If you’re among those who finally had the courage to make the change from a Windows-based laptop to a MacBook, you might find it a bit difficult at first to get used to all of the different gimmicks and little tricks that macOS has to offer. Apple has clearly made a much different operating system than Microsoft, but that doesn’t mean that it necessarily has to be more difficult to handle by the users.
Taking a screenshot on your MacBook Air laptop is also different from how you’ve been used to when it comes to Windows-based laptops and PC desktops. You might need to take a screenshot of the whole screen to show your friend what cool desktop and wallpaper you have. You might also be willing to show your partner a specific part of a Facebook post that you see on your timeline. In both cases, you need to learn how to take screenshots using your new MacBook Air. Don’t worry; it’s super simple! Let’s find out how:
How to take instant screenshots on your MacBook Air’s display
To take a screenshot of the entire display of your MacBook Air, you’ll just have to use the Cmd-Shift-3 shortcut. This key combination will rapidly take a screenshot of your macOS-based laptop’s display at any time of the day.
You’ll find the resulting file on your MacBook Air’s desktop, and you will be free to open and edit it. Eventually, you can even move the file to another location, as few people are fans of keeping files on their desktops.
How to take screenshots of a specific portion of the MacBook’s display
Taking screenshots of only a specific part of your MacBook Air’s display is also like a walk in the park. All you need to do is use the Cmd-Shift-4 key combination. Once you type in those keys, a cursor will appear on your display. You have to simply drag it in order to capture the exact portion of the display that you wish to result in a screenshot.
For instance, if you want to take a screenshot of a hotel booking but at the same time, you do not want your friend or colleague to see what other tabs you keep open in the browser, you can simply use the Cmd-Shift-4 shortcut.
Similarly to screenshotting the entire display, taking a picture of just a small portion of the MacBook’s display will also be saved to your laptop’s desktop. This means that you can easily open and edit it, as well as choose to remove it and add it to another location of your drive. Screenshots don’t occupy too much space, which means that you should be ok with keeping them on your desktop.
A very nice feature that Apple has added to MacBook laptops is the possibility of allowing for the camera icon to appear at the same time once you hit the Cmd-Shift-4 key combination. You are even free to move the camera icon to any of your desktop’s windows. Taking a screenshot of that specific window is possible through a simple click.
If you’re not satisfied with having the desktop as the default save location for your screenshots in the MacBook Air, it’s also useful to keep in mind that Apple offers you the possibility to change that setting. However, there’s a simple condition for that, as not all MacBook Air laptops are compatible: your device needs to run macOS Mojave or a later version.
If you meet the requirement, you’ll have to use the Cmd-Shift-5 key combination on your MacBook Air to access the screenshot menu. By heading over to the Options area, you can establish the new desired location for your future screenshots on the MacBook Air.
Tim M. Hill helped bring Digital-Overload from a weekly newsletter to a full-fledged news site by creating a new website and branding. He continues to assist in keeping the site responsive and well organized for the readers. As a writer to Digital-Overload, Tim mainly covers mobile news and gadgets.
