How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac

This wikiHow will show you various ways in which to take a screenshot on a Mac.

Method 1
Method 1 of 5:

Screenshot the Entire Screen

  1. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 1
    1
    Make sure your screen displays exactly what you want to show in your screenshot image. Ensure all the relevant windows are visible.
  2. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 2
    2
    Press Command + Shift + 3. If your sound is on, your computer should make a brief camera shutter noise.[1]
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  3. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 3
    3
    Find your screenshot on your desktop. It will be saved as "screenshot" labeled with the date and time.
    • Earlier versions of OS X will save it as "Picture #"—for example, if it's the 5th screenshot on your desktop it will be labeled "Picture 5".
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Method 2
Method 2 of 5:

Screenshot a Portion of Your Screen

  1. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 4
    1
    Press Command + Shift + 4. Your cursor will turn into a small cross-hair reticle.[2]
  2. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 5
    2
    Click and drag your cursor to highlight the area you'd like to take a picture of. A grayed rectangle should appear where you drag your cursor. If you need to adjust your windows at all, press Escape to return to a regular cursor without taking a picture.[3]
  3. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 6
    3
    Let go of the mouse. You should hear a brief camera shutter noise if your computer's sound is turned on. That signals that your screenshot has been taken.[4]
  4. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 7
    4
    Find your screenshot on your desktop. It will be saved as a .png file named "screenshot" labeled with the date and time.
    • Earlier versions of OS X will save it as "Picture #"—for example, if it's the 5th screenshot on your desktop it will be labeled as "Picture 5".
  5. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 8
    5
    Use the screenshot. Once you have taken your screenshots, they are now ready to be used as needed. You can attach them to an email, upload them to the Web, or even drag them straight into an application such as a word processor.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 5:

Screenshot an Open Window

  1. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 9
    1
    Press Command+Shift+4 then hit the Space bar. The cross-hair will turn into a small camera. You can press Spacebar again to switch back to the reticle.
  2. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 10
    2
    Move your cursor over the window you want to capture. The camera will highlight different windows blue as it moves over them. You can use keyboard commands such as Command+Tab to shift through your windows while still in this mode.
  3. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 11
    3
    Click on the window. The picture of the window you selected will be saved to the desktop by default just like the other screenshot methods.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 5:

Save a Screenshot to the Clipboard

  1. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 12
    1
    Press Command + Control + Shift + 3. This method works exactly like the one above, except the screenshot does not immediately create a file. Instead, the image is saved to the clipboard, the same temporary storage area where your computer remembers the text that you have copied.
    • You can also take a portion screenshot with this method using Command + Control + Shift + 4 and dragging your reticle over the appropriate part of your screen, exactly as the portion screenshot method.
  2. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 13
    2
    Use Command + V or Edit > Paste to paste your image. Your screenshot image can be pasted straight into any compatible application, such as a Word document, an image editing program, and many email services.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 5:

Use the Grab Utility Tool

  1. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 14
    1
    Go to Applications > Utilities > Grab. This opens the Grab application. You will see the menus shown in the upper left of your screen, but no windows will open.
  2. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 15
    2
    Click the Capture menu and choose between the four different options.
    • To take a picture of your entire screen, click on Screen (or just use the keyboard command Apple Key + Z). A window will pop up telling you where to click and letting you know that the window will not appear in the shot.
    • To take a picture of a portion of your screen, click on Selection. A window will pop up instructing you to drag your mouse over the portion of your screen you'd like to capture.
    • To take a picture of a specific window, select Window. Then, click on the window you'd like to take a picture of.
  3. Image titled Take a Screenshot on a Mac Step 16
    3
    When the new window opens, choose Save. You can also choose Save As to give it a different name and/or move it to a more appropriate location, but note that it can only be saved as a .tiff file. Note that the file is not automatically saved.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How do I erase the screenshot?
    Jack Herrick
    Jack Herrick
    Community Answer
    The screenshot you created is an actual image file, sort of like you might take with a camera, so it needs to be deleted like any other file on your computer. To get rid of the screenshot image, drag the file (which is likely on your desktop) to the trash. Then, delete your trash.
  • Question
    How come I need to press 4 instead of 3?
    Writing for Tech
    Writing for Tech
    Community Answer
    The reason being is 3 will take a screenshot of your entire screen, whereas 4 will take a picture of only a selected portion.
  • Question
    How do I use screen capture with only one hand?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Press command + shift + 4 with one hand. Then you can select which portion of the page you want to capture with your cursor.
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Warnings

  • Posting screenshots that include copyrighted information could have legal implications, so be careful that you have the right to capture any of the information visible on your screen.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • When taking screenshots to pass on to other people, or to publish on the Internet, ensure no personal or confidential information is captured within the image.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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References

  1. ↑ Chiara Corsaro. Certified Apple Technician. Expert Interview. 18 October 2019.
  2. ↑ Chiara Corsaro. Certified Apple Technician. Expert Interview. 18 October 2019.
  3. ↑ Chiara Corsaro. Certified Apple Technician. Expert Interview. 18 October 2019.
  4. ↑ Chiara Corsaro. Certified Apple Technician. Expert Interview. 18 October 2019.

About This Article

Chiara Corsaro
Co-authored by:
Chiara Corsaro
Phone & Computer Repair Technician
This article was co-authored by Chiara Corsaro. Chiara Corsaro is the General Manager and Apple Certified Mac & iOS Technician for macVolks, Inc., an Apple Authorized Service Provider located in the San Francisco Bay Area. macVolks, Inc. was founded in 1990, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating, and is part of the Apple Consultants Network (ACN). This article has been viewed 11,933,565 times.
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Co-authors: 94
Updated: January 24, 2022
Views: 11,933,565
Categories: Featured Articles | Mac OS X | Screenshots
Article SummaryX

1. Ensure that the screen is exactly how you want it. More ↓
2. Press Command + Shift + 3. ↓
3. Find your screenshot on your desktop. ↓

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