How to take a screenshot on a MacBook. To take a full screenshot, you must
Usually the need to take a screenshot appears when using a tablet or smartphone. However, in some cases, those who use a computer or laptop also need to take a screenshot. At the same time, the hardest thing is for Mac OS users who have switched to using such devices from Windows devices. After all, you can’t take a screenshot on a MacBook using the usual methods familiar from childhood. Not even on an apple keyboard PrtScr keys(Printsreen/printscreen). You need to look for and use other tools to take a screenshot. Let's talk about them further.
The first way is to use a proprietary utility. It's called "Screenshot". To use it to take a screenshot on a Macbook, you need to:
- Launch Finder. Then go to “Programs”.
- Next, click on “Screenshot”. You can also find the icon through Spotlight or Launchpad. Moreover, please note that in the English version of the OS it is called “Grab”.
- The utility menu will open. Go to the “Capture” tab. We choose the option we need. For example, “Screen”. Then the screenshot will include everything that is on the display. If you click on “Window”, the system will only take a snapshot of the window. Everything is extremely clear and simple.
Interestingly, this utility also has a number of tips. They tell the user that they can also take a screenshot using a keyboard shortcut. After all, next to each option for creating a picture (Selected area, Window, Screen, Delayed screen) certain combination buttons
Keyboard shortcut
Another easy way to take a screenshot on an Apple laptop. Ideal in cases where you need to make a screenshot in just a couple of seconds. All you need to do is use one of several hotkey combinations.
As you can see, on a Mac there are many key combinations that can be used to capture a screenshot. Especially when compared with iPad mini or air, where, in fact, only a combination of the “Home” and “On/Off” buttons is used to create screenshots.
For reference! Where are screenshots saved on Mac OS? Usually the screen can be found on the desktop. Typically, the file name contains the date and time. It turns out something like “screenshot 2017-11-07 at 13.39.33.png”. However, if you saved the screenshot to the clipboard (for example, pressed the Control button in various combinations keys), then there will be no file on the desktop.
How else can you take a screenshot in MacBook OS?
You can also turn to third-party applications for help if the described methods do not suit you.
Is it possible to change the location where screenshots are saved?
As we found out earlier, the created screenshots are immediately sent to the desktop. Is it convenient? Not always. What if you need to make a bunch of screenshots. Then we will simply clog up the entire desktop. In this case, it is best to install a new location for the screens.
- Create in “Documents” separate folder. We will save new screenshots into it. Thinking about what to name it? Let it be “Screenshots” (in English).
- Through “Utilities” we open the Terminal. You can also use Spotlight or Finder search.
- Enter “defaults write com.apple.screencapture location” followed by a space “~/Documents/Screenshots”. Click Return.
- It remains to register one more command. This is "killall SystemUIServer". Thus, all changes will take effect. New screenshots on the Mac will automatically “go” to the created “Screenshots” folder.
Literally, a screenshot is a screenshot. For example, in Windows, for this purpose, you need to press the "PrintScreen" key, after which a copy of the contents will be copied to the clipboard; in order to get an image, you need to open an editor (for example, paint) and paste the contents of the buffer and save the image. Since there is no "PrintScreen" button on the Mac, a reasonable question arises - How to take a screenshot/print screen on a Mac? In Mac OS X everything is simpler; a keyboard shortcut is used for this.
For beginners, I’ll tell you a little about how to correctly press a key combination; if several buttons are specified, then the first button is not just pressed, but held, for example, a key combination
So, in order to take a screenshot in Mac OS, use the following keyboard shortcut:
If we add to any of this combination
Change the extension/format of screenshots on Mac.
By default, all screenshots will be saved with the extension .PNG, if you want to change the extension to any of these: JPEG, TIFF, PDF GIF, BMP, PNG, you must launch Terminal and execute the commands (note that the terminal is case sensitive if the command uses capital letter, then you must use capital letters in the terminal):
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type format<указать расширение PNG, JPEG, TIFF, PDF GIF или BMP>
killall SystemUIServer
For example, below is the command that changes the printscreen extension to JPEG
Change where print screens are saved on Mac.
