How to Take a Screenshot on macOS

How to Take a Screenshot on macOS

Like with iOS, Apple has a tight grip on its desktop/laptop operating system. With a macOS-based PC, however, you get a few more screenshot options than you get with Windows (since Mac keyboards lack a PrtScn key).

Here are the easy steps: To capture the entire screen, tapCommand+Shift+3 (all three keys at once). A PNG image file of the screen will appear on your desktop. If you only want part of the screen, tapCommand+Shift+4; it turns the cursor into a crosshair. Select the section of the screen you want to capture. Or, press the space bar, and the cursor turns into a camera—click on any open window to highlight it. Click again and just the window itself is captured.

If you like the Windows method—where what you capture is saved to the clipboard instantly—just try Command+Control+Shift+3 for the whole screen or Command+Control+Shift+4 for a section. Adding the Control key to the keystroke ensures the image isn't saved to your desktop; then use Control+V to paste it into any app.

If you've got a Mac with Retina display, a screenshot of the entire screen can be huge in PNG format, as big as 7MB. If you'd rather the Mac save in JPG or some other format, change the settings. You need to open a terminal window on the Mac in question and type:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg

If you're asked for your password, enter it. Restart your system and future screenshots should be in JPG format. Change it back by typing the same, but replace "jpg" with "png."

Do you prefer an app that will take care of screenshots? Apple still includes Grab in its Applications > Utilities folders (search with Spotlight to find it quickly). Grab's effectiveness is limited in that it only captures images in TIFF format, but it can take a shot of the whole screen, a window, or a selected section, and it has a timer so you can capture items like drop-down menus. The shortcuts to do so are the same as you'd use for the OS itself, so really, don't bother with Grab unless you only work with a mouse.

Remember, Macs can also take advantage of free, third-party utilities for screenshots, including Snappy (which can sync screenshots with the SnappyApp for iOS), Jing, Snagit, Skitch, LightShot, and others. If you feel it's better to pay, the venerable, award-winning SnapzProX is an option that costs a jaw-dropping $69.