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Taking Screenshots on the Macintosh



There are several commands on the Mac that allow users to take snapshots of the screen. To take a picture of the entire desktop hold down the <command> key (the key immediately to the left of the space bar) and the <shift> keys, then press the <3> key. If the sound is on, the computer will make a sound like the shutter of an old camera opening and closing. The picture will appear on the the desktop in PDF file with the name Picture 1.

To take a picture of just part of the screen, hold down the and the <shift> keys, then press the <4> key. The cursor will change to a cross hair, which means the system will allow the user to select an area on the screen. Move the cursor to the upper left-hand corner of the area to be recorded, press the mouse button down and hold it down while moving the cursor to the lower right-hand part of the area to be recorded, and then let the mouse button go. The computer will make the shutter sound and the picture will appear on the the desktop in a PDF file with the name Picture 1.

In Mac OS 10.2.X and later, it is also possible to take a picture of a window, menu, or other area on the desktop. Press <command> and the <shift> keys, then press the <4> key and then the <space> bar. The cursor will change into a camera and you can point to any area of the screen and take a picture of it. Here's an example of a picture taken this way:

Mac camera screenshot example

As in the other cases, the computer will then make a shutter sound. The picture will appear on the the desktop in a PDF file with the name Picture 1.

See also this article for other Macintosh key commands.

Note: Apple includes a program called Grab, which is located in the Utilities folder inside of the Applications folder. It does the same things as the built-in image capture, plus it allows users to do timed captures as well as screen captures that include the cursor.



Current Record: 1232

Create Date: 04-22-2003
Last Reviewed: 10-07-2008
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