One of the things that I’ve always loved about macOS is how easy it is to take a variety of screenshots with just a keyboard shortcut. Yet, with the release of the Touch Bar-adorned MacBook Pro, some may find that taking screenshots is easier than ever. In this brief tutorial, we’ll show you how.
Add the Screenshot button to the Touch Bar
Step 1: Open System Preferences → Keyboard.
Step 2: Near the bottom right-hand corner of the Keyboard tab, click Customize Control Strip.
Step 3: Drag the Screenshot button to the Touch Bar area, and click Done. Remember that you can extend the Touch Bar’s Control Strip in order to place the Screenshot button in the extended area of the Control Strip if you wish.
Video walkthrough
Take a screenshot with the help of the Touch Bar
Now it’s just a matter of using the Screenshot button in the Touch Bar to take the screenshot.
Step 1: Tap the Screenshot button in the Touch Bar.
Step 2: Tap Save To and select what you wish to do with the screenshot after it is taken. You have the option of saving it to the Desktop or to the Documents folder, but you can also place the screenshot in the macOS clipboard, or open it directly in the Preview, Mail or Messages app.
Step 3: Next, you’ll want to choose the type of screenshot that you want to take. Selected Portion allows you to use your mouse cursor to select a specific part of the screen to screenshot. When this option is selected, simply drag your mouse cursor to select the desired screenshot area.
The Window option will take a screenshot of an entire app window. With this option selected, move your mouse cursor over the app that you wish to screenshot and click.
The last option, Entire Screen, is just as it’s described. Tapping Entire Screen will take a screenshot of everything that’s currently being displayed on the screen.
Once you get the mechanics down, taking screenshots with the Touch Bar is extremely simple and straightforward. But did you know that you can also take screenshots of the Touch Bar itself? That and many other features are discussed in our 15 Touch Bar tips and tricks post and video.
What about you? Do you use the Touch Bar to take screenshots, or do you stick to using traditional keyboard shortcuts?