By default, all screenshots are saved to the desktop, which is not very convenient, since it becomes cluttered. It will be more convenient to specify a different folder to save screenshots. To do this, run the commands in the terminal:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location<путь к папке>
killall SystemUIServer
For example, in the Documents folder I made a Screeshot folder and executed the commands, after which all print screens are saved to the Screeshot folder in the Documents directory:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Documents/Screeshot
killall SystemUIServer
Within each operating system It is possible to take screenshots of images. This function convenient when the user needs to quickly capture information from the display and save it. Thanks to screenshots, you don’t have to rewrite information from the site, take pictures of the screen, and so on.
Let's figure out how to take a screenshot on a MacBook using all possible methods. The methods are very different from those built into the Windows operating system, so this material will be extremely useful for beginners.
Shooting options
Depending on the task set by the user, you can take a screenshot on a MacBook in the following areas:
- screenshot of the entire desktop;
- screenshot of the selected part;
- snapshot separate window;
- screenshot of the selected menu;
- screenshot from the panel Touch Bar.
As you can see, the variability is very different from Windows, where such selection can only be achieved using third party programs.
How to take a screenshot on MacBook Air?
On all devices that run the Mac OS operating system, the methods are no different. Therefore, the instructions are suitable, but even for iMac all-in-one PCs. Let's figure out how to take a photo of the entire screen on a MacBook:
- Find the Shift, Command and number 4 keys on the device’s keyboard;
- press them together;
- The finished desktop frame will be automatically saved. It can be found among the remaining files on the desktop are in PNG format. The image will contain all the windows that were on the screen at the time the specified keys were pressed.
Snapshot of the selected part
If you do not need a screenshot of the entire MacBook screen, then this method is suitable for you. With it, you can manually select an area of the screen and capture it as a screenshot. To do this, run the following actions:
- hold down the Shift+Command and number 4 keys on your keyboard at the same time;
- your cursor will change to a crosshair;
- move the cursor to one of the corners of the future image and hold down the mouse button (touchpad);
- drag the cursor over the entire area that needs to be captured;
- release the mouse button;
- The screenshot will be automatically saved on your desktop in PNG format.
To cancel a selected area, you just need to hold down ESC on your MacBook keyboard.
How to make a print screen on a MacBook for a separate window?
If you do not want to manually select an area of a specific window, then use the following method:
- a crosshair will appear on the display again instead of a cursor;
- now press spacebar;
- the crosshair will change to a camera icon;
- hover over the required window;
- click right click mouse or touchpad;
- The file will be saved on your desktop in PNG format.
You can also cancel the creation of a window image on a MacBook using the ESC button.
Menu snapshot
This method is in many ways similar to the previous two. To take a screenshot on a MacBook within one menu, follow these steps in order:
- hold down the Shift+Command+4 buttons;
- then you can manually select the menu area with a crosshair, or click on the space bar;
- in the second case, click the camera icon in the area of the required menu.
You can take a screenshot on a Mac with the Touch Bar using the combination Shift+Command+6.
By default, all screenshots on a MacBook are saved to the desktop.
In order not to clutter up your desktop, but to immediately add a picture to the clipboard, in addition to the specified combinations, hold down Control on the keyboard. Remember that not all programs allow you to take pictures of their windows. You can open images using the standard Preview utility, Safari, and also through third party applications from App Store, designed for viewing and editing images.
Taking a screenshot without a keyboard
If for some reason you do not want to use hotkeys, you can always use special utility Mac OS.
From the Launchpad/Others menu, select the Screenshot utility. It provides similar functionality from its menu.
It is also convenient to use the Spotlight menu to search for a program, using the key combination Command+Spacebar
The lack of a “PrintScreen” button on “Macs,” as MacBook users call them, often confuses beginners who are just starting to master these creations from Apple. Taking a screenshot on a MacBook is actually quite easy, and there are two ways to do it.
The first way to take a screenshot from the screen of such a laptop is using hotkeys. So, if you need to take a screenshot of the entire screen and upload it to a file on your desktop, then the following key combination will be useful to you: “Command” + “Shift” + “3”. If you do not need the entire screen, but only a selected area, then you will need another combination: “Command” + “Shift” + “4”. The same combination, adding a space at the end, will move the selected program window to a file. To save the resulting screenshot to the clipboard, add the “Ctrl” key to the combinations. Information about which combinations perform this function on your MacBook can be found in Settings. To do this, you need to find the “SystemPreferences” section, in it – “Keyboard & Mouse”, and then – “KeyboardShortcuts”.
