Are you a Macbook or Macbook pro owner? Are you on the lookout for a free utility that lets you take screenshots and edit them? Do you love reading articles online like best easy way to capture screenshots on mac, mac os tools that let you take screenshots, click and drag to capture screen in mac, nova shot app for mac or other similar articles? If yes, then this article is meant only for you.
If you are looking for the best screenshot tool osx, then you are in the right place. Instead of giving you a long sales page, I thought it would be better to show you some screenshots of what these tools can do for you. Here are just a few of my favorites that I know about and use often.
These days there’s many ways to capture a screenshot of your work. When we talk about mac os screenshot tools the focus is on software. In the past, only the operating system provided a way to take screenshots but now you have an other option .
Apple already has a terrific screenshot tool (check out our guide on how to take a screenshot on Mac to find out how to use it) that’s built into macOS. User-friendly and seamless, the tool allows you to take a screenshot of the entire screen, a portion of it, or an open window. You can also take a video recording of your screen using the same tool.
Which factors should you consider while selecting the best screen capture tool?
You should consider the following factors before selecting a screen capture tool.
- Ease of use
- Edit functions
- Capture Options
- License Cost if applicable
- Hardware/Software requirements of the screen capture tool
- Support and Update policy of the screen capture tool
- Reviews of the company
1. Skitch by Evernote
Skitch by Evernote isn’t much different from Apple’s Mac screenshot tool when it comes to taking screenshots. It offers the ability to take screenshots from a selected area, full screen, window, and more. There’s also camera mode that lets. You take selfies with your Mac’s camera. Sponsored LinksPlay Now In Your BrowserHero Wars
Skitch’s biggest strengths are on display when it comes to post-capturing. The app is packed full of unique features, including adding arrows, lines, shapes, callouts, pixelation, and highlights to the screen. You can save documents in eight different formats and share them through Apple AirDrop, Notes, and more. And if you’re an Evernote user, you can save snaps on its servers for access across other platforms.RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU…CLOSE
2. CleanShot X
The makers of this app promise seven apps in one, as it extends beyond screenshots and also offers screen recording, text recognition (OCR), cloud integration, and much more. CleanShot X has the added advantage of being part of the Setapp subscription plan, which gives you access to more than 230 Mac and iOS apps for $9.99/month.
3. Monosnap
Monosnap is another well-received snapshot tool for Mac. Like Skitch, its strengths lie with its editing tools, including annotation, video recording, drag & drop, a blur feature, and more.
The free Monosnap version is for non-commercial use only and comes with 2GB of free cloud storage. The two paid offers add third-party integrations, more storage, team management, and other extras. New users can try either premium version free for 30 days.
4. Snagit by TechSmith
Workplaces often select Snagit as its preferred screen capture and recording tool since it works on Windows and Mac. The tool allows you to import images from scanners and cameras and provide the traditional screenshot tools. For Mac users, Snagit lets you capture text from an image and paste it into an editor.
Snagit integrates nicely with some of the biggest apps around, including Microsoft 365, Box, Slack, Dropbox, Gmail, and more.
The multi-functional tool is only available as a paid version, although you can use it as a free trial for a limited time.
5. LightShot
If you’re looking for a lightweight Mac screenshot solution, LightShot is probably for you. With it, you can edit screenshots using colors, shapes, text, and more. You can also take successive screenshots quickly, a feature that’s missing from other solutions.
Completely free, LightShot is available for Mac and Windows and offers one of the easiest-to-follow interfaces around.
6. Droplr
Finally, there’s Droplr, a full-service screenshot tool that’s available for Mac and Windows. Largely targeting business and enterprise customers, the high-resolution snipping tool offers cloud storage, security, and, yes, screen recording for a monthly fee. Integrations include those for eBay, Mailchimp, Intercom, Slack, and more.
There are various screenshot and video-recording tools for Mac. You can stick with the built-in solution or look at some of the alternatives. Each of the options offers the same basic features. When it comes to editing and storage, however, you’ll find some differences.
