To grab various information from your computer quickly, you can take a screenshot or save it as a document. Well, the first choice saves more time. You can keep images and texts from webpages or streaming videos on your Mac freely. Sadly, many people ask the question like “Why can’t I take a screenshot on my MacBook”.

How to Take a Screen Shot on Mac: 7 Ways to Snap Screenshots. You can use any of the following keyboard shortcuts to capture and take screenshots directly in Mac OS, you can snap screenshots of the desktop, Finder, or any running and open applications. Whatever is on the screen of the Mac will be captured as an image file. Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET Longtime Mac screenshotters may be slow to adopt the new Command-Shift-5 shortcut, but I find myself starting to use it more for the ability to annotate screenshots.

The truth is that you do not find the correct MacBook screenshot methods. But do not worry about that. From this article, you can learn how to take a screenshot on a MacBook Pro and other models with shortcuts or programs for free. All Mac products and operating systems are supported.

Guide List

1. 3 Common Ways to Screenshot on a MacBook

All portable computers can be called laptop. To be more specific, a laptop is a computer with all parts integrated. You can see many laptop brands, like IBM, Lenovo, HP, Acer, Dell, etc. Well, the main difference between a desktop and a laptop is that you can take a laptop wherever you want. To some degree, it is kind of similar to the battle between a landline and a cellphone.

As for a MacBook, it is a brand of laptops developed by Apple. MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops are best-selling Macintoshes. Well, you can see MacBook Retina and MacBook Core series in the MacBook family too. In a word, MacBook is a branch of laptop.

If you want to keep the moment of a live streaming video forever, you can take a screenshot on a Mac to catch it. Many people screenshot movies, films, TV shows and other online and offline videos to save the most attractive moment. As for gamers, recording and sharing the best achievement in a gameplay is quite common. Moreover, you can also take screenshots on webpages to save something important without taking notes. Generally speaking, you can keep everything appearing on your MacBook as offline references.

If your previous computer is a Windows PC, then you may wonder how to screenshot on a MacBook. Different from screenshot on a Windows, you can get 2 representative MacBook screenshot solutions. Just read and learn.

At present, the latest version of the Mac operating system is macOS Majave. If you have upgraded your MacBook to macOS Mojave, you can get not only the traditional MacBook screenshot keys but also the macOS Majave screenshot shortcuts.

Method 1. Use MacBook Screenshot Shortcuts

Capture the whole screen

For macOS Mojave: Press Shift, Command and 5 keys on your keyboard. Later, choose the first thumbnail to take a screenshot on MacBook.

For other macOS versions: Hold and press Shift, Command and 3 keys to save the screenshot on desktop.

Capture a window

For macOS Mojave: Press Shift, Command and 5 keys on your keyboard. Then choose the second icon and select the window you want to capture.

For other macOS versions: Hold and press Shift, Command and 4 keys. Later, press the Space bar on your keyboard. When the pointer changes to a camera, you can set the window.

Capture the selected portion

For macOS Mojave: Press Shift, Command and 5 keys on your keyboard. Choose the third icon and draw on the MacBook’s screen.

For other macOS versions: Hold and press Shift, Command and 4 keys. Use the left-click mouse trackpad to take a MacBook screenshot.

Capture a menu

For macOS Mojave: Extend the menu to get its contents. Press Shift, Command and 5 keys on your keyboard. Use any icon on the floating toolbar to screenshot a MacBook menu.

For other macOS versions: Reveal the contents of the menu first. Hold and press Shift, Command and 4 keys. You can use the trackpad button or mouse to capture the menu. In addition, you can press Space bar to achieve the MacBook screenshot.

Note:

1. So where do screenshots go on Mac? Well, you can find MacBook screenshots on Mac’s desktop screen. The default screenshot format is PNG.
2. If you want to save the Mac screenshot to clipboard, you can add the Control key to above Mac screenshot key combinations. Later, you can paste the screenshot on your Mac freely.

Method 2. Run Grab to Screenshot on A MacBook

Grab is the pre-installed program on all MacBook notebook computers. If you encounter the screenshot on Mac not working problem, you can take screenshots with Grab for free too. What’s more, you can also take a screenshot on a MacBook Air or Pro with Preview.

Find the Utilities folder and access the Grab tool.

Choose the Capture option on the top menu bar.

Select Selection, Window, Screen and Timed Screen based on your need.

Note:

1. There is no such a user interface of Grab. Once you open Grab, you can see the Grab icon in the dock.
2. You can take a screenshot on a MacBook after the 10-second delay by using the Timed Screen feature.

Method 3. Use Preview to Screenshot on A MacBook

You can double-click a PDF or image file to open Preview.

Click File > Take Screenshot and choose From Selection, From Window or From Entire Screen on Mac.

2. Best Way to Screenshot Macbook with FoneLab Screen Recorder

Though you can take a screenshot on your MacBook with default shortcuts or programs. You cannot capture the screen area you need accurately. Fortunately, you can achieve this goal by using Mac FoneLab Screen Recorder. Well, it is also supported to use MacBook screenshot shortcuts too.

Read about how to screenshot Facetime.

1. Set the width and length accurately to take screenshots on Mac.
2. Drag and drop the screen area around the mouse or trackpad.
3. Set hotkeys to take screenshots and start/stop recording instantly.
4. Access all your MacBook screenshots for sharing and editing.

FoneLab Screen Recorder

FoneLab Screen Recorder allows you to capture video, audio, online tutorial, etc on Windows/Mac, and you can easily customize size, edit the video or audio, and more.

• Record video, audio, webcam and take screenshots on Windows/Mac.
• Preview data before saving.
• It is safe and easy to use.

