You can use keyboard shortcuts to easily capture your Mac's screen, or a portion of the screen. Different shortcuts indicate whether you want to save the capture to a file or to the clipboard to paste into a document. You can also use the Grab tool for timed captures, and QuickTime Player for video captures.
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Comments: 28 Responses to “Capturing the Screen On Your Mac”
Garry
10 years ago
Excellent video. always wondered how video was captured from computer screens for broadcast.
Will Rhea
10 years ago
I knew these shortcuts but it is good to see them again for review. Especially the Quicktime Player video shortcut and the Grab utility.
Bill
10 years ago
Thanks, Garry. Useful stuff.
Bill
10 years ago
what if i want to capture a something such as a 1099 that in more than one page [screen]
Check the settings in QuickTime Player before you start recording. Then also check your System Preferences to make sure you mic is selected and recording and your input volume is turned up.
Bill
10 years ago
I tried the video capture but also got no sound. Where are the QT preferences? I didn't find any audio settings under services in the QT menu or any general preferences.
Thank you, I enjoy your video's very much and find them very useful
Bill
10 years ago
sorry I didn't read the following messages. no need to reply
Bill
10 years ago
Excellent, this will be a real time saver. I have been using Grab exclusively, and I see that most of what I do can be accomplished at the keyboard shortcut level.
Debbie
10 years ago
Okay, good. But now it records the sounds in the room, not the speaker on the online video. How can I ONLY record the online audio with the video?
Sorry, I thought that is what you needed. QuickTime Player doesn't record the audio coming from the computer, only the mic. You can hack it a bit using SoundFlower (http://macmost.com/recording-internal-audio.html). However I see from your original post that you are trying to screen record a video that is playing on your Mac. Is that right? Screen recording isn't the way to do that. Instead, get the original video. Not sure what video you are watching, but usually you would ask the video creator for a copy if they don't already have a download option set up for you.
Debbie
10 years ago
It's not practical to get the original video. I am recording a vendor doing a training and I want to attach it to my own training in iMovie for internal staff use only. This is for a business use to promote their products this month. It would take too long for the vendor to send that to me. Thanks for your help!
Shirley Allan
10 years ago
We had a question in a MacUserGroup meeting yesterday on this very subject. The question was, "I used to see my screen shots on my desktop and now they are going into Dropbox which I don't want. How do I correct that?"
No easy way to do it. You can use screen recording, but with QuickTime Player you don't get all of the audio since it is not meant for that. Search for a third-party utility ("screen record FaceTime video calls" or something like that) for some software you can buy that may do it. I've never tried, so I'm not sure which works best. Using screen capture for this isn't very high quality as you won't get perfect copies, but it may work for your needs.
Lorraine
10 years ago
Gary, thank you for doing the videos. I am learning a lot from you. This was an excellent video. Thanks.
Roger Mann
10 years ago
Gary, the Shift Command 4 saves the screenshot to Dropbox and not my desktop. I want it on my desktop. Thanks.
Check in your DropBox preferences. It is an option there that you must have turned on.
Markus
10 years ago
You can fix the Dropbox problem this way:
1. Click the Dropbox icon at the top of your screen.
2. In the bottom right corner of the pop-up list, click on the settings symbol.
3. Choose "preferences"
4. Click on the Import tab.
5. Uncheck the box that says "Share screenshots using Dropbox"
Adam
10 years ago
This is an excellent video. I've purchased a 3rd party App some time ago to do most of this, not knowing these features are already built into the OS.
Thank You
brad
10 years ago
When not in mirroring mode, command/shift/3 takes a picture of my tv's screen (which is connected via the HDMI port to my Mac Mini) instead of taking a picture of my Thunderbolt monitor screen (which is connected via the Thunderbolt ports).
Are you sure? When I try to take a full screen shot with two displays, I get two files: one for each screen. Check to see if you have two as well. It shouldn't matter how the displays are connected, a second display is a second display as far as Mavericks is concerned.
Tom Houlihan
10 years ago
Excellent, saves a lot of reading and guess work, although a little too fast for note taking.
Jennifer
10 years ago
When I use Capture, and save it. The picture automatically saves in tiff form. When I use the shortcut keys, it saves it as a png. How can I change the shortcut keys to save it as a tiff?
Jennifer
10 years ago
Sorry, I used the word Capture- I meant the Grab method.