6. Snagit
Snagit is the best paid software to take screenshots on a Mac. This app is full of advanced features that allow more screenshot manipulation than most of the free software out there.
With a wide variety of annotation features, Snagit allows you to deeply customize your screenshot. You can select different fonts, add details to the text (like shadows and colors), and even play with the text’s opacity. It’s a mini Photoshop.
And, in addition to the standard three types of screenshots (full-screen, selected area, and active window), you can also take scrolling screenshots with Snagit. If you’ve been manually combining multiple images to make a longer screenshot, Snagit automates this for you with the scrolling screenshot feature.
Other features like OCR (optical character recognition, which allows you to copy text directly from images) and screen recording make Snagit even more unique.
Though it’s a bit expensive, Snagit comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. So, if you feel you don’t need such a tool after using it once, you can get your money refunded. There’s also a free trial you can take advantage of.
Snagit is betst for people who need to make advanced presentations with their screenshots. If you want a simpler tool, consider Shottr.
Download: Snagit ($62.99, free trial available)
7. Monosnap
Monosnap is another simple screenshot editing solution for Mac users that you can easily grab from the App Store. By simply hiding in the menu bar for easy access, Monosnap works similar to other apps on this list.
Click the Monosnap icon from the menu bar, and you’ll see options to Capture Area, Capture Fullscreen, and Record Video. Along with this, there’s an Open option that allows you to edit any screenshot or image you want to.
Once you open an image, you’ll see an editing interface that allows various functions like adding shapes, text, arrows, and other annotations. You can then save the image in either JPEG or PNG format, at any location in your Mac.
Another useful thing you can do with Monosnap is set shortcuts for different functions to make the process of taking screenshots easier and more efficient. Simply go to Monosnap icon > Preferences from the menu bar, and change the settings to your liking.
Though the free version is enough for most users, Monosnap’s paid version allows longer recordings, additional cloud storage space, and third-party integrations. We only recommend the paid version if you have more professional work to do.
Download: Monosnap (Free, premium version available)
8. Grabilla
Grabilla is a simple yet powerful screenshot capture tool. You can use voice commands to capture or record screen.
Features:
- Screenshots or screen videos
- Cloud or personal storage
- This screenshot software access from anywhere
- Publish to social networks, blogs, forums
- Create short links and QR codes
9. Snipping Tool++
Snipping Tool++ is a free and simple tool. It allows users to take a screenshot of a specific online page.
Features:
- Screen capture tool for windows
- Integrates automatically with social media
- It checks the presence of viruses and similar malware
- Free and User-Friendly Screenshot Software for Personal Computers
Using keyboard shortcuts
MacOS keyboard shortcuts are the easiest and quickest ways to take screenshots, whether you’re capturing the entire screen or just a portion. By default, Apple’s methods save your screenshot to the desktop, but if you want to copy the screenshot to the clipboard, there’s a keyboard shortcut you can use instead.
Capture the entire screen
Method 1: Press the Command + Shift + 3 keys simultaneously for an instant capture of your desktop.
Method 2: Press the Command + Shift + 3 + Control keys simultaneously to save the image to your clipboard.
In MacOS Catalina and newer, a screenshot preview appears in the bottom-right corner of your screen, giving you quick access to editing tools.
Capture a selected area
Method 1: Press the Command + Shift + 4 keys simultaneously. With your pointer turned into a crosshair, click and drag to draw a box around the region you want captured. When you let go of the mouse button, the screenshot saves to your desktop.
Method 2: Press the Command + Shift + 4 + Control keys simultaneously. With your pointer turned into a crosshair, click and drag to draw a box around the region you want captured. When you let go of the mouse button, the screenshot saves to the clipboard.
Capture a single window
Step 1: Press the Command + Shift + 4 keys simultaneously so that your pointer becomes a crosshair.
Step 2: Press the Spacebar. The pointer changes to a camera icon.
Step 3: Any window you hover over is highlighted with a light blue overlay. Click on the window you want to capture, and the image saves to your desktop.
