This is how you take and edit screenshots on the Mac

Mac screenshots: These are your options

You can take a screenshot of all or part of the screen on your Mac. You can also determine where the screenshots are saved and what file type (jpg, png, pdf or tiff) they are.

• Whole screen
• Partial screen
• A window
• Take a screenshot and paste it immediately
• Dimensions
• File type
• Location
• Edit screenshot

Mac screenshot of entire screen

To take a screenshot of the entire Mac screen, press the Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + 3 keys at the same time. In the bottom right corner you will see a thumbnail of your screenshot. You don’t have to do anything with this, because your screenshot is saved to your desktop by default. You can click on it to edit the screenshot. You can read how to do that later in this article. You can also drag the thumbnail directly somewhere to share or save it somewhere.

Mac screenshot of partial screen

Taking a screenshot of part of the screen can be useful when you don’t want to capture the entire screen, but only a specific part. You do this as follows:

1. Hold down Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + 4. The mouse changes into a crosshair with numbers. These are the coordinates on the screen.
2. You can then drag the cursor by holding down your left mouse button (1 finger on a trackpad). This creates a gray area on the screen. The numbers in the bottom right of the window are the dimensions of the screenshot.
3. When you release the mouse, a screenshot will be taken.

Mac screenshot of one window

With the above method it is quite difficult to take a screenshot of one window. You then have to ensure that the gray area is exactly the same size as the window and that is quite a hassle. Fortunately, it can also be easier and more beautiful.

1. Hold down Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + 4. The cursor changes to a crosshair with numbers.
2. Press the space bar. A camera will now appear on the screen.
3. Place the camera/cursor on the window you want to take a screenshot of. The selected window is highlighted.
4. Click on the appropriate window to take the screenshot.

It is also possible to omit the corresponding shadow from your screenshot. This is practical, for example, if you have little space on a page or document where you want to place it or if it is not in line with the style you are using. To remove the shadow, open the Terminal app and enter the command below:

"defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool true"

To get the shadow back later, enter the same command, but with false instead of true. Please note: the shadow is not clearly visible in all file formats. We recommend PNG.

Take a screenshot and paste it immediately

Do you want to quickly take a screenshot to share with someone, but you don’t necessarily have to save it? This can be done with a simple trick. If you hold down the control key while taking a screenshot, the screenshot will go directly to your clipboard. It doesn’t matter whether you use the left or right control key. Of CMD + V you can then paste it into an email, for example.

It might be a bit strange to do, because you won’t see a thumbnail screenshot at the bottom right of your screen this way. If you have your sound turned off, you have to trust that the image has been taken. Please note that a screenshot you take this way will not be saved to your Mac and will disappear as soon as you copy something else.

A way to take standard screenshots that go directly into your clipboard can be found in the Screenshot app. By default, this is located in the Other folder in the Apps folder on your Mac. When you open this app, you can click Options at the bottom of the screen. Then select Clipboard and you can close the app.

Resize Mac screenshot

There is a way to easily resize the screenshot before you actually take the screenshot. You do this as follows:

1. Hold down Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + 4. The mouse cursor changes into a crosshair.
2. Now select the area you want to take a screenshot of
3. Hold down your mouse and press the shift key (⇧). Press and hold this key. You can now adjust the size of the gray area vertically or horizontally.
4. To switch between horizontal and vertical, release the Shift key (⇧) and then press it again. Now you can adjust the other side.

It is also possible to move the gray area by holding down the space bar and dragging the mouse. If you want to quickly increase or decrease the area of ​​your screenshot, hold down the Alt key. It may take some getting used to, but it will make you a real screenshot pro.

Customize Mac screenshot file type

Screenshots are saved as PNG files by default on the Mac. If you don’t like this, you can easily adjust it. You can choose from: JPG, PNG, PDF or TIFF. You must adjust this manually via the Terminal.

To change the file type of screenshots:

1. Open the Terminal program.
2. Enter the following command here:

   "defaults write com.apple.screencapture type "

3. After ‘type’ enter the file format. Press Enter.
4. Your screenshots will now be taken in the different format. Doesn’t that happen? Then restart your Mac.

Adjust Mac screenshot location

By default, the screenshots are saved to the desktop. For example, you can change this location to the Downloads folder as follows:

1. Press Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + 5. A screenshot settings menu will appear.
2. Click Options and select a location.
3. Take the screenshot. From now on, they will always be saved at the chosen location.

Do you have a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar? Then you can also use Command (⌘) + Shift (⇧) + 4 (possibly with space). A text saying Save to will appear on your Touch Bar. You can also determine a location here.

Edit screenshots immediately after taking them

After taking a screenshot, you can edit it immediately. You don’t need a separate app if you just want to annotate or add something small. Think of your signature, a text, a shape, etc. This is how you edit your screenshots:

1. Take a screenshot.
2. Click on the thumbnail screenshot at the bottom right of your screen.
3. Use the annotation tools at the top of the window to your heart’s content.
4. Click Done at the top right.

After editing, your screenshot will be saved to the desktop or another location if you have set it so. You can edit screenshots on your iPhone in a similar way. Check out our tip to learn how that works.