how to print screen on mac
To print screen on a Mac, you first take a screenshot, then (optionally) send it to a printer using Preview or another app.
Quick Scoop
Here’s the fast version you’d see in a forum answer:
On a Mac there’s no “Print Screen” key.
You use keyboard shortcuts to take a screenshot , then open it and print.
Most-used shortcuts
- Capture entire screen to a file:
- Press
Shift + Command (⌘) + 3.
- Press
* A thumbnail may appear at the bottom corner; wait or click it to edit.
- Capture a selected area:
- Press
Shift + Command (⌘) + 4.
- Press
* Drag the crosshair to select the area, release the mouse to capture.
- Capture a specific window:
- Press
Shift + Command (⌘) + 4, release, then tap the Space bar.
- Press
* Cursor becomes a camera; click the window you want.
- Screenshot options panel (more like Windows tools):
- Press
Shift + Command (⌘) + 5.
- Press
* A toolbar appears to capture entire screen, a window, a portion, or record video.
- Copy screenshot straight to clipboard (for chat, docs, etc.):
- Entire screen to clipboard:
Control + Shift + Command (⌘) + 3.
- Entire screen to clipboard:
* Selection to clipboard: `Control + Shift + Command (⌘) + 4`.
* Then paste with `Command (⌘) + V` into chat, email, or document.
How to “Print Screen” and Actually Print
Once you’ve taken the screenshot, you can print it just like a photo or PDF.
Step-by-step (example: full-screen screenshot)
- Take the screenshot
- Press
Shift + Command (⌘) + 3.
- Press
* By default, macOS saves it on the Desktop as “Screenshot [date] at [time].png”.
- Open the screenshot in Preview
- Double-click the screenshot file; it will usually open in Preview by default.
- Print from Preview
- In the menu bar, go to
File > Printor pressCommand (⌘) + P.
- In the menu bar, go to
* Choose your printer, set orientation and scaling, then click **Print**.
You can do the same from other apps (Photos, browser, etc.) if you open the
image there and use Command (⌘) + P.
Mini sections
Where the screenshots go
- Default location is the Desktop (PNG format).
- You can change destination and format via Screenshot options (
Shift + Command (⌘) + 5→ Options).
Quick example: like a Windows “Print Screen”
If you’re coming from Windows and just want something similar to “Print Screen then paste”:
- Use
Control + Shift + Command (⌘) + 3orControl + Shift + Command (⌘) + 4.
- Then go to your chat/doc and press
Command (⌘) + Vto paste the image directly.
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Meta-style description:
Learn how to print screen on Mac using simple keyboard shortcuts for full
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your screenshots quickly.
TL;DR:
Use Shift + Command (⌘) + 3 or Shift + Command (⌘) + 4 to take the
screenshot, then open it in Preview and press Command (⌘) + P to print.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.