As you can see, take a screenshot MacBook laptop It’s quite easy – you just need to choose the most convenient method for yourself.
Literally, a screenshot is a screenshot. For example, in Windows, for this purpose, you need to press the "PrintScreen" key, after which a copy of the contents will be copied to the clipboard; in order to get an image, you need to open an editor (for example, paint) and paste the contents of the buffer and save the image. Since there is no "PrintScreen" button on the Mac, a reasonable question arises - How to take a screenshot/print screen on a Mac? In Mac OS X everything is simpler; a keyboard shortcut is used for this.
For beginners, I’ll tell you a little about how to correctly press a key combination. If several buttons are specified, then the first button is not just pressed, but held, for example, the key combination + occurs as follows: press and hold the key, then press the key. If a key combination uses more than two keys, press and hold all the keys in order except the last one, just press it without holding it down.
So, in order to take a screenshot in Mac OS, use the following keyboard shortcut:
+ + + Take a photo of the active window and save it to your desktop.
If you add to any of this combination, the image will be saved to the clipboard. This is convenient if you want to take a screenshot and save it in a document or email. To paste it there, use the keyboard shortcut + .
Change the extension/format of screenshots on Mac.
By default, all screenshots will be saved with the extension .PNG, if you want to change the extension to any of these: JPEG, TIFF, PDF GIF, BMP, PNG, you must launch Terminal and execute the commands (note that the terminal is case sensitive, if the command uses a capital letter, then the terminal must also use a capital letter):
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type format
killall SystemUIServer
For example, below is the command that changes the printscreen extension to JPEG
Change where print screens are saved on Mac.
By default, all screenshots are saved to the desktop, which is not very convenient, since it becomes cluttered. It will be more convenient to specify a different folder to save screenshots. To do this, run the commands in the terminal:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location
killall SystemUIServer
For example, in the Documents folder I made a Screeshot folder and executed the commands, after which all print screens are saved to the Screeshot folder in the Documents directory:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Documents/Screeshot
killall SystemUIServer
If you want to return everything to default, run the commands:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Desktop
killall SystemUIServer
Disable shadows on screenshots.
By default, when creating a screenshot of a separate window, there will be a shadow around it along the entire outline; to disable this shadow when creating a print screen, use the commands:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool true
killall SystemUIServer
Comparison of screenshots with and without shadow.
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To return the shadow, run the commands:
defaults delete com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow
killall SystemUIServer
Sometimes computer owners need to take a screenshot, which is otherwise called a screenshot or photograph. Let's look at how to do this if you own a Mac computer.
How to take a screenshot on Mac using keyboard shortcuts
All operating systems, be it Windows, Linux or MacOS, are equipped with standard means of taking a screenshot. Using regular keyboard shortcuts, you can not only save the information you need as an image, but also do it very quickly, in a matter of seconds. There are several keyboard shortcuts for MacOS, but it will be enough to remember even one that is most convenient for you to speed up your work on the computer.
All keyboard shortcuts used for taking screenshots are described in the settings of your Mac, in System section Preferences/Keyboard&Mouse/Keyboard Shortcuts.
It is worth noting that these combinations are suitable for any version of your Mac OS and any variety of it, be it a MacBook, MacBook Air or iMac. However, these steps can only be performed on native Apple keyboards.
Let's take a closer look at the possibilities of each combination.
Full screenshot
Only part of the screen
In this way, you can also take a snapshot of the program menu. It must first be opened.
A snapshot of a separate program window
To save the image not to a file on the Desktop, but to copy it to the clipboard, additionally press the Control key. For example, to capture part of the screen and save the image to the buffer, press Command + Shift + Control + 4.
At first it seems difficult to remember such a variety of keyboard shortcuts for different cases with different additional conditions. However, after a few practices, your fingers will remember what to do.
How to take a screenshot on Mac: video instructions
Watch the video to clearly understand how to quickly take screenshots on MacOS. In the video, you'll learn how to take pictures using keyboard shortcuts and how to optimize the resulting images so that they take up less space.
