Often times we would want to capture screenshots to take quick notes from any website or maybe a scene from a movie, or anything that you want to store for referring to later. Previously we had written about how to take screenshots on a windows computer, and now in this article, we will explain to you easy ways to take screenshots on Macbook and Mac desktop.
- Related: How to Take Screenshot on Windows Computer
- Related: How to Take Screenshot on iPhone
Method #1: Shift + Command + 3 (captures Entire Screen as Image file)
This method captures the whole screen and saves it as an image file. To capture the entire screen as a screenshot, press Shift + Command + 3. The screenshot will be saved on your desktop as a .PNG image file. While capturing the screenshot, you will hear a shutter sound, and you will also see a screenshot thumbnail at the bottom of your screen for a few seconds.
If you click on the screenshot thumbnail, which is visible for a few seconds at the bottom of your screen after you capture the screenshot, the screenshot image will open in an editor.
You can also change your file format from .PNG to other image formats as per your requirement.
Method #2: Shift + Command + 4 (captures Part of the Screen as Image file)
This method captures a part of the screen and saves it as an image file. To capture a part of your screen as a screenshot, press Shift + Command + 4. The pointer will turn into crosshairs, use this to select the part of the screen to be captured. Just click and drag the region that you want to capture and once you release the pointer, the screenshot will be captured and saved to the desktop as a .PNG image file.
You can drag the selection by holding down the Spacebar.
If your want to cancel the selection, just press the Esc button.
This method saves the screenshot to the clipboard, which can be then pasted to any document or image editor. If you don’t need the image file, then you can use the Control button along with one of the above methods and capture the screenshot to the clipboard. Use of one these shortcuts:
Control + Shift + Command + 3: This will capture the entire screen into clipboard.
Control + Shift + Command + 4: This will capture the selected part of the screen to the clipboard.
Once the screenshot is captured to the clipboard, you can then by clicking Command + V, you can paste it into any document or image editor for further processing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Where is the Screenshot Image file saved?
Answer: On Mac, the default save location for screenshots is the Desktop, so you will find your screenshot image file on the desktop.
Question: Which file format is the screenshot image saved in?
Answer: On Mac, the screenshots are by default saved as a .PNG file format.