You can change the format used by the shortcuts with a Terminal command: defaults write com.apple.screencapture type tiff
But I'm not sure why you would want to use tiff over png.
Excellent video. always wondered how video was captured from computer screens for broadcast.
I knew these shortcuts but it is good to see them again for review. Especially the Quicktime Player video shortcut and the Grab utility.
Thanks, Garry. Useful stuff.
what if i want to capture a something such as a 1099 that in more than one page [screen]
You wouldn't usually use a screen capture for that. For instance, if it is a PDF you are viewing in Safari, just save the PDF.
I just tried this with Quicktime yesterday to screen record a video online. The end result had no audio. How do I make sure audio comes through?
Check the settings in QuickTime Player before you start recording. Then also check your System Preferences to make sure you mic is selected and recording and your input volume is turned up.
I tried the video capture but also got no sound. Where are the QT preferences? I didn't find any audio settings under services in the QT menu or any general preferences.
Thank you, I enjoy your video's very much and find them very useful
sorry I didn't read the following messages. no need to reply
Excellent, this will be a real time saver. I have been using Grab exclusively, and I see that most of what I do can be accomplished at the keyboard shortcut level.
Okay, good. But now it records the sounds in the room, not the speaker on the online video. How can I ONLY record the online audio with the video?
Sorry, I thought that is what you needed. QuickTime Player doesn't record the audio coming from the computer, only the mic. You can hack it a bit using SoundFlower (http://macmost.com/recording-internal-audio.html). However I see from your original post that you are trying to screen record a video that is playing on your Mac. Is that right? Screen recording isn't the way to do that. Instead, get the original video. Not sure what video you are watching, but usually you would ask the video creator for a copy if they don't already have a download option set up for you.
It's not practical to get the original video. I am recording a vendor doing a training and I want to attach it to my own training in iMovie for internal staff use only. This is for a business use to promote their products this month. It would take too long for the vendor to send that to me. Thanks for your help!
We had a question in a MacUserGroup meeting yesterday on this very subject. The question was, "I used to see my screen shots on my desktop and now they are going into Dropbox which I don't want. How do I correct that?"
Sounds like they changed the default location for screen shots, or something they installed changed it with their permission. You can change it back. I touch on that subject at http://macmost.com/forum-how-do-i-get-screen-shots-to-save-to-a-file-automatically-instead-of-to-the-desktop.html
Is there a way to record Facetime on my iMac? I would love to save my conversations with my grandkids!i just cant figure a way to do it. Thanks Gary
No easy way to do it. You can use screen recording, but with QuickTime Player you don't get all of the audio since it is not meant for that. Search for a third-party utility ("screen record FaceTime video calls" or something like that) for some software you can buy that may do it. I've never tried, so I'm not sure which works best. Using screen capture for this isn't very high quality as you won't get perfect copies, but it may work for your needs.
Gary, thank you for doing the videos. I am learning a lot from you. This was an excellent video. Thanks.
Gary, the Shift Command 4 saves the screenshot to Dropbox and not my desktop. I want it on my desktop. Thanks.
Check in your DropBox preferences. It is an option there that you must have turned on.
You can fix the Dropbox problem this way:
1. Click the Dropbox icon at the top of your screen.
2. In the bottom right corner of the pop-up list, click on the settings symbol.
3. Choose "preferences"
4. Click on the Import tab.
5. Uncheck the box that says "Share screenshots using Dropbox"
This is an excellent video. I've purchased a 3rd party App some time ago to do most of this, not knowing these features are already built into the OS.
Thank You
When not in mirroring mode, command/shift/3 takes a picture of my tv's screen (which is connected via the HDMI port to my Mac Mini) instead of taking a picture of my Thunderbolt monitor screen (which is connected via the Thunderbolt ports).
Are you sure? When I try to take a full screen shot with two displays, I get two files: one for each screen. Check to see if you have two as well. It shouldn't matter how the displays are connected, a second display is a second display as far as Mavericks is concerned.
Excellent, saves a lot of reading and guess work, although a little too fast for note taking.
When I use Capture, and save it. The picture automatically saves in tiff form. When I use the shortcut keys, it saves it as a png. How can I change the shortcut keys to save it as a tiff?
Sorry, I used the word Capture- I meant the Grab method.
You can change the format used by the shortcuts with a Terminal command:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type tiffBut I'm not sure why you would want to use tiff over png.