This method doesn’t just capture windows — you can save the desktop, the menu bar, the dock, or even an open menu by itself.
The image you save consists of the window and its shadow against a transparent background (PNG). If you don’t want the shadow, press and hold the Option key (or Alt) as you click to save the image.
Method 2: In step 1, press the Command + Shift + 4 + Control keys simultaneously to save the image to your clipboard.
Use the Screenshot app
As long as you have at least MacOS Mojave, you should also have access to the Screenshot app. It provides three capture tools, plus options for saving, whether to show the pointer, and more. You can access this app by opening the Other folder on the Launchpad, but it’s easier to use keyboard shortcuts.
Method 1: Press the Command + Shift + 5 keys simultaneously to load the Screenshots toolbar, and choose your target shot — Entire Screen, Selected Window, or Selected Portion. By default, the resulting image saves to the desktop.
Method 2: Press the Command + Shift + 5 + Control keys simultaneously to load the Screenshots toolbar and choose your target shot — Entire Screen, Selected Window, or Selected Portion. The resulting image saves to the clipboard.
Note that if you have a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, these options appear on the OLED strip. Another Touch Bar exclusive is taking a screenshot of the Touch Bar display, which can be done by hitting Shift + Command + 6.
Finally, you can use the Screenshot app to change the default save location of your screenshots. Click Options on the toolbar and select Desktop, Documents, Mail, Messages, QuickTime Player, or Other location. Select that final option to send your grabs to a special location, like a dedicated screenshot folder you can create by clicking New folder.
Taking screenshots with Grab
Don’t feel like memorizing keyboard shortcuts? Grab lets you create screenshots directly from the menu bar. The app also lets you take time-delayed screenshots, just in case you need to set the stage before capturing an image on your display. Let’s look at how to screenshot on a Mac using Grab.
If you’re using MacOS Catalina or newer, Grab is not included. Instead, its features now reside in the Command + Shift + 5 key combination.
Step 1: Open Finder and select Applications listed on the left.
Step 2: Double-click on the Utilities folder and select Grab.
Once you launch Grab, you’ll see an icon for the app on the dock — you can also pin this icon for quick access later. Grab rarely features a window when open and instead runs almost entirely from the menu bar.
Step 3: Either use the Capture menu system to take screenshots or use the keyboard shortcuts detailed next to the respective command.
Timed screenshots
With Grab, you can capture a particular section of the screen, an individual window, or the entire screen — the same three options previously outlined above. It also has a Timed Screen option, which gives you a 10-second delay before capturing the screenshot.
This means that if you need to open a menu or place the pointer in the right position, you have time to do so.
Step 1: Follow the previous instruction to open Grab.
Step 2: Select Timed Screen from the Grab menu, or press its shortcut: Command + Shift + Z.
Keep in mind that your pointer will not show up in the screenshot by default. If you want to ensure it’s captured in the frame, click Preferences from the main Grab menu and select the Pointer icon from the resulting pop-up window.
The pointer only shows up when capturing delayed screenshots. Keyboard shortcuts are a better way to capture screenshots, but if you don’t want to memorize anything, Grab is a great alternative.
Capture Mac Screenshots Like a Pro
Skitch, Shottr, Snagit, Monosnap, and Lightshot are some of the best screenshot apps for Mac on the market right now. They present simple interfaces, are affordable (mostly free), and offer extensive annotation features to make your screenshots as clear as possible.
Though these apps allow video recording, they’re not perfectly designed for it. There are excellent alternatives for this, though, which even allow you to add motion graphics to your recorded videos.
Conclusion
Screenshots are used to capture the screen and add notes to it, screenshots are used to take a snapshot of whatever is on the screen either the whole or some particular part, images can be edited with exclusive features that are built into the screenshot app.
Screenshots are invaluable to developers who wish to communicate a problem in a platform-agnostic way. It’s also great for reporting bugs and issues to a support team. Whether you’re trying to capture a screenshot on your Mac or just looking for the best way to take a screenshot, you’ll find seven solutions listed below.