There are times when you need to take a screenshot on your Mac. Sometimes to ask questions about a program or to show off your new desktop background. macOS offers several ways to do this.
Screenshots and screencasts with the Screenshot app
With the Screenshot utility, which you can find under Applications > Utilities, you can take screenshots or even video recordings of your MacBook desktop with just a few clicks. You can also open the program with the CMD + SHIFT + 5 keyboard shortcut.
When you start the app, you'll find an overlay at the bottom with various buttons. With these, you can trigger the following actions:
- Capture the entire screen as a screenshot (this includes external monitors)
- Capture a selected window
- Capture a selected portion of the screen
- Record a screen video (entire screen)
- Record a screen video (selected portion)
The Screenshot tool is handy for screen videos because you don't need to install any extra software. Even if you want to take a delayed screenshot to show an action in another program, the Screenshot app is the right choice. You can set the screenshot to be taken, for example, with a 5 or 10-second delay.
For simple screenshots, however, there's a faster way than using the Screenshot app: keyboard shortcuts.
Taking screenshots on a MacBook with keyboard shortcuts
As mentioned, you can also use keyboard shortcuts to take screenshots on your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or any other Mac.
You just need to remember the following key combinations, one of which will usually become your personal favorite:
- Screenshot of the entire screen: CMD + SHIFT + 3
- Screenshot of a selected area: CMD + SHIFT + 4 → then click and hold the mouse button and drag to create a rectangle over the area you want to capture
- Screenshot of a window: CMD + SHIFT + 4 → then press the spacebar and click on the window with the camera icon
Armed with these tips, it should be easy for you to take a screenshot on your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or any other Mac.
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