Screenshots are extremely useful and versatile. The ability to take a screenshot has made taking notes and sharing funny conversations much simpler. Almost everyone will be familiar with this nifty tool. But what happens if you face the common screenshot not working on Mac issue? If this you are facing right now, then this article will help you out.
Step 1: Free download, install and launch Vidmore Screen Recorder. Choose Screen Capture when screenshot not working or frozen on Mac. Step 2: If you want to take a screenshot of a certain window, just hover mouse to this window.Then left-click the mouse to confirm. Or you can drag with your left mouse to take a screenshot of any rectangular shape as well. Restart & Update Your macOS. If you haven’t forced restart your Mac in a long time, then it might be.
In this article, we are going to take a look at why your screenshot stopped working. We are also going to take a look at what you can do to fix them and any other alternatives you can use in a jiffy. Let’s get started.
- How to take screenshots on Mac properly. Before diving into all the ways to correct screenshot on Mac not working, it would be beneficial to recap how screenshots are supposed to work to establish a foundation to start from. There are a few options for taking a screenshot on your Mac.
- Restart or force restart your iPad. Restart iPad: press and hold the Power button until the “slide to.
- Screenshots are extremely useful and versatile. The ability to take a screenshot has made taking notes and sharing funny conversations much simpler. Almost everyone will be familiar with this nifty tool. But what happens if you face the common screenshot not working on Mac issue? If this you are facing right now, then this article will help you.
Contents
- 2 What to Do If Screenshot is Not Working on Macbook?
- 3 Different Ways to Take Snaps on Macbook.
Why does this error occur?
This is a software issue and can be fixed easily. But sometimes, the screenshots will work but you won’t be able to find the images. This occurs when the save location of the images is changed without your knowledge.
Another reason for the screenshot not working is if the shortcuts don’t work. Usually, pressing Command+Shift+3 will take a screenshot of the entire screen and it will be confirmed by the shutter sound effect. Command+Shift+4 will let you take a screenshot of a part of the screen. If the shortcuts have been assigned to something else, then the screenshots will not work.
What to Do If Screenshot is Not Working on Macbook?
We have scoured the forums and user reports to compile a list of methods you can try to fix this annoying issue. We have ranked this list based on convenience, but you can try out the methods in any way that’s convenient for you. Let’s jump right into it.
Method 1: Check Save Location
If you hear the shutter sound after pressing the shortcut keys, then there’s a good chance that the save location has been changed. This means that the screenshot is working but it’s just not saving the images to the folder where you expect them to be. By default, the screenshots are saved on the desktop, but macOS Mojave and newer versions let you change the location. Correcting this is easy and all you have to do is follow these steps:
- Press Shift+Command+5. This will open the Screenshot toolbar.
- Click on Options.
- From the drop-down menu, the checked location under Save To will tell you where the screenshots were being saved.
- You can either change the save location (to desktop, for example) and it will save all of your future screenshots there or you can use the screenshots from the location they are currently in.
Method 2: Restart Your Mac
Sometimes, it’s just a software bug that’s keeping you from taking a screenshot. Even though macOS is well optimized for its hardware, sometimes running it for a long time can cause minor issues to crop up. A restart can help the OS flush out temporary junk files and can fix these bugs. All you have to do is:
- Click on Apple Menu.
- Select Restart from the drop-down.
Method 3: Check the Keyboard Shortcuts
By default, the previously mentioned shortcuts would take a screenshot. But if they are turned off or changed, the screenshots will not be taken when the shortcuts are pressed. To fix this, all you have to do is:
- Click on the Apple menu and select Screen Preferences.
- Select Keyboard and then choose Shortcuts.
- On the left-hand side menu, select Screenshots.
- Turn on Shortcuts on the right(if it is turned off) or just hit Restore Defaults on the bottom of the screen.
Method 4: Change DropBox Settings
This method is for users who have DropBox installed on their Macbooks. There is a good chance that this app is importing all of the screenshots from your screenshot folder. To change the settings, just follow these steps:
- Select the DropBox menu. It will be on the menu bar on top of the screen.
- Open up Settings.
- Choose Preferences and then click on the Import tab.
- Disable the “Share Screenshots Using DropBox” option.
Method 4: Reset PRAM or NVRAM
If nothing else on this list has worked, then try this one out. Resetting NVRAM will flush out any minor glitches your Macbook’s facing. It’s pretty simple too.
- Click on the Apple menu and hit Shut Down.
- Wait until the computer completely turns off.
- Press and hold Command+Option+R+P keys together until your device boots up.
Different Ways to Take Snaps on Macbook.
If the screenshot on Macbook is not working and you want to hurry up and take a screenshot, then there are a couple of things you can try.
1. Preview App
Preview is a versatile app that lets you do a lot of things, like combining PDF documents and image conversion. It can also take screenshots. Just follow these steps.
- Open up Preview.
- Click on the File tab and then select Take a screenshot.
- You can choose what type of screenshot you want.
2. Grab App
Grab is another tool that lets you take and edit screenshots.
