How to Screenshot on a Mac

Taking a screenshot on a Mac is one of the most useful skills you can learn—whether you want to capture a moment in a video, save part of a website, or grab an error message for troubleshooting. Fortunately, Apple has built powerful screenshot tools right into macOS. Here’s a complete breakdown of the different ways you can take a screenshot on your Mac.

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1. Capture the Entire Screen

Shortcut: Command (⌘) + Shift + 3

This is the quickest way to take a screenshot of your entire screen. Once you press these keys:

• You’ll hear a camera shutter sound.

• The screenshot will appear as a thumbnail in the bottom-right corner (on recent macOS versions).

• After a few seconds, it will be saved automatically to your Desktop.

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2. Capture a Selected Portion of the Screen

Shortcut: Command (⌘) + Shift + 4

This lets you manually select the area of the screen you want to capture:

• After pressing the keys, your cursor turns into a crosshair.

• Click and drag to select the area.

• When you release the mouse or trackpad, the screenshot is taken.

Tip:
While dragging, press and hold Space to move the selection area. Hold Shift to lock one dimension (horizontal or vertical) as you resize.

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3. Capture a Specific Window

Shortcut: Command (⌘) + Shift + 4, then tap the Spacebar

Want to screenshot a specific window, like a browser or Finder window?

• First press Command + Shift + 4.

• Tap the Spacebar — your cursor becomes a camera icon.

• Hover over the window and click.
  The screenshot will include a subtle drop shadow by default.

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4. Open the Screenshot Toolbar

Shortcut: Command (⌘) + Shift + 5

This opens the full screenshot utility in macOS, which gives you even more control:

• Capture entire screen

• Capture selected window

• Capture selected portion

• Record the screen (yes, you can take video recordings too!)

• Set a timer (e.g., 5 or 10 seconds)

• Choose where to save your screenshots

It’s perfect if you need flexibility or don’t want to memorize all the shortcuts.

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5. Capture the Touch Bar (for MacBook Pro users)

Shortcut: Command (⌘) + Shift + 6

If your MacBook Pro has a Touch Bar, you can screenshot it too. This shortcut takes an image of the current Touch Bar display.

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Where Screenshots Are Saved

By default, screenshots are saved to your Desktop with names like:

You can change the default save location using the Screenshot Toolbar (Command + Shift + 5 > Options > Save To).

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Editing and Markup

After taking a screenshot, a thumbnail may appear in the corner of the screen. Click it to open a Markup window, where you can:

• Draw or annotate with tools

• Add text, shapes, or signatures

• Crop the image

Once you’re done, click “Done” or “Save” to finish.

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Conclusion

Taking screenshots on a Mac is simple, versatile, and incredibly handy. Whether you need a full display, a single window, or a quick custom crop, macOS gives you the tools to get it done with just a few keystrokes.

Master these shortcuts, and you’ll save time, communicate more clearly, and work smarter.

Written by Dinesh, at SEO Ballia, your source for simple tech guides and tutorials.