Screenshot a screen on a Mac using special programs
In addition to standard keyboard shortcuts, you can get a screenshot for a Mac, MacBook or MacBook Aira using special programs, included with your Mac or downloaded separately.
Grab Utility
This is a built-in utility program with simple functionality to take screenshots. You can open it through the Programs/Utilities menu or through the Spotlight search.
- Launch the program, then select Snapshot from the menu and then the option you need. There are four options available: Selected, Window, Screen, Delayed Screen.
- Click on the desired option, then you will see a notification that you need to click anywhere outside of this message to take a screenshot. Click on the location you want, then select a folder to save the image.
As we can see, the program is very simple, its functions are almost similar to the keyboard shortcuts discussed above.
Program features:
- you can choose a location to save each screenshot after receiving it;
- you can add a cursor image to the snapshot (by default, the cursor is overwritten on screenshots). Adding such an option is done through the program settings menu.
Joxi program
This program is installed separately and has a wider range of features that may be of interest to Mac users in different situations. You can download the program from the official website Joxi.ru.
As you can see, the program’s functions are very diverse, but to take simple screenshots without additional processing, regular keyboard shortcuts are sufficient.
other methods
Another easy way to take a screenshot and save it without using the keyboard and additional utility programs is as follows:
From time to time, when working at a computer, we need to take a screenshot. This could be some information about work, correspondence with a friend, or a funny shot from a game. Explaining to another person how to work with a particular program is also much more convenient with the help of screenshots than solely in words. In the Windows operating system, there are several ways to save an image of the screen or part of it.
But if for some reason you switched from this system to another, then the usual key combinations there are unlikely to have the desired effect. Here we will talk about the popular Mac OS X, which will be further referred to simply as “Mac”. Many users who have recently changed their operating system or are working in it for the first time encounter certain problems. For example, not everyone knows how to take a screenshot on a Mac.
This task is not difficult and has several ways to solve it. As many probably remember, in good old Windows you had to use a special key to capture an image, then open a graphics editor, paste the image from the clipboard there and then save it. In the operating room Mac system the process is very similar, although with some differences. There are two easy ways to take a screenshot on a Mac.
The first uses a built-in utility by default, which is designed specifically for capturing images from the screen. The second method is carried out using a key combination.
So, how to take a screenshot on a MacBook
Let's start with a description of the second method, which is more familiar to former Windows owners. He talks about using a Mac as quickly and simply as possible. For standard photo You can use a combination of so-called “hot keys” throughout the entire screen area. IN in this case This is Command simultaneously with Shift and the number 4. They should be used if you do not need the entire screen, but only a certain part of it. The principle of operation is as follows: first select the required area with the mouse, after which you need to press the specified combination on the keyboard.
If you replace the number in a key combination with 3, then this combination automatically creates a screenshot of the entire screen. One way or another, choose desired area for capture it is not enough for the picture to appear. Now all that remains is to do it. By adding to our Command Shift 4 pressing the space bar, you can take a photo of a specific selected element. This could be a window, a menu, or even an icon, depending on the need. If the cursor changes to a small camera, then everything is done correctly. After left-clicking, the photo will be saved directly to the desktop.
The second way to take a screenshot on a Mac involves using a standard built-in utility. For users who own English language, it has a self-explanatory name - Grab.app. The functionality of the utility is small, but you don’t need much to create pictures. To open it, go to “Programs”, where in the section “ System utilities" located the right application. Let's launch it.
In fact, the main thing desired menu in this program it is called “Snapshot”, it is the fourth in a row. There you can choose what we will photograph: a specific window, the entire screen or only a small part of it. For the latter there is a “Selected” function. Clicking on it allows you to independently select the desired area. The main advantage of this method is the ability to take a screenshot with a delay.
Also to the right of each option are hotkeys that speed up work with Grab.app. A few settings in the utility allow you, for example, to turn off the shutter click sound or make the cursor displayed on the photo. In general, its use is not much different in complexity from a key combination.
