Mac: how to take screenshots and record your screen

A screenshot is a picture of what is on your screen. A screen recording is a short video. Both are useful for showing us a problem.

Take a screenshot of the whole screen

Press Shift, Command and 3 together. You will hear a camera sound and a small picture appears in the corner. By default the file is saved to your desktop.

Take a screenshot of part of the screen

1. Press Shift, Command and 4.
2. Your pointer becomes a cross. Drag across the area you want.
3. Let go to take the picture.

To capture one window, press Shift, Command and 4, then press the Space bar. The pointer becomes a camera. Click the window you want.

Use the toolbar

Press Shift, Command and 5 to open a small toolbar. It has buttons for the whole screen, a window, a selected part, and recording. Click Options to choose where files are saved and to set a timer.

Record your screen

1. Press Shift, Command and 5.
2. Choose Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion.
3. Click Record.
4. To stop, click the stop button in the menu bar at the top, or press Command, Control and Esc.

If you want your voice recorded, click Options and choose a microphone first. Be careful not to record passwords or private information.

Find and share your picture

The files are named with the date and time. Click the small picture when it appears to mark it up. You can attach it to an email, or add it to a Vision Tech support request.

Tips

• Hold the Control key as you press the shortcut to copy the picture instead of saving it, then paste with Command and V.
• Check what is visible before sharing. Hide names and account numbers.

When to get more help

Contact us if the shortcuts do nothing, files do not appear on your desktop, or you cannot find where they were saved.