How to Take a Screenshot on a MacBook

How to Take a Screenshot on a MacBook

Taking a screenshot (or ‘screen grab’) on a MacBook is a simple process that can be done in a few steps. By following the easy instructions in this guide, you’ll be able to capture the image that’s currently on your screen and save it for future use.

1. Identify the Content that You Want to Capture

The first step in taking a screenshot on your MacBook is to figure out what content you would like to capture. Whether it’s an entire webpage, an application window, or just a portion of the screen, the content that you want to save should be clearly visible on your screen. This will make it much easier to take the screenshot and ensure that the image you capture is exactly what you wanted.

2. Choose the Screenshot Method

The next step is to decide which screenshot method you would like to use. Depending on the type of content you want to capture and the way you’d like to present it, there are a few ways to take a screenshot on a MacBook. The most common screenshot methods are described below:

• Full-Screen Screenshot: A full-screen screenshot is the most basic type of screenshot and captures the entire contents of your MacBook’s display. To take a full-screen screenshot, use the keyboard shortcut Command (⌘) + Shift + 3. This will take a full-screen screenshot and save the image to your desktop.
• Window Screenshot: A window screenshot captures only the contents of a single window. To take a window screenshot, use the keyboard shortcut Command (⌘) + Shift + 4. When prompted, drag the cursor to select the window you’d like to capture. This will take a screenshot of the chosen window and save the image to your desktop.
• Selection Screenshot: A selection screenshot captures only a specific portion of the display. To take a selection screenshot, use the keyboard shortcut Command (⌘) + Shift + 4. When prompted, drag the cursor to draw a box around the area you’d like to capture. This will take a screenshot of the chosen selection and save the image to your desktop.

3. Take the Screenshot

Once you’ve identified the content you want to capture and decided which screenshot method to use, it’s time to take the actual screenshot. To do this, press the relevant keyboard shortcut for the chosen method (as detailed in step 2) and wait a few seconds for the screenshot to be taken.

If you’ve chosen a window or selection screenshot, you may be prompted to drag the cursor within the window to resize the selection box. As long as this step is completed correctly, the screenshot will be taken and saved to your desktop.

4. Find Your Screenshot

Once the screenshot has been taken, you’ll need to locate the image on your desktop. By default, all screenshots taken on a MacBook are saved as .PNG files and named ‘Screen Shot [date] at [time]’. So, if you’ve taken a screenshot today at 12pm, the filename should be something like ‘Screen Shot 2020-09-15 at 12.00.00 PM.png’.

Once you’ve located the screenshot file, you can double-click on it to open it in preview. From here, you can crop, edit and save the screenshot as needed.

5. Share Your Screenshot

If you’d like to share the screenshot you’ve taken with someone else, you can do so easily by sending them a link to the file. To do this, right-click on the screenshot file and select ‘Share’ from the menu. This will generate a unique link to the file which you can then copy and send to the other person.

If you’d like to share the screenshot on a social media platform, you can upload the file directly from your desktop. Simply click on the relevant icon (e.g. Facebook, Instagram etc.), sign into your account and upload the file as normal.

6. Clean Up Unwanted Screenshots

If you ever find that you have a large number of unwanted screenshots cluttering up your desktop, you can quickly delete them to free up storage space. To do this, select all of the unwanted screenshot files and press ‘Command’ + ‘Delete’ on your keyboard. This will permanently delete all of the selected files from your computer.

Alternatively, you can drag all of the unwanted screenshot files into the ‘Trash’ folder located on your dock. Once all of the disired files are in the Trash, you can empty the folder by pressing ‘Command’ + ‘Shift’ + ‘Delete’ on your keyboard. This will delete all of the files in the Trash and free up storage space on your computer.

Conclusion

Taking a screenshot on a MacBook is a straightforward process that can be done in just a few steps. By following the instructions in this guide, you’ll be able to capture whatever content is currently visible on your screen and save it for future use.