Taking a Screenshot on Mac

Owned by A.J. Newman
Last updated: Oct 23, 2024 by Ashley Mattingly
2 min read

Faculty, students, and staff can take a screenshot on their Mac. 

Taking a Screenshot

Of Your Entire Screen

  1. Press Shift-Command (⌘)-3.

    Image of Shift, Command and 3 keys.

  2. The screenshot is saved as a .png file to your desktop.

Of a Selected Portion of Your Screen

  1. Press Shift-Command (⌘)-4. The pointer will then change to a cross-hair.

    Image of shift, command, and 4 keys.

  2. Move the cross-hair to where you wish to start the screenshot.

  3. Drag to select an area.

  4. While dragging, hold down Shift, Option, or Space bar on your keyboard to change the way the selection moves.

  5. When you've selected the area you want, release your mouse or trackpad button.

  6. To cancel, press the esc (escape) key before you release the button. The screenshot will then save as a .png file to your desktop.

Of a Single Window

  1. Press Shift-Command (⌘)-5. The pointer will then change to a camera symbol.

  2. Move the camera over a window to highlight it.

  3. Click your mouse or trackpad.

  4. To cancel, press the esc (escape) key before you click. The screenshot will then save as a .png file to your desktop.

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