How To Print Screen On A Mac: 7 Useful Techniques

How to Print Screen on a Mac

If you have recently switched from Windows to Mac OS, then you might think about activating Print Screen on Mac. It might become quite difficult, as you won’t find the “Print Screen” feature on it. 

So, there can be many circumstances when you might have to take a screenshot on your Mac. As Windows has its “Snipping Tool”, Mac also has its “Grab” utility to take the screenshots.

Besides, taking a screenshot on a Mac device is quite easy. It can be performed by pressing the combination of the “Command + Shift + 3” keys. However, there are many other options available for Print Screen when you dive deeper.

Print Screen Mac: Procedures to Capture Screenshots

Print Screen on Mac is no longer a difficult task, as you can learn it here. There are various ways to take screenshots on a Mac device. But, here, we are going to mention the most reliable procedures. So, let’s have a glimpse below.

Method 1: Taking Whole Page Screenshot

If you want to take a full-screen screenshot, then you can follow the underlying instructions accordingly.

  • Press the combination of the function keys “Command + Shift + 3”. As soon as you perform this action, you will hear a sound like the shutter of a camera. 
  • Thereafter, a preview of the screenshot will come up on the bottom left of your display.

So, tap on the appropriate button to allow it to crop and edit the image before saving it.

Once you are done with this instruction, the screenshot will be saved on your Mac device by default. 

Method 2: Taking Selected Part Screenshot

Here are the steps that should be executed in order to take a screenshot of a selected part.

  • Hold the Command button, then press the “Shift + 4” function key along with it. Afterward, a cross sign will appear on the display with some numbers.
  • Now, you need to drag the sign of the screen you want for the screenshot. For this purpose, use the trackpad and drag the mouse pointer crosswise from the top-left to the bottom-right or vice versa.

Once you have covered the area successfully, the screenshot will be taken automatically.

Method 3: Taking specifically sized screenshots

To take a screenshot of an area with particular dimensions, follow the under-mentioned instructions carefully.

Step 1: Press the combination of theCommand + Shift + 4”. It will invoke the crosshair that appears on the display screen. 

Here, you can get the pixel width and depth, which is equal to the area of the screen that the crosshair covers.

Step 2: While pressing the mouse button, hit the Space tab. Move the box around the screen until the entire area is covered for taking the screenshot. 

After selecting the area, release the trackpad or mouse button and you can have your Print Screen on Mac.

Method 4: Taking Multiple Screenshots with the Same Dimension

If you capture multiple images having similar sizes, then you are required to set up the crosshair in advance. For this, try to utilize the “Command + Shift + 5” shortcut combination. Here ‘s how to execute this:

  • Firstly, press the Command button along with the Shift and 5 keys. Once you find the crosshair, drag it in order to cover the area of the screen you want for taking the screenshot.
  • Once you cover the area of the screenshot, you will find an option titled “Capture” popping up on the screen. 

So, hit that button to take the screenshot.

Method 5: Taking Screenshot by Using the Touch Bar

MacBook comes up with a feature of “Touch Bar”. By utilizing this feature, you can choose “Entire Screen”, “Selected Portion”, or “Window” after you press the combination of the  Command, Shift and 4 keys. 

On the other hand, by using “Shift + Command + 6” combination, you can take screenshots on the Touch Bar display.

Method 6: Taking Screenshots with Grab 

If you want to take screenshots without using the Mac shortcuts, then you can use this “Grab” application. It is a built-in program that comes up with every version of Mac. 

This will allow users to create screenshots directly from the menu bar. Hence, to proceed with this, you can follow the instructions cited in the below section.

Step 1: Go to the Finder and invoke the Applications. Once the Applications folder opens, look for the Utilities from the list. Then tap on it to open the menu.

Step 2: Under the Utility menu, search for the “Grab” program. Once the Grab application initiates, its icon will pop up on your dock. You can also pin this icon to get quick access later.

Moreover, you can utilize the keyboard shortcuts or the Capture menu to take a screenshot on Mac successfully.

Method 7: Taking Screenshots by Utilizing Preview

Preview is popular for viewing PDF, photos, and other files and folders. However, Print Screen on Mac is a hidden feature that you implement using this feature.

Firstly, invoke the Preview application and choose the files and folders in the menu bar. Now, hit the drop-down menu and choose “From window” or “From entire screen” option. 

Although the shortcut methods are easily accessible, you can still take a proper screenshot by using the Preview feature. Before saving the screenshots, you can also modify or edit the screenshots with the Preview.

When you take a screenshot on a Mac device, It will be forwarded to the time-stamped or clipboard. After this, it will be saved on the device as a PNG file depending on the procedure you use to take the screenshot. 

Hence, you can easily utilize the feature of Print Screen on your Mac by following any of the above-discussed methods.  

Frequently Asked Questions

 

  • Does Mac have a Snipping Tool?

 

Mac devices come with a useful application similar to the “Snipping Tool”. This tool is named “Grab”, with which users can easily take screenshots.

 

  • Where is the Snipping Tool Situated on a Mac?

 

Grab utility is available in the Application section. To access this, navigate to the Finder>Application>Utilities>Grab.

Otherwise, press COMMAND-SHIFT-3 to take the entire screen of the Desktop. Also, you can press the Command button along with the Shift and 4 functions key. This will allow you to take the screenshot for the selected part.

 

  • How do you Snip and Paste on a Mac?

 

Press the combination of Command + Shift + 4 to launch the screenshot selection tool. Press the Control button and make your selection by utilizing the trackpad or mouse. Then select the document and press Command + V to paste it on your desired place.

 

  • How do I find my Screenshots on my Mac?

 

On the Mac keyboard, press Command + Shift + 3. Thereafter, locate the screenshot you took from the available list.

 

  • How to Modify where Screenshots are Saved on Mac?

 

Open the Spotlight and write “terminal” to initiate the Terminal app. Type “defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg”. Don’t press the Enter key yet. At the end of the command, enter the default location. Further, write “killall SystemUIServer” and hit the Enter key.

 

  • How do I Organize my Mac Screenshots?

 

Invoke the Finder, one with your device and another with the screenshot folder. Re-sort the desktop window by name, then scroll down to the initial one titled “Screenshot”. Tap on it and while pressing the Shift key, scroll to the last screenshot report. Hit it again and drag the file accordingly to the screenshot window.

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Nathaniel Villa
Nathaniel Villa
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