Use the Screenshot toolbar
To view the Screenshot toolbar, press these three keys together: Shift, Command, and 5. You will see onscreen controls for recording the entire screen, recording a selected portion of the screen, or capturing a still image of your screen:
Record the entire screen
- Click in the onscreen controls. Your pointer changes to a camera .
- Click any screen to start recording that screen, or click Record in the onscreen controls.
- To stop recording, click in the menu bar. Or press Command-Control-Esc (Escape).
- Use the thumbnail to trim, share, save, or take other actions.
Record a selected portion of the screen
- Click in the onscreen controls.
- Drag to select an area of the screen to record. To move the entire selection, drag from within the selection.
- To start recording, click Record in the onscreen controls.
- To stop recording, click in the menu bar. Or press Command-Control-Esc (Escape).
- Use the thumbnail to trim, share, save, or take other actions.
In macOS Mojave or later, you can also set a timer and choose where screenshots are saved with the Screenshot app. To open the app, press and hold these three keys together: Shift, Command, and 5. Learn more about the Screenshot app. Some apps, such as the Apple TV app, might not let you take screenshots of their windows.
Trim, share, and save
After you stop recording, a thumbnail of the video appears briefly in the lower-right corner of your screen.
- Take no action or swipe the thumbnail to the right and the recording is automatically saved.
- Click the thumbnail to open the recording. You can then click to trim the recording, or click to share it.
- Drag the thumbnail to move the recording to another location, such as to a document, an email, a Finder window, or the Trash.
- Control-click the thumbnail for more options. For example, you can change the save location, open the recording in an app, or delete the recording without saving it.
Change the settings
Click Options in the onscreen controls to change these settings:
- To take a screenshot of a specific window or menu, press Shift+Command+5 and the pointer will change into a camera icon. Move the camera over the a window to highlight it, then click to save the.
- Screenshot tools for Mac have always been easy to use, yet somewhat rudimentary. An options drop-down menu allows you to choose where to save screenshots, set up a timer, and other settings.
- Screenshot a dropdown menu Follow the steps to capture a dropdown menu on Mac: First, open the menu and then, use 'Command + Shift + 4' keys at the same time, and next, drag the cross to the region of the menu. Now, release the mouse to screenshot the region, and next, use the Space key to alter the pointer to a camera.
- 7 Best Ways to Take a Screenshot on a Mac. Mac may not have an easy way to take screenshots but that doesn't mean that there aren't any. We did a bit of extensive research on it and came up with some of the best ways to screenshot Mac which includes taking a screenshot of full screen, capturing a selected portion of the screen, taking a screenshot of a specific window, capturing a menu.
- Save to: Choose where your recordings are automatically saved, such as Desktop, Documents, or Clipboard.
- Timer: Choose when to begin recording: immediately, 5 seconds, or 10 seconds after you click to record.
- Microphone: To record your voice or other audio along with your recording, choose a microphone.
- Show Floating Thumbnail: Choose whether to show the thumbnail.
- Remember Last Selection: Choose whether to default to the selections you made the last time you used this tool.
- Show Mouse Clicks: Choose whether to show a black circle around your pointer when you click in the recording.
Use QuickTime Player
- Open QuickTime Player from your Applications folder, then choose File > New Screen Recording from the menu bar. You will then see either the onscreen controls described above or the Screen Recording window described below.
- Before starting your recording, you can click the arrow next to to change the recording settings:
- To record your voice or other audio with the screen recording, choose a microphone. To monitor that audio during recording, adjust the volume slider. If you get audio feedback, lower the volume or use headphones with a microphone.
- To show a black circle around your pointer when you click, choose Show Mouse Clicks in Recording.
- To record your voice or other audio with the screen recording, choose a microphone. To monitor that audio during recording, adjust the volume slider. If you get audio feedback, lower the volume or use headphones with a microphone.
- To start recording, click and then take one of these actions:
- Click anywhere on the screen to begin recording the entire screen.
- Or drag to select an area to record, then click Start Recording within that area.
- To stop recording, click in the menu bar, or press Command-Control-Esc (Escape).
- After you stop recording, QuickTime Player automatically opens the recording. You can now play, edit, or share the recording.
Learn more
- The Screenshot toolbar is available in macOS Mojave or later.
- When saving your recording automatically, your Mac uses the name 'Screen Recording date at time.mov'.
- To cancel making a recording, press the Esc key before clicking to record.
- You can open screen recordings with QuickTime Player, iMovie, and other apps that can edit or view videos.
- Some apps might not let you record their windows.
- Learn how to record the screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
The interest in screenshots has increased steadily since 2009.
And it's no secret that we're big fans of screen capture and screenshots here at TechSmith.
Screenshots (also known as a screen grab or screen capture) are great to grab images from web pages, capture desktop applications, and create program how-tos.
And believe it or not, one of the biggest questions we get is: How do I capture a screenshot?
Well, there are a lot of built-in programs and free tools (Snipping Tool, Mac Grab, etc.) to capture your screen.
But, if you need to take a lot of screenshots and want more flexibility and robust tools, Snagit is a great option.
One of the best parts of capturing your screen with Snagit is that you can show people exactly what you see on your desktop.
Today, I'll show you how to take a screenshot on Windows without the snipping tool and on Mac without the Grab tool.
The complete guide on how to capture screen images
Feel free to use the quick links to jump to the section that you are most interested in.
How to take a screenshot of your entire screen (Windows | Mac)
How to take a screenshot of a selected portion of your screen (Windows | Mac)
How to take a screenshot of a window (Windows | Mac)
How to take a screenshot of a menu (Windows | Mac)
The first thing you'll want to do is download and install your screen capture software.
