How to screenshot on mac and crop
Capturing screenshots on a Mac has never been easier, thanks to the built-in tools that come with the operating system. Whether you want to capture the entire screen, a window, or a specific portion of it, Mac offers a variety of options to cater to your needs. Additionally, cropping the captured screenshot is a simple task that can be done effortlessly using the native tools. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to take screenshots on a Mac and how to crop them afterwards.
To capture the entire screen
If you want to screenshot the entire screen on your Mac, simply press the Command (⌘) + Shift + 3 keys simultaneously. The screenshot will be saved as a PNG file on your desktop. If you would prefer to save it to the clipboard instead, press the Control key in addition to the above key combination.
To capture a specific window
If you only want to screenshot a specific window on your Mac, follow these steps. First, select the window you wish to capture. Then, press the Command (⌘) + Shift + 4 keys simultaneously. Your cursor will change to a crosshair. Move the crosshair to the top-left corner of the desired window and click and drag to cover the entire window. Release the mouse button to capture the window.
To capture a custom portion of the screen
If you want to capture a specific portion of the screen, Mac has got you covered. First, press the Command (⌘) + Shift + 4 keys simultaneously. Then, the cursor will change to a crosshair. Move the crosshair to the starting point of the desired capture and click and drag to select the portion you want to capture. Once you have made your selection, simply release the mouse button to capture the desired portion.
Learn How to Screenshot on Mac and Crop
If you’re a Mac user, you might find it useful to know how to take screenshots and crop them quickly and easily. Whether you want to capture a specific region of your screen or the entire screen, Mac has built-in tools that allow you to do this efficiently.
- To take a screenshot of your entire screen, simply press the Command + Shift + 3 keys simultaneously. The screenshot will be saved as a file on your desktop by default.
- If you only want to capture a specific region of your screen, press Command + Shift + 4 keys together. As soon as you press these keys, your cursor will change to a crosshair. Use the crosshair to select the desired area. Once you release your mouse or trackpad, the screenshot will be saved on your desktop.
- For even more control, you can use Command + Shift + 4, followed by the spacebar. This will allow you to capture a specific window or menu on your screen. Move your cursor over the desired window or menu and click on it. The screenshot will be saved on your desktop as a file.
Now that you know how to take screenshots on your Mac, let’s learn how to crop them. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide:
- First, double-click on the screenshot file on your desktop to open it. The image will open in the Preview app by default.
- In the Preview app, click on the “Markup” icon located in the toolbar. It looks like a toolbox.
- Next, select the “Crop” option from the toolbar. It appears as a square with corner handles.
- Use the corner handles of the crop box to adjust the area you want to keep in the screenshot. You can also click and drag the crop box to reposition it.
- Once you have selected the desired area, click on the “Apply” button in the toolbar to crop the screenshot.
- Finally, save the cropped screenshot by clicking on “File” in the menu bar, followed by “Save”. Choose a location on your Mac to save the cropped screenshot.
That’s it! Now you know how to take screenshots on your Mac and crop them using the built-in tools. So go ahead and capture and crop those important moments or images on your screen with ease.
Section 1: Taking a Screenshot on Mac
Mac computers provide a convenient way to take screenshots of your screen or specific areas of your screen. Whether you want to capture an entire webpage, a specific window, or just a selected portion of the screen, Mac offers various methods to meet your needs.
Method 1: Using the Keyboard Shortcuts
One of the quickest ways to take a screenshot on Mac is by using keyboard shortcuts. Here are some commonly used shortcuts:
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Command + Shift + 3 | Takes a screenshot of the entire screen |
| Command + Shift + 4 | Allows you to select an area to screenshot |
| Command + Shift + 4 + Spacebar | Takes a screenshot of a specific window |
To use these shortcuts, simply press the corresponding keys simultaneously. Your screenshots will be automatically saved on your desktop. Note that if you have multiple displays connected to your Mac, the screenshots will be saved as separate files for each display.
Method 2: Using the Screenshot Application
If you prefer a more user-friendly approach, Mac also provides a built-in screenshot application called “Screenshot”. This application offers a graphical user interface for taking screenshots.
To launch the Screenshot application, simply press Command + Shift + 5 on your keyboard. A small toolbar will appear at the bottom of the screen with options to capture the entire screen, a selected portion, or a specific window. You can also choose where to save your screenshots and set a timer if needed.
Section 2: Capturing the Entire Screen
In order to screenshot the entire screen on your Mac, you can use the following keyboard shortcut:
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Command + Shift + 3 | Take a screenshot of the entire screen |
Press and hold down the Command, Shift, and 3 keys simultaneously. You will hear a camera shutter sound confirming that the screenshot has been taken. The screenshot will be saved as a file on your desktop with the name “Screenshot [date] at [time].png”.
If you prefer to copy the screenshot to the clipboard instead of saving it as a file, you can use the following shortcut:
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Command + Control + Shift + 3 | Take a screenshot of the entire screen and copy it to the clipboard |
After using this keyboard shortcut, you can paste the screenshot into any application that allows image pasting, such as an image editor or document editor.
By following these simple steps, you can easily capture the entire screen on your Mac.
