How to take a screenshot in macOS Capture the whole screen Capture part of the screen
Taking a screenshot on a computer has become as commonplace as drinking tea. But you still need to know where exactly this function is located. Mac keyboard shortcuts are often incomprehensible to people from the PC world. This tutorial shows you how to take a screenshot on a Mac..
How to take a screenshot in macOS
Moving from a Windows PC to a Mac is often experienced by users as a confusing experience. The graphical interface, the software management as well as the system functionalities are totally different. No more desktop, no more start menus and no more Windows Explorer.
Difficult then not to feel totally lost. Functions that we used to use on a PC seem completely absent. Copying what is displayed on the screen and saving it in image format seems almost impractical..
And yet the Mac's screenshot tool is as easy to use as it is on Windows. The difference is in the keyboard shortcuts. Unlike the PC, the Apple computer does not have a dedicated button for this task.
Capture the whole screen
The Mac operating system has a tool to perform different types of screenshots. Some will find it a little light but it has less the merit of being integrated into macOS. No need to install or download additional software..
- Open the web page you want to capture
- Simultaneously press the Command + Shift keys then the 3 key
- You will hear the sound of a camera shutter
- A thumbnail will appear in the corner of your screen for a short time (only on macOS Mojave or higher)
- Click it to display image editing options
- Otherwise wait a few seconds
The screenshot is then automatically placed on your Mac desktop. Obviously kidney does not then prevent you from changing the location of the file. By default the file is saved in png format.
Capture part of the screen
Does your job require taking a screenshot of a specific area (menu, window)? No problem. Apple thought of everything
- Open the window you want to capture
- Press the Command + Shift keys then press the 4 key
- Using your mouse, you will drag one of the pointers to change the size of the selection rectangle
- If the selected zone does not suit you, click on the Esc key
- Then release the mouse or trackpad button to start recording the screenshot
Note that it is possible to take an automatic screenshot of a well-defined area of the screen such as a window or a menu. For this you will use the following combination of keys: Command + Shift then press the 4 key and the space bar.
If the operation was successful, your mouse pointer will turn into a camera. Select the element to capture (for a drop-down menu you will have to left-click). Note that it is possible to exclude the drop shadow from the capture by pressing the Option button when highlighting a window.
