How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac | The Complete Guide

A complete guide to taking a screenshot on a Mac

Table of Contents Table of Contents

If you’re used to something like a Windows PC, you’re probably wondering how to take a screenshot on a Mac. Luckily for you, this is a pretty simple process which can be memorized, no problem. On top of that, there are multiple different ways and techniques for capturing just the right area you want in your screenshot. Apple are a massively popular brand, so learning how to take a screenshot on a Mac may come in handy, even if you aren’t currently using a Mac device. Moving between different computers and operating systems can really cause some confusion, especially as a first time Mac user.

For that reason, we’ve decided to make this comprehensive guide on how to take a screenshot on a Mac. It will explain how to capture the entire screen, just a portion of the screen, a singular window, and everything in-between.

Taking a screenshot using key commands

The easiest way to take a screenshot on your Mac – whether your running Mojave, High Sierra, or newer – is to use your shortcut key commands. They offer excellent versatility, and when learned properly, can reduce your work time dramatically.

Want to learn how to screenshot on Windows? Here’s our handy guide on how to screenshot on Windows. 

How to screenshot the entire screen on a Mac

Our first section is for those that wish to capture the entire screen, as opposed to a specific window.

Capture entire screen in macOS Mojave

Step

1

Use keyboard shortcut to open capture controls

Start by pressing Command+Shift+5 on your keyboard to bring up the onscreen capture controls.

 

Step

2

Set capture mode to entire screen

On the capture controls, start by selecting the first option from the left which sets the capture mode to the entire screen.

Hovering over any of the options will bring up a tag to let you know what each one does.

Step

3

Take a screenshot

Your pointer will now change into a small camera. You can now click on any page to take a screenshot of the entire screen.

 

Step

4

Confirm screenshot was taken

Confirmation of that screenshot can be seen in the lower right-hand corner of your screen. It will show as a thumbnail and will disappear shortly after appearing.

Capture entire screen with another version of macOS

Step

1

Capture entire screen with keyboard shortcut

Simply press Command+Shift+3 to capture the entire screen.

If you find this method easier, then it will work for Mojave as well.

Step

2

Find the screenshot

You will find your screenshot on your desktop. This is set as default by Apple and can be changed if you wish.

How to screenshot a single window on a Mac

Now let’s move on to screenshotting a single window on your Mac.

Capture single window in macOS Mojave

Step #1: Start by pressing Command+Shift+5 to open your onscreen capture controls

Step #2: Next, select the second option to set your mac to capture selected window mode. Your pointer should change to a small camera to confirm the setup is complete

Step #3: You can now click on any window to screenshot that specific window

Step #4: Again, a small thumbnail will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen to let you know the screenshot has been taken. At this stage, you can interact with the thumbnail to edit, move, or take other actions

Capture single window in another version of macOS

Step #1: Simply press Command+Shift+4

Step #2: The next step is to press the space bar. Your pointer should now change to a small camera

Step #3: All that is left to do is click on the desired window you want to screenshot

Step #4: Screenshots can be found on your desktop as the default

How to screenshot a selected portion of the screen on a Mac

Finally, it’s also possible to screenshot a selection portion of the screen on Mac.

Capture selected portion of the screen in macOS Mojave

Step #1: Start by pressing Command+Shift+5 to open your capture control panel

Step #2: Find the cropping tool and select it

Step #3: You can now drag a box over the area that you wish to screenshot. If you need to move the box, simply grab and move it to where ever you wish to capture

Step #4: To finalize the screenshot simply press capture in the onscreen controls

TIP: A thumbnail will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen to confirm the screenshot has been taken.

Capture selected portion of the screen in another version of macOS

Step #1: Press Command+Shift+4

Step #2: Simply drag the box over where you would like to screenshot.

TIP: As soon as you release your finger from the trackpad your screenshot will be taken.

Capturing a menu

If you’re looking to take a screenshot of a specific menu then fear not, you can just follow any of the methods above to achieve this goal. If you’re using other versions of macOS then simply follow the steps for capturing a selected portion of the screen.

Final word

So there you have it, our complete guide on how to take a screenshot on a mac. In terms of your mac’s functionality, this article is merely scratching the surface of what is possible. Apple products really are some of the most versatile in the technology universe.

We hope this guide has helped you learn how to take a screenshot using a mac. If not, please feel free to leave us a message in the comments section below, and we will answer it as soon as we can!