Updated: Screenshot Options

In this lesson for macOS Mojave, I look at how to take a screenshot of your entire screen, take a screenshot of a window, take a screenshot of a selection, and taking a recording of your display or selection.

Taking a Screenshot of your Entire Screen or Display
To pull up the new tools introduced in macOS Mojave for screenshots and recording, you hold down the Command and Shift keys (⌘) along with the 5 key. If you’ve been taking screenshots with past macOS’s, you know you use Command (⌘), shift 3 and 4. You can still use those but with Command (⌘)-Shift-5, you get all the tools including how to take a screenshot of your entire screen. When you use the key command, you’ll see your tools float at the bottom of your display. Elect the first tool on the right to take a screenshot of your entire screen.

Taking a Screenshot of a Window
Use the key command (⌘) Command-Shift-5 to bring up the screenshot toolbar at the bottom of your display. Now select the second option from the left. When you click on this, when you move your mouse over a window, you’ll see that window turn blue and the icon will change to a camera. Just click on the window you want a screenshot of and macOS will take a screenshot.

Taking a Screenshot of a Selection
Use the key command (⌘) Command-Shift-5 to bring up the screenshot toolbar at the bottom of your display. Now select the third option from the left. When you click on this, you’ll see a selection border on your screen. Just drag any of the handles to change what is selected. The handles are located on each corner as well as the top and bottom and left and right side of the selection window or border. Once you have it selected, click on Capture in the toolbar.

Taking a Recording of your Entire Screen or Display
Use the key command (⌘) Command-Shift-5 to bring up the screenshot toolbar at the bottom of your display. Now select the fourth or fifth option from the left. To take a screen recording of your entire screen, you’ll select the 4th option from the left, if you want a recording of a selection, click the 5th option from the left and then make your selection. When you are ready to take the recording, click on Record in the toolbar. If you have multiple microphones to record from, you can select which microphone you want to use when you start recording under Options. If you do not want to record any audio, you can also set None there. You can also show mouse clicks whenever you click the mouse, again this option is under Options.

Saving your Screenshot
When you click on Options, you can set where you want your screenshot to be saved. You can save it in a folder or have it open an app. You can also save it to the clipboard if you are going to paste it into another app. By default, it saves it to the Desktop.

Setting a Timer
Under options is also where you can set a timer for taking a screenshot. When you set a timer, when you click on your display you want a screenshot of, your Mac will wait either 5 or 10 seconds to take the screenshot. This comes in handy if you want to select a menu or take a screenshot of something you are doing and you need a slight delay before you take the screenshot.

Show Floating Thumbnail
When you select Show ‘Floating Thumbnail’ under Options, after you take your screenshot, it will show in the lower right corner of your screen for a few seconds. If you click on it while it’s showing as a thumbnail, you can mark it up.

Remember Last Selection
When this is selected under Options, any settings or options you have set here will be remembered for your next screenshot.

Show Mouse Pointer
This setting or option is only available when you take a screenshot of the entire screen and is ignored when you take a screenshot of a window.

See this Lesson Action
To see this lesson in action, take a look at the video above.