Launch the MacBook screenshot software.

Shortcut For Screenshot On Macbook Air

Disable Microphone and Webcam options in the main interface.

Adjust the screenshot hotkey, destination folder and other preferences in the More Settings. (optional)

Set the screen area you want to capture manually.

Mac Os Screenshot

Click the Camera icon to take a screenshot on a MacBook Air or Pro.

Go the Media Manager to find your screenshots.

Thus, you can get more choices while taking screenshots with FoneLab. In addition, you can have a good time for video and audio recording too. If you have any other question about how to take a screenshot on a MacBook, just feel free to contact us.

FoneLab Screen Recorder

FoneLab Screen Recorder allows you to capture video, audio, online tutorial, etc on Windows/Mac, and you can easily customize size, edit the video or audio, and more.

• Record video, audio, webcam and take screenshots on Windows/Mac.
• Preview data before saving.
• It is safe and easy to use.

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The famous MacBook Air indeed comes from ultraportable notebook computer line owned by Apple Inc. In spite of many rivals out on the market, MacBook Air still holds its place at the top due to its innovative design and features that can’t be matched by other brand. So far its latest model is the MacBook Air model 6, which is released early this year. Aside from these factors, users keep on patronizing this notebook because of its portability and reliability, and so far it has been one of the thinnest out there.

On the other hand, new MacBook Air users may be confused with the ways on how to operate this device due to its unique operating system that only Apple provides. The usual thing that might puzzle individuals is on how to take a screenshot on a MacBook Air? In case that you’re one of them, here is a sort of a comprehensive guide for you to follow. Let’s start with a video which will show you how to use professional applications to do this job.

I. Take Advantage of the Optimal Tool

II. Make Use of Keyboard Shortcuts

III. Use Mac’s Built-in Screen Capture Utility

Shortcut Screenshot Mac Mojave

IV. Utilize Free Simple Third-party Application

V. Adopt Professional Paid Program

Method One: Using Apowersoft Mac Screenshot

There can be various ways on how to screenshot on a MacBook Air, and one of them is by using Apowersoft Mac Screenshot. This innovative tool is very easy to use yet provides the great quality screenshot that you can get. It also supports the new Macbook Air Retina. With the help of this application you can capture anything that appears on your computer monitor. When you’ve taken a screenshot with this tool, its built-in image editor will pop up, which enables you to add lines, arrows, texts, etc. to the screenshot. When the screenshot is done, you can either save it to your local disk or upload it to the free space provided by the developer. To access all its functions, you just need to click the button below to download and install it on your Mac.

Tips: If you upload it to the free space, you will get links to the screenshot. You can use these links to embed the graph in blogs and forums. With all those features and this free Cloud benefit, this tool is undoubtedly the optimal way to take screenshot on Apple MacBook Air.

Method Two: The Default Way of Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Another great way to capture screen on MacBook Air even on Macbook Air Retina 2015 is by taking advantage of the Mac Air’s default keyboard shortcuts. By using the proper keyboard combination you can easily screenshot Apple MacBook Air. Here is a more detailed instruction.

Shortcut Screenshot Mac Pro

1. Capture full screen with keyboard shortcuts

To save an image of your computer screen, all you need to do is to press the key combination of “Shift+Command+3”, then click the mouse and drag it to the region you want to capture. Upon pressing these keys, you will hear a camera shutter to notify you that a full screenshot is done. The captured image will then be saved automatically into your desktop with the corresponding date and time.

2. Capture part of screen with keyboard shortcuts

In case that you just want to grab a selected area of your MacBook Air’s screen, then all you need to do is to press a combination of “Shift+Command+4” keys. By this time, the cursor will turn to cross-hair. You can simply click and drag a region to create screenshot for it. Then you will find the screenshot on your desktop, if you desire to take a screenshot and directly copy it to clipboard, just press the “Shift+ Ctrl +Command+4” keys.

Method Three: Using Grab

The next way to take screenshot is by utilizing a flexible and powerful tool named Grab. It can also be used on MacBook Air with Retina display. This tool has a built in timer which is great in taking multiple screenshots at regular intervals. Moreover, this application also allows its user to select between numerous file formats. Added to that, it can modify the dimensions and portion of the screenshots. To use it, the first thing that you must do is to download the utility and run it. Upon opening it you will be given some preferences to choose from such as: Timer, Area, File, and Resize. Users are also given an opportunity to modify the size of the screen area from Width and Height.

Method Four: Using Jing

As another option to do a screenshot on a MacBook Air Retina is called Jing. This application can help any Mac users to save anything visible in their computer screen. Furthermore, it also has a quick sharing feature which is great especially in this era of social media. To use this screenshot tool on your MacBook Air, here are the steps:

• Launch the program and a sun-like thing will appear on the upper right corner of your screen which serves as a Jing menu.
• Now to take a screenshot, move the cursor across the menu and click the one that looks like a cross-hair.
• Click and drag to select the area to be captured, after that just release the mouse and your screenshot is done.

Method Five: Snagit for Mac

For the fifth method of taking screenshot on Mac, you can use this well known screen capture tool that is available for both Windows and Mac. With the use of this app, users can grab anything on their monitor and at the same take can take advantage of its editor and simple interface. To take screenshot using Snagit here are the steps for you:

Shortcut Screenshot Mac Windows

• Open the webpage or program that you want to capture.
• Launch Snagit and move the cursor across the window and it will turn into a frame around the window.
• Click the red “Capture” button, and an orange crosshairs will display.
• Select the region to capture just click the “Camera” icon and you are done.

Shortcut Screenshot Macos