macOS Mojave brings some new features which enhance the entire macOS experience, and it makes it more productive and enjoyable to use.
My favourite feature of macOS Mojave is the new dark mode which enables me to work late at night without having to burden my eyes that much.
But just like the new dark mode, macOS Mojave focuses more on enhancing features that existed before rather than introducing new features of its own.
If you have been wondering how to take a screenshot of a Mac and maybe thinking if there is a print screen feature for Mac, well you will be glad to know that there are a group of different ways to take screenshots on Mac that you can try out.
So let’s see how you can screenshot on Mac:
How to Take a Screenshot on a Mac?
The capability of taking screenshots has been a part of macOS since as long as I could remember. But with macOS Mojave, Apple has improved its features allowing its users to not only be able to take screenshots quickly but also to annotate them.
So in this article not only are we going to screenshot on Mac, but we will also know how to change the screenshot format, change its default destination, and so much more. So let’s get going.
How to Take a Screenshot Using Keyboard Shortcuts on a Mac?
Like I said earlier, macOS Mojave has made it very easy to take screenshots. If you are an old user of macOS, you should be able to remember the old grab tool which was formerly used to take screenshots.
But in macOS Mojave, Apple has replaced the Grab tool with a new tool called, “Screenshot”.
You can either launch the app to gain access to various screenshot tools, or you can use the keyboard shortcuts to gain access to them. Although the keyboard shortcuts are much faster, we will show how you can quickly apply them to capture screenshots:
How to Screenshot Mac Desktop (Entire Display)?
If you want to screenshot the entire desktop or display screen of your Mac, all you need to do is to use the keyboard shortcut:
Command + Shift + 3After using this keyboard shortcut, macOS Mojave will capture a screenshot for you automatically.
How you can Take a Screenshot of a Portion of Display on a Mac Desktop?
If you do not want to capture the entire screen and want to take a partial screenshot on Mac, press the following keyboard shortcut:
Command + Shift + 4Once you have done this, you will notice that the mouse pointer has turned into a small screenshot tool. All you’ve got to do is drag to cover the area that you wish to take a screenshot of and then let it go.
It will take the screenshot of that area automatically.
How to Screenshot a Mac Window in macOS Mojave?
While you can be able to use the second method that was discussed above to take a screenshot of an app’s window, you should know that there’s a simpler way to do that. Using this method will not only be quicker, but it will also get a more precise screenshot.
To use this method, do the following:
- Press Command + Shift + 4
- Once the screenshot tool appears, press the spacebar.
- Your cursor will now become a camera and then the app you hover your cursor over will have a blue overlay.
Move your cursor to hover on the window you want to screenshot on your Mac and then click on it.
Once you have done that, it will automatically capture the screenshot of the app’s window as shown in the picture below.
How to launch the macOS Screenshot Tool?
While the above keyboard keys are easy to remember, if you find yourself forgetting them, then you can use the macOS screenshot tool instead. There are two ways to do this:
- Open “Spotlight” and launch the ‘Screenshot app‘.
- Or, you can use the shortcut keys Command + Shift + 5 on your keyboard.
Once the app is launched, you will notice that there are five different buttons which available before you. It’s easy to see what each button does by hovering your cursor upon each icon.
These buttons (from left to right) serve the following purpose:
- Capture an Entire Screen (The same as Command + Shift + 3)
- Capture a Selected Portion (The same as Command + Shift + 4)
- Capture a Selected Windows (The same as Command + Shift + 4 + Space Bar)
- Record Entire Screen
- Record Selected Portion
The first three are the main screenshot features which most of us are going, and I have already talked about them in the previous section.
The fourth and fifth options are different entirely because they are used for recording your screen rather than taking a screenshot.
This is pretty great if you want to create a video tutorial for someone. But not that there are no keyboard shortcuts for these features, and you will have to launch the macOS screenshot app manually to gain access to them.
How to Use Timers to Take a Screenshot on a Mac?
There are some situations you will find yourself that you need to take a timed screenshot. Whatever your reason may be behind wanting to use a timer when you want to screenshot in macOS, you can easily do this in macOS Mojave.
Open the macOS Screenshot tool and click on ‘Options.’
Select the timer duration. Then set a screenshot timer for 5 seconds or 10 seconds as you wish.