IN Lately More and more new users give their preference to Mac OS X and at first it seems not entirely obvious to them how to organize the work of “photographing” a screen image on a Mac, that is, taking a screenshot. In Windows, this operation is carried out by pressing the PrintScreen button; as a result of this action, a copy of the screen is loaded into the clipboard, which later allows you to use this “snapshot” in various graphic editors.
But the lack of obviousness of how to take a screenshot on Mac OS X is a misconception!
In fact, nothing complicated, everything is logical and understandable.
How to take a screenshot on macbook?
There are two simple ways to take a screenshot on a MacBook, and we will talk about them.
For the vast majority of actions in Mac OS, the system provides so-called hot keys and you just need to know their combinations in order to perform the action you need. Knowing the combinations for common actions at work will significantly increase the productivity of your work on a Mac.
Let's take a screenshot on a Mac!
For example, you need to take a screenshot of everything that is shown on the display, to do this, press shift + command + 3, but if you need to copy only part of the screen image, press shift + command + 4. In both the first and second cases, the copied image will be displayed on the desktop table ( png format). Agree, it’s very fast, without opening any editor, without separately adjusting the image size, you get a ready-made saved file after just pressing a given key combination.
How to take a screenshot of a selected area on a Mac?
If you need to record a copy of the image not as a file, but save it to the clipboard for later use, then in this case appropriate combinations are provided. Clicking shift keys+ control + command +3 You will receive a screenshot of everything that is shown on the screen and automatically load it into the clipboard without saving it to a file, but if you need to save not the entire screen image to the clipboard, but only part of it, select the combination shift + control + command + 4.After which, using any graphic editor, as well as Pages or Word and by pressing command + v, you can paste the image from the buffer wherever needed. The same result can be obtained using the menu - edit -> paste.
But, if you are used to doing everything with the mouse and do not want to press hot keys, then a standard one has been developed especially for you. Mac utility OS X - Grad. You can launch it using spotlight (Mac search function). To do this, write “grab” there or use the folder with system utilities:
Having good functionality The Grab program is quite simple and straightforward. Take a look at the main menu of the program:
It’s really nothing complicated. Each of the four “image shooting” modes has its own hotkey combinations:
Selection (selected area)- shift + command + a - used to create a snapshot of the selected part of the image
Window (active window)- shift + command + w - used to create a snapshot of any of the windows present on the screen
Screen- command + z - used to take a screenshot
Timed Screen (screenshot by timer)- shift + command + z - allows you to take a screenshot of the image on the screen with a time delay. By pressing the timer start button, a delay of 10 seconds begins to count down, during which you can set up the screen for shooting.
At the end of the “photographing” process, the resulting image will be displayed in the grab window and you can easily save it in the location you need.
It should be noted that grab allows you to process multiple images simultaneously. You can do several various screenshots and comparing them with each other, choose the most outstanding one. Using grab, you can also copy pictures to the clipboard using the command + c combination.
We continue to write new useful tips for beginners Mac users OS X
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Every PC user sooner or later encounters this computer task like taking a screenshot. The keyboards of computers and laptops running the Windows operating system have special key“Print Screen”, responsible for taking a screenshot of a separate fragment or web page. There is no such key on Apple computers. A reasonable question arises, how to take a screenshot on a mac. There are several ways to do this.
Keyboard shortcut
Solve the problem of, how to take a screenshot on a mac special keyboard commands will help.
To take a full screenshot you need to:
To create a screenshot of the selected fragment you need:
To create a screenshot of a separate window you need to:
Screenshot program (Grap.app)
A novice user often faces the question: how to take a screenshot on a mac. You can use standard utility"Screenshot". To do this you will need:
Changing the default settings for created screenshots:
All settings of the created pictures or screenshots (location, format, name), set by default, can be changed using the Terminal utility. To do this you need:
Paparazzi program
Solve the problem of, how to take a screenshot on a mac, or rather, the Paparazzi utility will help you take a snapshot of the entire web page. To do this you need:
If you wish, you can also use others designed for creating screenshots on a Mac (Skitch, Monosnap, Share Bucket, Jing, etc.).
Comments
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Hello!
Please tell me how I can contact you about cooperation with Surfingbird?
Thank you!
Thanks for the information, I didn’t even realize that there were so many different possibilities. I personally use the SSmaker program.