Screenshots are sort of an essential tool for current times. Whether you are using it for photo editing or sharing images with another, you can now easily take screenshots of any important messages before it disappears.
So, if you recently shifted from Windows to Mac and have no clue about how to print a screen on a MacBook Pro, then you are in the right place. Today’s generation is aware of every version of the Macbook and its abilities.
For those who didn’t discover a way how to print screen on a MacBook pro. This article is for them. Here you will know all about how to print screen on a MacBook pro quickly and correctly step by step.
Let’s get started.
Overview of Mac Print Screen Basics
Nevertheless, they feature a couple of keyboard shortcuts and programs that can help you print the photo you want. These are simple and quick-to-understand instructions.
Capturing screenshots will become second nature once you’ve mastered this technique.
Regardless, there are several methods for capturing the screen of a Macbook. When you continue reading this article, you’ll realize that third-party apps offer even more options. Let’s have a look at what works better for you.
How to Print Screen on a MacBook Pro
The fastest and simplest way to take screenshots on a Macbook is to use shortcut keys. Either you’re taking the full screen or just a section of it. You can use a keyboard shortcut to copy screenshots to the clipboard instead of saving them to the screen by default.
Use the following keyboard shortcuts to take screenshots of the entire screen:
Method 1:
- To take a screenshot of your full screen, hold the Command + Shift + 3 keys at the same time.
- Now, a print of your complete MacBook Pro screen is revealed immediately at the bottom right of your screen before being stored on your desktop.
- It is generally all you need in the vast majority of situations. In the unlikely event that you only needed a fraction of the screen, you can edit the screenshot in an image editor and erase it.
Use the following keyboard shortcuts to take screenshots of a selected area:
Method 2:
- To take a screenshot of any particular area, hold the Command + Shift + 3 keys at the same time.
- Drag the crosshair across the screen to choose the area to take.
- Hold down the Space bar as sliding to shift the selection. Hit the Esc (Escape) key to stop the print from being taken.
Emit the mouse or trackpad key on the keyboard to take a screenshot. - You can edit the screenshot from the thumb line or wait for it to save on the desktop.
Use the following keyboard shortcuts to capture a single window:
Method 3:
- To make your cursor a crosshair, click the Command + Shift + 4 keys at the same time.
- Hold down the Spacebar. The cursor will transform into a camera icon.
- A light blue tint appears over each window you mouse on. The picture is saved to your desktop after you tap on the window you would like to take
How to Print Screen on a Macbook Pro With the Touch Bar
If your Macbook has a touch bar system, you can try this method to get the print screen. Follow these steps to get it right.
- Select the Keyboard option from the System Preferences menu.
- Select “Customize Control Panel” from the drop-down menu.
- Pick a good position on the Touch Bar for your screenshot button, drag & drop it there, then save the adjustments.
Thankfully, now you can just use the touch bar to print the screen. Moreover, a screen capture option will appear when you press the snapshot icon. To change where your screenshots are stored, click “Save To.”
Choose between capturing the entire screen, a detailed description, or a window. Then quickly pass your mouse over the display to take a picture.
Download the Screenshot Software
You should be able to use the Screenshot software if you’re running macOS Mojave or higher. Additionally, there are options for saving, displaying the pointer, and other features.
- This software can get accessed by going to the Other category on the Launchpad, although keyboard shortcuts are more convenient.
Method 1:
To open the Screenshots panel, click the Command + Shift + 5 keys at the same time, then pick your target image — Full Screen, Specified Window, or Targeted Area. The final picture goes to the desktop by default.
Using Preview to Take a Print Screen
Preview is the standard program for opening various types of files, including photographs and PDFs. It contains a number of lesser-known functions, like the ability to modify photographs by selecting the toolkit icon. Preview also takes screenshots.
Step 1: Choose Applications from the left-hand menu in the pen Finder.
Step 2: To launch the program, double-click Preview.
Step 3: From the app’s menu bar, select File.
Step 4: Hold your mouse over capturing screenshots and choose from the drop-down list whether you want to take a screenshot from a choice, a window, or the whole screen.
If you compare the keyboard and preview both, the keyboard is easier. Although in preview, you can choose where to save the screenshots.
Using Grab to Take a Print Screen
Find it difficult to memorize keyboard shortcuts? You can take screenshots right from the toolbar with Grab. Also, you can take a little time screenshots with the program, which comes in handy if you need to prepare the ground before taking a picture on your screen.
Grab is not available if you’re running macOS Catalina or later. The Command + Shift + 5 key configurations currently control its functions.
Step 1: Choose Apps from the left-hand menu in Finder.
Step 2: Select Grab when you double-click the Utility folder.
Step 3: You’ll see a Grab icon on the dock when you’ve launched the app; you may bookmark this icon for future reference. Grab doesn’t have many windows when it’s active, and it is controlled virtually exclusively by its menu bar.
Step 4: To snap screenshots, both utilize the Capture navigation bar or the keyboard keys listed beside each command.
What Is the Best Way to Save a Print Screen to the Clipboard on a MacBook?
We’ve explained to you how to capture a screenshot on Mac using different methods. You can save a screenshot to Clipboard by pressing any of the steps while holding down the Ctrl (Control) tab.
- Click Command + Shift + 3 or 4 or Command + Shift + 4 + space at the same time.
By clicking Control + V after saving the screenshot to Clipboard, you can put it into any text file, email, or anyplace else. You’re basically pasting it in the same way that you would a copied word.
How to Change Your Macbook’s Screenshot Capture File Format
You might just have discovered that screenshots are stored as PNG files if you tried a few previously indicated ways. It is fine to utilize this file format in most circumstances since it provides better graphics performance.
Even yet, if you’re using a MacBook Pro Retina or another 4K display, you’ll see that screenshots can be as large as 5-8MB, which is too huge to share multiple images through email.
It can get fixed by using a simple console function to alter the standard file type for screen grabs. The Console, which you can find in Applications -> Facilities, comes with every Mac OS X setup.
Alternatively, you can browse “Terminal” to discover it more quickly.
PNG, PDF, GIF, TIFF, and JPG are all supported by this OS X feature. We’ll use JPG instead of PNG because it’s more widespread and produces a smaller picture.
What Is the Best Way to Share the MacBook Print Screen?
Now that you have screenshots of your desired images, you can share these with your friends, colleagues, or anybody.
You may use a service like Dropshare instead of emailing files back and forth or uploading everything to Google Drive. It allows you to share screenshots (and other files) by simply dropping them into the appropriate location, as the names indicate.
Bottom line
I hope you get all your answers regarding how to print screen on a MacBook pro. These methods above might be difficult to follow, but there are other easier options that we already mentioned.
You can now personalize your screenshots, specify the screen region, and edit them after taking them. For the average person, the feature set is suitable.
You might want to utilize third-party screenshot software if you want further extensive functionality. These programs allow more flexibility over your print screen by modifying them more easily, storing them in the cloud, and sharing them with others.