What is a screenshot?
A screenshot is a snapshot of your computer screen. It’s a way of taking a static picture of what’s on your computer desktop.
Have you ever tried to explain to someone who is not in the room with you what you see on your computer? If you have, you know how tricky this can be. Taking a screenshot of the situation allows you to email a snapshot of what you’re seeing. Screenshots can be enormously helpful.
There are two basic types of screenshots – partial and full.
How to take a partial screenshot
Everything you need to take a screenshot on a Mac is already there. No special software is required. Follow the three simple steps below and once you master the action, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without knowing how to do this.
- Hold down the command key and the shift key simultaneously. Don’t let go.
- Press the #4 key. Your cursor will change to cross hairs.
- Now let go of the three keys, pick up your mouse and drag the cross hairs over the area that you want to copy. Start in one corner and drag to the opposite corner.
- The file name will be “Screen Shot [date and time taken].png”. For example, if you take a screenshot on November 20, 2013 at 1:13 pm the name will be “Screen Shot 2013-11-20 at 1.13.00 PM”.
How to take a full screenshot
- Hold down the command key and the shift key simultaneously. Don’t let go.
- Press the #3 key.
- Doing this will take a snapshot of your entire screen, and save it as a .png file on your desktop.
- The same naming system applies as described above.
The procedure for taking a screenshot on a PC is different.