How To Take a Screenshot from Your MacBook

Taking a screenshot from your Mac is pretty straightforward, but it’s not always the same procedure. Depending on what type of Mac you have, how old it is, and what software version it runs, there are a few different ways to do this. Also, some older Mac models don’t support the native screenshot feature at all. However, don’t let this scare you; let us break it down for you!

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Image Source: FreeImages‍

What type of Mac do you have?

There are a few things you should know about your Mac before we begin. First, you’ll need to know what version of macOS your Mac is running. You can check this by clicking on the Apple icon in the top left corner, clicking on About This Mac, and then scrolling down to the Version section.

You’ll also want to know which exact model of Mac you have because some models don’t support taking screenshots the way other models do. To start with, if your Mac has a Retina display, you can take screenshots using the built-in screenshots feature.

If it’s a 2012 or newer model, you can take screenshots with the built-in keyboard shortcuts. If it’s a very old model like a 2011 MacBook Pro, however, you’ll need to use a third-party app to take screenshots. Here are a few different Mac models and the ways you can take screenshots.

How to take a screenshot on a Macbook running macOS

If you have a Retina Macbook running OS X 10.11 or later (macOS Sierra or later), then you have the option of taking a screenshot by either pressing the Shift + Control + 3 buttons on your keyboard at the same time or clicking on the Screenshot icon in the menu bar.

Screenshots on a Retina Macbook To get the screenshot menu on a Retina Macbook, click on the menu bar and select either Shift + Control + 3 to take a screenshot of the full screen, or Shift + Control + 4 to take a screenshot of an area. You’ll notice the screenshot will save to your desktop as a file named “screenshot” with the date and time attached to it.

How to take a screenshot on a MacBook Pro or Air running OS X

To take a screenshot on a MacBook Pro or Air running OS X, press Shift + Control + 3. This will take a screenshot of the full screen and save it to your desktop as a file named “screenshot” with the date and time attached to it. If you want to screenshot just a portion of the screen, hold down Shift and select the corners of the area you want to screenshot.

How to take a screenshot on an older (non-Retina) Mac running OS X

If you have an older non-Retina Mac running OS X, you can click on the Apple icon in the top left corner, select System Preferences, and click on the Keyboard option. Next, click on the Keyboard Shortcuts tab and select the Screen Shots option. From there, you can choose either to press the “control” and “shift” keys at the same time or click on the “screenshot” icon in the menu bar. Whichever option you choose, the screenshot will save to your desktop as a file named “screenshot” with the date and time attached to it.

How to take a screenshot with Grab

Grab is a third-party screenshot app that’s available on both Mac and Microsoft Windows. It’s a lightweight app that doesn’t require installation, so it can be easily run from a flash drive. To open Grab, click on the Apple icon in the top left corner, click on Search, type in “Grab”, and click on the first result that appears.

Click on the “Download” button, and you’ll be able to run it directly from your computer without having to install it first. Once it’s open, click on “New” and then click on “ Window from Clipboard”. Make sure your cursor is highlighted in yellow and then select “full screen” to screenshot the full screen or “selection” to screenshot a selection. You’ll then be able to save the file to your computer.

How to take a screenshot with the Screenshot Tool

Screenshot Tool is a lightweight app that doesn’t require installation. It’s very similar to the Grab app, but with a few added features. To open Screenshot Tool, click on the Apple icon in the top left corner, click on Search, type in “Screenshot Tool”, and click on the first result that appears. Click on “Download” and you’ll be able to run it directly from your computer without having to install it first.

Once it’s open, click on the down arrow next to the “New” button and select one of the following to screenshot your screen:

1. New Window: Saves the screenshot to your computer and opens it in a new window, which you can close when you’re done with it.
2. New Tab: Saves the screenshot to your computer and opens it in a new tab in your browser, which you can close when you’re done with it.
3. New Frame: Saves the screenshot to your computer and opens it in a new frame in your browser, which you can close when you’re done with it.
4. New Document: Saves the screenshot to your computer as a document that you can open and edit in any word processing program like Word.
5. New Clipboard: Saves the screenshot to your computer and copies it to your computer’s clipboard, which you can then paste into another document or program.

Conclusion

Taking a screenshot is a great way to save a picture of something you want to remember later; whether it’s an error message you want to report, a funny picture or gif you found online, or a website you want to refer back to later. Depending on what type of Mac you have and what version of macOS it’s running, there are a few different ways to screenshot your screen.

And luckily, there are several screenshot apps that you can use if your Mac doesn’t have the native feature. But no matter which method you use, it’s important to make sure you’re taking screenshots responsibly.