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10 Methods on How to Screenshot on Mac

by Kayla Morrison • 2024-11-08 17:42:12 • Proven solutions

Sometimes your workflow might require you to take screenshots on Mac from time to time. It might be that you’re preparing a software demo, or you want to take a thumbnail image for YouTube. Luckily, there are various methods of how to screenshot on Mac without losing image quality. So, sit tight, and let’s learn how to take a screenshot on a Mac with some easy keyboard shortcuts.

Part 1. Top 3 ways to screenshot on Mac easily and quickly
Part 2. 7 useful screenshot tools for Mac

Part 1. Top 3 ways to screenshot on Mac easily and quickly

Because Mac’s Print Screen key is not as straightforward as that of PCs, you might need some guidance to take a screenshot on Mac. So, here are the three popular methods of how to print screen on Mac effortlessly:

Method 1: Capture a full screen.

Taking a screenshot on your MacBook or MacBook Pro is as simple as 1,2,3. Simply apply these steps:

Step 1: On your keyboard, long-press the Shift, Command, and 3 simultaneously.

Step 2: Once you see a thumbnail at the screen’s corner, tap it to begin editing the screenshot.

Note: If you want to copy the screenshot to the clipboard, press Command + Shift + 3 + Control.

how to capture a full screen on Mac

Method 2: Capture a portion/window/menu of the screenshot.

Here are the steps to capture a section of your screen:

Step 1: Long-press the Shift, Command, and 4 simultaneously.

Step 2: On the resulting cropper, drag the crosshair to choose a portion of the window that you’d like to capture. Remember to long-press the Space bar while cropping.

Step 3: To finish up, release the mouse.

how to capture a portion screen on Mac

Method 3: Capture screenshots at a defined time.

For taking timed screenshots, you’ll need to use Grab. However, macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later don’t come with this tool. In this method, you’ll have a 10-second delay to prepare the stage before taking the screenshot.

Step 1: Open the Finder and then choose the Applications before you double-click the Utilities folder. Now choose the Grab.

Step 2: After launching Grab, open the Capture menu and select the Timed Screen option. You can also click the Command + Shift + Z to launch the Timed Screen Grab dialog.

Step 3: Finally, click the Start Timer button and begin preparing to take a screenshot. It’s that simple!

Part 2. 7 useful screenshot tools for Mac

In this section, we’re going to have an overview of some cool third-party snipping tools for Mac to create high-quality screenshots easily.

1. CleanShot X

URL: https://setapp.com/apps/cleanshot

CleanShot X is a simple yet powerful screen recording app tailor-made for Mac computers. The user interface is clean and uncluttered, so you don’t have to deal with desktop icons scattered all over the place. With it, you can grab a full screen, a specific area, or a scrolling window. You can also hide desktop icons before capturing the screenshot or set a timer, just like with the native Grab method. What’s best, CleanShot X allows you to annotate, blur, and highlight screenshots with its inbuilt editor.

CleanShot X

Pros:

3Clean UI.
Hide desktop icons.
Inbuilt screenshot editor.
30-day free CleanShot Cloud storage.

Cons:

$9.99 per month.
Measly 7-day trial period.

2. CloudApp

URL: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cloudapp/id417602904?mt=12

CloudApp is a free screen recording app for Mac, Windows, and iOS platforms. Unlike with CleanShot, you’ll get an extended 14-day trial period, after which the app will be free to use forever. Surprisingly or interestingly, the free version offers all the necessary features that you will need for your screenshotting tasks. To make it better, CloudApp has one of the best customer support you can find.

CloudApp

Pros:

Clean UI.
Helpful customer support.
Excellent free trial version.
Compatible with Mac, PC, and iOS.

Cons:

Slow to load up.
Rushed time limit.

3. Techsmith Capture

URL: https://www.techsmith.com/jing-tool.html

Techsmith Capture is another simple way to take basic screen recordings and screenshots on your Mac. With it, users can take full-screen screenshots or regional images and edit them with annotation tools like rectangle, arrow, size control, and more. Also, it allows users to share their screenshots to TechSmith Knowmia or Screencast account directly.

Techsmith Capture

Pros:

Easy to use.
Nice editing options.
Free app.
Modernized UI.

Cons:

MacOS 10.13 or later.
Limited features.

4. LightShot

URL: https://app.prntscr.com/en/

LightShot is one of the most popular methods to capture screenshots on Mac without losing quality. It’s a lightweight app but packs in lots of powerful features. After taking a screenshot, LightShot allows you to edit it by adding colors, text, annotations, and many more. But what makes LightShot stand out from the crowd is its ability to take screenshots in quick succession. In fact, it’s the only program on this list that can do that.

LightShot

Pros:

Print screenshots.
Upload photos to Prntscr.com.
Simple UI.
Take screenshots in quick succession.

Cons:

No capture modes.
Lack of advanced editing tools.

5. Snagit

Credit where it’s due; Snagit is simply on another level when it comes to screen capturing tasks. It comes with a mesmerizing interface and powerful features to match. After capturing screenshots, you can use its editing functions to add blur, color, text, arrows, and so much more. The flexibility of this app is also impressive because you can take an entire screen, a specific app/window, or a particular region. However, you must part with at least $50 to unlock its full features.

Snagit

Pros:

Simple to use.
Multiple features.
Flexible UI.
Free version available.

Cons:

Cumbersome video editing.
Costly subscription.

6. Skitch

URL: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/skitch-snap-mark-up-share/id425955336?mt=12

If you want to capture screenshots hassle-free on your Mac, check out Skitch. It’s a simple, elegant, and effective snipping tool for all mobile and desktop platforms. With Skitch, you can easily apply shapes, text, arrows, color, blur, and highlights on your screenshot image. You can also select whether to screenshot a full screen or a specific area. The only drawback is the limited number of colors.

Skitch

Pros:

Simple and minimalistic UI.
Seamless integration with Evernote.
Supports multiple image formats.
Multiple editing features.

Cons:

Can’t save before quitting.
Limited colors available.

7. Greenshot

URL: https://getgreenshot.org/

Everybody loves freebies, and that’s precisely what you’ll get with Greenshot. With it, you’ll enjoy a collection of features such as hotkey combinations, an image editor, and the ability to export screenshots directly to cloud-based programs like Dropbox, Imgur, Picasa-Web, or even your printer. Also, Greenshot allows you to save images in several formats, including PNG, JPEG, BMP, and GIF.

Greenshot

Pros:

Open-source program.
Simple to use.
Allows annotating.
Exports to cloud-based programs.

Cons:

No regular updates.
Outdated UI.

Conclusion

These are the best methods of how to screenshot on Mac. You can use your computer’s hotkey combinations to capture screenshots and then edit them in an inbuilt program like Photos. Another option is to use third-party apps that have their own photo editors. And of course, feel free to let me know if your favorite screenshot app didn’t appear on our list.

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