While third-party screenshot apps are excellent connected the Mac, Apple has steadily improved its default tools. Today, the Mac's built-in screenshot inferior is bully capable for astir people. You can, of course, usage it to return screenshots, but you tin do truthful overmuch more, specified arsenic grounds a video of your screen, aliases moreover create master screencasts. If you find yourself taking screenshots connected your Mac, these are the 10 champion hacks you request to know.
Clean up the clutter by redeeming screenshots to the clipboard
I find I only request to prevention astir 10% of the screenshots I take. Left to its default settings, my Mac would prevention the different 90%, adding to an endless clutter I'd ne'er return attraction of. As such, I ever prevention screenshots to my Mac's clipboard, truthful I tin paste it successful the app of my prime without redeeming the image astatine all. Goodbye clutter. On your Mac, you tin do this by utilizing 2 keyboard shortcuts. Press Command-Control-Shift-3 for a screenshot of the full screen, aliases usage Command-Control-Shift-4 to seizure an area of your screen. You tin past paste these screenshots successful immoderate app aliases societal media site.
Not only do I usage these shortcuts exclusively, I've really abnormal the shortcuts to prevention screenshots to the Mac because I fundamentally ne'er usage them. If you want to do the same, click the Apple logo successful the top-left area of your Mac's screen, and spell to System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Screenshots. Here, disable "Save image of surface arsenic a file" and "Save image of selected area arsenic a file."
Change the default screenshot files to cleanable up your desktop
If you are going to prevention screenshots to your Mac, you don't person to unrecorded pinch Apple's defaults. When you return screenshots connected the Mac, the default prevention location is the desktop. This piles up fast. To debar this mess, property Command-Shift-5, and spell to Options > Other Location…. You tin take a files aliases create a caller 1 for your screenshots. Once you create this folder, you tin unfastened Finder, and resistance it to the Trash broadside of the Dock for speedy access.
Remove shadows for cleaner single-window screenshots
Your Mac allows you to seizure screenshots of a azygous window. After you deed Command-Shift-4, you tin property the Spacebar key. This will move your cursor into a camera icon, and you tin click immoderate unfastened app to return a screenshot of the progressive window. When you position the screenshot, you'll announcement that macOS adds a protector effect connected each sides, on pinch a transparent border. However, if you want a much tightly framed screenshot, you tin destruct the protector pinch a hidden shortcut.
To do this, property Command-Shift-4, deed Spacebar, and clasp down the Option cardinal while clicking an app window. You'll person to deed Option every clip you want to region the shadow, however. If you want to make shadow-free screenshots the default, you'll person to tally the pursuing bid successful Terminal:
defaults constitute com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool true; killall SystemUIServer
To reconstruct defaults, you tin simply switch "true" pinch "false" successful the Terminal bid and tally it again.
Add the Screenshot app to the dock for easier access
Keyboard shortcuts are great, but they're not needfully easy to remember—especially for the galore screenshot options connected macOS. Fortunately, Apple allows you to adhd the Screenshot inferior to your Mac's Dock. To adhd it unfastened Finder connected your Mac, spell to the Applications folder, past scroll down and unfastened the Utilities folder. You tin now resistance the Screenshot instrumentality to the Dock for one-click access.
Use this keyboard shortcut to entree each screenshot devices successful 1 place
If there's 1 screenshot keyboard shortcut to remember, it's Command-Shift-5. This cardinal operation reveals each the screenshot options you request and doesn't time off immoderate room for guesswork astir what your screenshot instrumentality is really doing. It shows a floating toolbar pinch screenshot tools, surface signaling tools, and aggregate seizure and grounds options. It's slower than utilizing Apple's various keyboard shortcuts, but I can't reason against having each options disposable successful a azygous window, truthful I ever urge this keyboard shortcut for those who are caller to screenshots connected Mac.
Add a screenshot timer to group up the surface earlier capture
If you're trying to return a screenshot of thing timely aliases quick, it's easy to miss the moment. Instead of trying to deed the fastener astatine conscionable the correct time, you tin group a hold of 5 to 10 seconds to group up a screenshot aliases a surface recording, and debar retakes. To group this up, property Command-Shift-5, and spell to Options. Under the Timer section, you tin take your hold timing.
Reveal rodent clicks successful surface recordings to show what you're clicking
I mostly for illustration to hide the rodent pointer from screenshots and surface recordings, but erstwhile my parents request thief pinch a Mac-related issue, showing rodent clicks successful surface recordings helps. That way, they tin spot my cursor and each of my clicks, truthful they tin travel along. You tin alteration this by pressing Command-Shift-5, clicking Options, and selecting Show rodent clicks.
Record microphone audio to create polished screencasts
Your Mac's Screenshot instrumentality lets you grounds your surface pinch microphone audio, and moreover supports outer mics. Pair this pinch a 5 to 10-second hold successful starting the recording, and you tin create screencasts pinch audio successful 1 go. To usage this feature, property Command-Shift-5, prime immoderate of the surface signaling options, click Options, and prime your mic from the Microphone section.
Use your Mac to grounds your iPhone's screen
The iPhone ships pinch a awesome surface signaling tool, but iOS doesn't let you to grounds everything connected your phone. In addition, immoderate apps artifact screenshots and surface recordings. If you request to bypass these restrictions, you tin effort utilizing a Mac to grounds your iPhone's screen. The easiest method is to usage the iPhone Mirroring app that ships pinch your Mac. You tin link the iPhone wirelessly to your Mac, and usage the macOS Screenshot instrumentality instead.
QuickTime Player offers different measurement to do this, but you'll request to plug your iPhone into your Mac utilizing a USB cable. Open QuickTime Player, and spell to File > New Movie Recording to get started. Click the down-arrow fastener adjacent to the grounds button, and prime your iPhone to commencement recording.
Save abstraction by switching your default screenshot format to JPG
Your Mac takes high-quality screenshots by default, and it uses the PNG format for these images. The drawback is record sizes, and particularly connected newer Macs pinch high-resolution displays, you tin extremity up pinch dozens of megabytes per screenshot. If these screenshots are taking up excessively overmuch abstraction connected your Mac, you tin usage the pursuing Terminal bid to move the default screenshot format to JPG.
defaults constitute com.apple.screencapture type jpg; killall SystemUIServer
Be alert that this will importantly trim the value of your screenshots, and successful particular, it whitethorn make matter illegible successful these images. If that's bothering you, past you tin reconstruct PNG screenshots by replacing "jpg" pinch "png" successful the bid mentioned above.
Pranay Parab is an independent tech journalist based successful Mumbai, India. He covers tech for Lifehacker, and specializes successful tutorials and in-depth features.
English (US) · 
Indonesian (ID) ·