcut
If you don't know how to take a screenshot on Mac, but looking to learn, this post has everything that you'll need to read. Here, I will tell you how you can take a Screenshot on Mac. I'll list all the different types and methods to take a screenshot on your Mac.
Contents
- 1 Guide to Take a Screenshot on Mac
- 1.5 Method-5: Other ways to take a screenshot on Mac.
Guide to Take a Screenshot on Mac
Screenshots are essential for a lot of purposes in various work fields. Basically, a screenshot is a still image of what your computer screen is currently showing. Taking or capturing the screenshot means you have saved that still image to your storage. This may come handy when you want to make a PowerPoint presentation, remember some instructions, or just want to save a visual for viewing later.
Taking a screenshot on your smartphone is pretty easy and everyone knows how to do it. But, not everyone knows about taking a screenshot on Mac. That's why I'm writing this guide to help everyone learn to take a screenshot on Mac. Just go through this, and you'll learn everything you need about taking a screenshot on the Mac OS.
Method -1: Take a Screenshot of the Entire Screen and Save it to the Desktop.
In order to take the screenshot of the entire screen and save it to your desktop, hold down the Command + Shift + 3 keys on your Mac keyboard. If the volume is up, you will hear a camera shutter sound at the time you press and hold these keys. After the screenshot is captured, you can find it by going to the desktop. You will see an image file with the name ‘Screenshot xx-xx-xxxx.' ‘X' is the date and time of the capturing. You can just rename this file and use it anywhere you want.
Method-2: Take a Screenshot of Part of the Screen and Save it to the Desktop.
There are times when you'll only want to captureaportionfrom the Mac screen. Do the following in this case. Press and hold the Command + Shift + 4 on your Mac keyboard together. A crosshair cursor will then appear on the screen. Click on this cursor and drag it to highlight the specific area of the screen you want to capture. To edit your selection, press the Esc key to start from the beginning. After you have highlighted precisely what you need, release the mouse. You will hear a camera shutter indicating that the screenshot is taken. You need to have the volume of Mac up in order to listen to this sound. Now just go to your desktop and look for a file named something like this, ‘Screenshot xx-xx-xxxx.' where X will be the date and time of capture.
Method-3: Save the Screenshot of the Entire Screen to Clipboard.
Sometimes you will need to save a screenshot to the Clipboard. Like when you are making a PowerPoint presentation, you can just save the screenshot in the Clipboard and then insert it in your presentation. To do this, press and hold down the Command + Control + Shift + 3 keys on your Mac keyboard. You will hear the camera shutter sound indicating that the screenshot is captured. Now go to the destination where you want to insert this screenshot. For example, go to your presentation and press the Command + V keys together. That's it.
Method-4: Save the Screenshot of a part of the Screen to Clipboard.
Similarly to Chapter-2, you can screenshot a part of the screen and save it to your clipboard. To do this, press and hold down the Command + Control + Shift + 4 keys on your Mac keyboard. A crosshair cursor will appear, click on it and drag it over the area you want to highlight. To adjust your selection, you can press the Esc key on the keyboard. After you have highlighted the area, just release the mouse. Now go to the destination where you want to insert this screenshot and press Command + V keys together. That's it.
Method-5: Other ways to take a screenshot on Mac.
Apart from these methods, there are several other ways in which you can capture a screenshot of your Mac screen. Let's take a quick look at all the other methods.
(i) Take a Screenshot with Mac's Touch Bar.
The newer versions of the Macbook Pro have a Touch Bar that offers a Screenshot option. You can use this screenshot feature to capture full screen, partial screen, or specific window screenshots. When the Screenshot icon is enabled on the Touch bar, just tap on this icon and select the type of screenshot you want to take. The types are similar to the options while capturing screenshot using Grab. You'll learn about that in the next portion.
(ii) Take a Screenshot with Grab.
Where Do Mac Screenshots Go
You can take a screenshot using the Grab app on your Mac. Go to the Finder folder situated at the dock, and insert ‘Grab' in the search bar present in the top-right side. Now go to the left-sidebar and choose ‘Applications.' Open the Grab app and select ‘Capture' present on the top navigation bar. Just choose the type of screenshot you want to take. You will have four options- Selection, Window, Screen, or Timed Screen.
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Mac Screenshot Keyboard Shortcut
If you don't know how to take a screenshot on Mac, but looking to learn, this post has everything that you'll need to read. Here, I will tell you how you can take a Screenshot on Mac. I'll list all the different types and methods to take a screenshot on your Mac.
Contents
- 1 Guide to Take a Screenshot on Mac
- 1.5 Method-5: Other ways to take a screenshot on Mac.
Guide to Take a Screenshot on Mac
Screenshots are essential for a lot of purposes in various work fields. Basically, a screenshot is a still image of what your computer screen is currently showing. Taking or capturing the screenshot means you have saved that still image to your storage. This may come handy when you want to make a PowerPoint presentation, remember some instructions, or just want to save a visual for viewing later.