Capture your screen today!
Download a free trial of Snagit to quickly and easily take screenshots of your computer screen, mark them up, and share them.
If you don't already have Snagit, you can download it for free and try the software for 15 days. Snagit works on both Windows and Mac. So no matter what platform you use it will work on your system.
You can capture your entire screen or only a selected portion of it. The screenshot automatically opens in the Snagit Editor where you can preview, edit, and share the capture.
How to take a screenshot on PC
These methods work with different versions of Microsoft Windows, including Windows 8 and Windows 10.
How to take a screenshot of your entire screen (on Windows 7, 8, and 10)
Step 1: Click the Capture button or Press PrtScn (Print Screen Button).
Step 2: Once the orange crosshairs appear, click the Fullscreen button to capture the full screen.
How to take a screenshot of a selected portion of your screen (on Windows 7, 8, and 10)
Step 1: Open the Capture window.
In the Notifications area, click the red TechSmith Snagit icon to open the Capture window on the screen. If you're in the Snagit editor, click the Capture button in the toolbar to bring up the Capture window.
Step 2: Choose your screen capture settings.
The Capture window gives you a lot of flexibility depending on what type of screen capture you want to take. Grab your entire desktop, a region, or a window with Snagit's All-in-One Capture®. Take a quick image screenshot, or even record a video.
Step 3: Click the Capture button.
Click the Capture button on any tab in the Capture window to start your screen capture. You can also start a capture with the current settings by pressing the PrtScn button (Print Screen), which is the default global capture hotkey. You can also customize and change the global capture hotkey.
Step 4: Click and drag the crosshairs to take a screenshot of the active window.
How to take a screenshot of a window (on Windows on Windows 7, 8, and 10)
Step 1: Click the Capture button or Press PrtScn (Print Screen).
Step 2: Move the cursor over the window to capture. When an orange dashed border appears around the window, click to select the highlighted area.
How to take a screenshot of a menu (on Windows on Windows 7, 8, and 10)
Step 1: First, select the Image tab in the Capture window.
Step 2: Next, select Menu in the Selection dropdown.
Step 3: Select the Delay option and set the number of seconds for the delay. (Optional)
Step 4: Click the Capture button or press PrtScn (Print Screen).
Step 5: Finally, your countdown will begin. Open the desired menu, and move your cursor over the menu to capture.
To save the capture settings for future use, select Add Preset dropdown > New preset from current settings.
How to take a screenshot on a Mac
These methods work with different versions of macOS–10.10 (Yosemite), or higher.
How to take a screenshot of your entire screen (on Mac)
Step 1: Click the Capture button or press Ctrl-Shift-C.
Step 2: Once the orange crosshairs appear, click the Fullscreen button to capture the entire screen.
How to take a screenshot of a selected portion of your screen (on Mac)
Step 1: Open the Capture window.
In the menu bar, click the TechSmith Snagit icon to open the Capture window on the screen. If you're in the Snagit editor, click the Capture button in the toolbar to bring up the Capture window.
Step 2: Choose your screen capture settings.
The Capture window gives you a lot of flexibility depending on what type of screen capture you want to take. Grab your entire desktop, a region, or a window with Snagit's All-in-One Capture®. Take quick image screenshots. Or even record videos.
Step 3: Click the capture button.
Click the Capture button on any tab in the Capture window to start your screen capture. You can also start a capture with the current settings by pressing using the keyboard shortcut Control-Shift-C, which is the default global capture hotkey. You can also customize and change the global capture hotkey.
Step 4: Click and drag the crosshairs to select part or all of your screen.
How to take a screenshot of a window (on Mac)
Step 1: Click the Capture button or press Control-Shift-C.
Step 2: Move the cursor over the window to capture. When an orange dashed border appears around the window, click to select the highlighted area.
How to take a screenshot of a menu (on Mac)
Step 1: First, select the Image tab in the Capture window.
Step 2: Next, select Menu in the Selection dropdown.
Step 3: Select the Delay option and set the number of seconds for the delay. (Optional)
Step 4: Click the Capture button or press Control-Shift-C.
Step 5: Finally, your countdown will begin. Open the desired menu, and move your cursor over the menu to capture.
After you're done, you can save your screenshots or add polish with the image editing features in Snagit. This will you give you a faster and better workflow than just using the print screen key and Microsoft Paint.
Capture your screen today!
Download a free trial of Snagit to quickly and easily take screenshots of your computer screen, mark them up, and share them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I do a screen capture?Snagit is the best screen capture tool you can find. It's perfect if you need to take a lot of screenshots and want more power and flexibility than built-in options.
How do you take a screenshot on Windows?Click the Capture button in Snagit or Press PrtScn (Print Screen). Then, click and drag the crosshairs to select part or all of your screen.
How do I do a screen capture on a Mac?Click the Capture button or press Ctrl-Shift-C. Then, click and drag the crosshairs to select part or all of your screen.
Can I turn screen captures into a video?Snagit now lets you turn screenshots into videos with narration and annotation. Learn how to Create Video from Images.
How do you take a scrolling screenshot?From Snagit's All-in-one tab click the Capture button, move the crosshairs over the window to capture, and click one of the yellow arrows depending on the direction you want to scroll. Snagit captures everything visible in the window and creates a single image that you can edit.
How do I take a screenshot of a menu?First, select the Image tab in the Capture window. Next, select Menu in the Selection dropdown. Select the Delay option and set the number of seconds for the delay. Click the Capture button or press PrtScn (Print Screen). Finally, your countdown will begin. Open the desired menu, and move your cursor over the menu to capture.
How To Take A Screenshot Windows 10
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in 2017 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.