Once you are done, click on Capture.
Automatically, macOS Mojave will take the screenshot as soon as the timer expires.
How to Annotate Screenshots in macOS Mojave?
Now that we have been educated on how to take a screenshot on a Mac let’s see how we can annotate the screenshots you take.
In macOS Mojave, you might have noticed that whenever you take a screenshot, a small window pops-up at the bottom right corner of the screen just as you can see in the picture below.
To annotate a screenshot, click on the window and it will open the screen annotation tool. While here, you will see the toolbar at the top and you can use it to annotate on the screenshot as much as you want.
Once you are done, click on the ‘Done’ button to save the screenshot along with annotations.
How to Change the Default Screenshot Location in macOS Mojave?
macOS Mojave has also made it easy to change the save destination of the screenshots you have taken. While by default all your screenshots are being kept on the desktop, however, if you don’t want it to disorganise/clutter your desktop, you can change the macOS screenshot destination pretty quickly.
Just follow the steps below:
Open the Screenshot tool by either using the keyboard shortcut Command + Shift + 5 or by launching the Screenshot app.
Go on and click on the Options button. Here you will see that you are given different options, the first being the ‘Save to’. To change the Save to a given location, you can either select the options given or click on the ‘Other Location’ option to select your location.
How to Change Your Screenshot File Format in macOS Mojave?
Changing the file format of a screenshot in macOS Mojave is not something you can carry out using the macOS screenshot tool. Alternatively, we will be using the Terminal app to carry out this task.
Here is how you can change the screenshot format from PNG (which is the default format) to any other format you want. For this tutorial, I will change the default format to JPG.
Open the “Terminal” and paste the following command, then press enter/return.
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpgThat is it, your screenshots will not be saved in JPG format but if you want to return it to PNG, replace the word “jpg” with “png” in the terminal command and repeat the process.
Also, you can change the format to PDF by using “pdf” in the terminal command and so on.
Best Third-Party Apps Used to Take Screenshot on a Mac
Although the included screenshot tools are enough for most macOS users out there, some people might prefer to use a third-party tool which may offer extra features.
So if the macOS screenshot tool is not feature-rich enough for you, here are the three best third-party apps to take screenshots in macOS Mojave:
1. Monosnap
Monosnap is a third-party screenshot app which is very powerful and completely free of charge. The app lives in your Menu Bar giving you an easy way to capture screenshots of your desktop, app, or anything else for that matter.
One of the great features of the Monosnap is that the screenshot opens in an editor window automatically allowing you to change the name quickly, file format and also add annotations if required.
So if you are looking for a third-party screenshot tool, you should give Monosnap a go.
Install: (Free)
2. Snagit
If you are looking for a potent macOS screenshot tool to help you in your professional work, the Snagit is the one to look out for.
While it is priced at a premium, Snagit is an all-in-one tool for all your MacBook screenshot needs. The app will not only allow you to capture the entire desktop, a part of the desktop, and app windows, but it will also allow you to capture web pages, thanks to its scrolling screenshot capability.
The app also comes with a ‘built-in editor’ which will enable you to edit your screenshot. We are not just talking about annotation here, Snagit offers much more like a full-blown image editing system. The app permits you to carry out a screen recording of your desktop.
If you are a regular user and you require something that can match your workflow, then this is the app to get.
Install: (Free Trial, $48.95)
3. SnapMotion
The final tool on this list is a little different from your average screenshot tool. The app allows you to take screenshots from a video which is quite handy for people who need to do that on a regular basis.
With SnapMotion, there’s no need for a video to play and align correctly. Just play the video using the app and take a screenshot by clicking on a button. It is as simple as that.
However, you can even take automatic screenshots by just inputting the number of frames you want to take screenshots for. So if you’re going to take screenshots of a video, this is an excellent tool for you.
Install: ($8.99)
Those were all the methods you can use to take a screenshot on a Mac, and I think that most of you will find the macOS screenshot tool and the new Apple screenshot app convenient for your everyday needs.
We have also discussed methods to change the screenshot destination on Mac, replacing the screenshot format, and even some great third-party tools to take a macOS screenshot.
So if you come across any issue, let us know about them in the comments section and also let us know about any other third-party apps that you think was not mentioned for taking screenshots in macOS Mojave.