Section 3: Capturing a Selected Portion of the Screen
If you want to capture just a specific part of the screen instead of the entire screen, you can use the built-in screenshot tools on your Mac to achieve this easily.
Step 1: Open the Screenshot Toolbar
To begin, press the Command + Shift + 5 keyboard shortcut together to open the screenshot toolbar.
Step 2: Select Capture Area
Once the screenshot toolbar is open, you will see different options for capturing the screen. To capture a selected portion of the screen, click on the “Capture Selected Portion” button.
Step 3: Select and Drag
A crosshair cursor will appear on the screen. Simply click and drag to select the desired area that you want to capture. As you drag, the selected area will be highlighted. Release the click once you have selected the portion you want to capture.
You can also adjust the selected area by dragging its edges or corners, or press the Escape key to cancel the capture process.
Step 4: Save and Edit the Screenshot
After you have selected the desired portion of the screen, the screenshot will automatically be saved as a file on your desktop. You can easily find and access it from there.
If you want to make any edits or crop the screenshot further, you can easily do so using the built-in Markup tools that appear at the bottom of the screen after capturing.
That’s it! You have successfully captured a selected portion of the screen on your Mac and have the screenshot ready for use.
Section 4: Using Shortcuts to Take Screenshots
To quickly take a screenshot on your Mac, you can use special keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts provide a convenient way to capture the content displayed on your screen.
1. To capture the entire screen, press the Command + Shift + 3 keys simultaneously. The screenshot will be saved as a file on your desktop by default.
![how to screenshot on mac [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41cPOcjgNPL._SL160_.jpg)
2. If you want to take a screenshot of a specific area on your screen, press Command + Shift + 4. Your cursor will turn into a crosshair icon. Click and drag to select the desired region, then release the mouse button. The selected area will be captured and saved as a file.
3. For capturing a specific window or menu, use Command + Shift + 4 + Spacebar. Your cursor will turn into a camera icon. Position the camera on the window or menu you wish to capture, then click. The screenshot will be saved as a file.
Remember to use these shortcuts carefully, as they capture the screen immediately when pressed. It’s also worth noting that the screenshots are automatically saved as image files, which can be easily accessed and edited later on.
Section 5: Saving Screenshots to Your Mac
After capturing a screenshot on your Mac, you may want to save it for future use or sharing. Luckily, macOS provides several options for saving screenshots. Read on to learn about the different methods you can use to save screenshots to your Mac.
Using the Save Dialog
One way to save a screenshot is by using the save dialog that appears immediately after capturing a screenshot. When you capture a screenshot, a thumbnail will temporarily appear on the bottom right corner of your screen. Click on the thumbnail to open the screenshot editing options. Then, click on the “Save…” button in the top-right corner of the editing window. A save dialog will open, allowing you to choose the file name, location, and file format for your screenshot. Once you’ve made your selections, click “Save” to save the screenshot to your Mac.
Saving to the Desktop
If you prefer a quicker way to save your screenshots, you can choose to save them directly to your desktop. To do this, follow these steps:
- Capture a screenshot using any of the methods mentioned earlier.
- When the thumbnail appears, click on it to access the screenshot editing options.
- In the top-right corner of the editing window, click on the options button (represented by three dots).
- From the dropdown menu, select “Desktop”.
- Your screenshot will be saved directly to your desktop.
Remember to organize and rename your screenshots to make them easy to find later.
Section 6: How to Crop a Screenshot on Mac
After you have captured a screenshot on your Mac using the methods mentioned earlier, you can easily crop it to focus on specific parts. Cropping allows you to remove unwanted areas and only display the essential content.
Method 1: Using Preview
Follow these steps to crop a screenshot using the Preview app:
- Open the screenshot in the Preview application by double-clicking on its icon.
- Click on the “Markup” symbol (looks like a pencil) located in the upper right corner of the Preview toolbar.
- In the toolbar that appears, click on the “Selection” icon (looks like a rectangle) to initiate the crop function.
- Drag the selection rectangle around the area you want to keep in your screenshot.
- Use the handles on the sides and corners of the selection rectangle to adjust it if needed.
- Click on the “Crop” button on the toolbar to crop the screenshot.
- Finally, save the cropped screenshot by clicking on “File” in the menu bar, selecting “Save” or “Save As,” and choosing a location on your Mac to save it.
Method 2: Using the Edit Tool in Finder
If you prefer using the Finder application to edit your screenshots, you can follow these steps:
- Locate the screenshot on your Mac and select it.
- Right-click on the selected screenshot file and choose “Open With” > “Preview”.
- With the screenshot opened in Preview, click on the “Markup” symbol in the toolbar.
- In the toolbar, select the “Selection” option.
- Drag the selection rectangle around the desired area of the screenshot.
- Adjust the rectangle as necessary using the handles.
- Click on the “Crop” button in the toolbar to finalize the crop.
- Save the cropped screenshot by clicking on “File” in the menu bar, selecting “Save” or “Save As,” and specifying a location on your Mac to save it.
That’s it! You have successfully cropped the screenshot on your Mac using either the Preview app or the Edit tool in Finder. Now you can use the cropped image for your purposes, such as sharing it with others or including it in a presentation.
Harrison Clayton
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