Taking a screenshot on your smartphone is pretty easy and everyone knows how to do it. But, not everyone knows about taking a screenshot on Mac. That's why I'm writing this guide to help everyone learn to take a screenshot on Mac. Just go through this, and you'll learn everything you need about taking a screenshot on the Mac OS.
Method -1: Take a Screenshot of the Entire Screen and Save it to the Desktop.
In order to take the screenshot of the entire screen and save it to your desktop, hold down the Command + Shift + 3 keys on your Mac keyboard. If the volume is up, you will hear a camera shutter sound at the time you press and hold these keys. After the screenshot is captured, you can find it by going to the desktop. You will see an image file with the name ‘Screenshot xx-xx-xxxx.' ‘X' is the date and time of the capturing. You can just rename this file and use it anywhere you want.
Method-2: Take a Screenshot of Part of the Screen and Save it to the Desktop.
There are times when you'll only want to captureaportionfrom the Mac screen. Do the following in this case. Press and hold the Command + Shift + 4 on your Mac keyboard together. A crosshair cursor will then appear on the screen. Click on this cursor and drag it to highlight the specific area of the screen you want to capture. To edit your selection, press the Esc key to start from the beginning. After you have highlighted precisely what you need, release the mouse. You will hear a camera shutter indicating that the screenshot is taken. You need to have the volume of Mac up in order to listen to this sound. Now just go to your desktop and look for a file named something like this, ‘Screenshot xx-xx-xxxx.' where X will be the date and time of capture.
Method-3: Save the Screenshot of the Entire Screen to Clipboard.
Sometimes you will need to save a screenshot to the Clipboard. Like when you are making a PowerPoint presentation, you can just save the screenshot in the Clipboard and then insert it in your presentation. To do this, press and hold down the Command + Control + Shift + 3 keys on your Mac keyboard. You will hear the camera shutter sound indicating that the screenshot is captured. Now go to the destination where you want to insert this screenshot. For example, go to your presentation and press the Command + V keys together. That's it.
Method-4: Save the Screenshot of a part of the Screen to Clipboard.
Similarly to Chapter-2, you can screenshot a part of the screen and save it to your clipboard. To do this, press and hold down the Command + Control + Shift + 4 keys on your Mac keyboard. A crosshair cursor will appear, click on it and drag it over the area you want to highlight. To adjust your selection, you can press the Esc key on the keyboard. After you have highlighted the area, just release the mouse. Now go to the destination where you want to insert this screenshot and press Command + V keys together. That's it.
Method-5: Other ways to take a screenshot on Mac.
Apart from these methods, there are several other ways in which you can capture a screenshot of your Mac screen. Let's take a quick look at all the other methods.
(i) Take a Screenshot with Mac's Touch Bar.
The newer versions of the Macbook Pro have a Touch Bar that offers a Screenshot option. You can use this screenshot feature to capture full screen, partial screen, or specific window screenshots. When the Screenshot icon is enabled on the Touch bar, just tap on this icon and select the type of screenshot you want to take. The types are similar to the options while capturing screenshot using Grab. You'll learn about that in the next portion.
(ii) Take a Screenshot with Grab.
Where Do Mac Screenshots Go
You can take a screenshot using the Grab app on your Mac. Go to the Finder folder situated at the dock, and insert ‘Grab' in the search bar present in the top-right side. Now go to the left-sidebar and choose ‘Applications.' Open the Grab app and select ‘Capture' present on the top navigation bar. Just choose the type of screenshot you want to take. You will have four options- Selection, Window, Screen, or Timed Screen.
(iii) Take a Screenshot with third-party apps.
There are third-party apps like Cleanshotand Captothat you can use in order to capture a screenshot on Mac. These apps offer additional features like capturing video of the screen, blurring desktop icons, taking high-quality images, etc. If you are professional, you must leave the default methods and give such apps a shot once.
Method-6: Edit a Mac Screenshot with Keynote.
You can edit your Mac screenshots with the Keynote app. It is a presentation app that comes with your Mac by default. Just save a screenshot on the desktop. Right-click on it and choose ‘Open with.' Now choose Keynote from the list of compatible apps. The screenshot will then open in Keynote and you can do the required editing as per your choice.
Summary
That's all for this guide. Now you know all the different ways and types of taking a screenshot on a Mac machine. You can also edit the screenshots now. For personal usage, you can just remember the keyboard shortcuts and use them to capture the screenshots. Or, if you are a professional, I'd recommend using good third-party apps. These apps offer features that can help you get an edge over others.
I hope this post helps you enough. For any queries, doubts, or suggestions, feel free to visit the comment section. I'll be glad to listen. What is mac os x operating system.