- Select Applications.
- Click on Utilities and then scroll down and select Grab.
- You can choose the area you want to take a screenshot of.
Also Read: Best Snipping Tools for Mac
Final Take
That’s all you need to know if screenshots are not working on Mac. Hopefully, this article helped you and you’re no longer bothered by this issue. If you have any suggestions or questions, please let us know in the comments section down below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Why is the screenshot not working on Mac? If you failed to take a screenshot on your Mac, whether you are not able to find the image, or even the key combination does not work, you can learn more about the 6 best solutions from the article. Moreover, you can also learn more about the alternatives as the default screenshot shortcuts to fix screenshot not working on Mac.
Part 1: 5 Best Methods to Fix Screenshot Not Working on Mac
It might take a short period of time to save the screenshot on Mac. Just wait for a few more seconds. After that, you can learn more about the settings for the screenshot shortcuts, or check out more useful tips to fix screenshot on Mac not working.
1. Settings for Screenshot Shortcuts
If you cannot find the captured screenshot on your Mac, you can check whether the Screenshot Shortcuts are turned off, or the key combination is changed. Here is the detailed process to fix screenshot on your Mac not working.
Step 1 Go to the Apple menu and choose the System Preferences option. Then choose the Keyboard option to locate the key combination status for the screenshot shortcuts.
Why Can't Mac Have A Screenshot Button
Step 2 Select the Shortcuts menu and click on the Screen Shots option on the left side. Make sure the options in front of the key combination have already been checked.
Step 3 When you need to tweak the key combination, you can press Control + F7 to change the settings. To change a shortcut, select it, click the key combination, and then type the new keys.
Check where do the screenshots go on your Mac and PC
2. Restart Your Mac
When you have not restarted your MacBook for a long period of time, you can restart your Mac to fix screenshot not working on Mac. Here are the 3 most frequently used methods to restart your Mac, just choose any one to turn your Mac into normal.
Option 1: Press the Power button or simply press the both Control + Eject key combination, when there is a dialogue box appears, choose the Restart button to fix the problems.
Option 2: Make sure you have already closed all the applications, then choose the Apple key, and then click the Restart button to get rid of the screenshot on Mac not working.
Option 3: Press the key combination Control + Command + Eject or the Control + Command + Power to turn your MacBook into the normal status within a few seconds.
3. Move the Preference File
Screenshot For Mac Not Working Windows 10
If you have updated the Preference file previously, the cache file might still exist, which you have to remove the Preference file and restart your Mac in order to fix screenshot not working on Mac.
Step 1 Open the Finder option and choose the Go menu from the menu bar. Select the Go to Folder from the drop down list.
Screenshot Feature On Mac Not Working
Step 2 After that, you can enter the ~/Library/Preferences/. Then it will direct you to the Preferences folder. Locate the com.apple.ImageCaptureApp.plist file from the folder.
Step 3 Move that file to desktop and restart the Mac. Now you can check whether the screenshot not working on Mac problem is already fixed. If possible, you can simply remove the file.
4. Change Dropbox Settings
Once you have installed Dropbox on your Mac, the program will import all of the screenshots from your screenshot folder. To change the settings, you can just follow the steps to fix screenshot not available on Mac.
Step 1 Launch Dropbox and select the Dropbox menu, which will be available on the menu bar on the top of the screen. Click on the Gear icon to go to the Settings of the program.
Step 2 You can choose the Preferences option, and then click on the Import tab. Then you can disable the Share Screenshots Using Dropbox option to sync the screenshot.
5. Reset PRAM or NVRAM
NVRAM, or PRAM stores the settings for your MacBook, such as the screen resolution, time zone information, the hard drive to boot from and more others, including the screenshot shortcuts. When you reset NVRAM, the Mac will restore to the original status to fix screenshot on Mac not working.
Step 1 Make sure your MacBook has already turned off. After that, you can turn on your MacBook and immediately after you hear the first startup chime, hold down the Command + Option + P + R keys.
Step 2 Once it indicated the NVRAM/PRAM has been reset, you can release the above keys, which you can allow your Mac to boot up as normal to fix the problems for screenshot on Mac not working.
Step 3 It may take a few tries to get the proper timing down to make it work. After the resetting, you need to reconfigure settings for screenshot shortcuts, as well as the speak volume, screen resolution and more.
Part 2: 2 Best Alternatives to Fix Screenshot on Mac Not Working
When the above solutions do not work to fix screenshot on Mac not working, or you need to have an alternative solution to take snapshots on your Mac? Blu-ray Master Screen Recorder for Mac is a free snipping tool enables you to take snapshots, record screen video and capture audio files. Moreover, you can also tweak the video settings, set up a time schedule, and even manage the screenshots with ease.
- 1. Capture screen all activities, take snapshots, capture screen video, etc.
- 2. Tweak the hotkeys for take snapshots, capture area and photo format.
- 3. Add annotations to the screenshot and further edit the screenshot easily.
- 4. Manage the screenshot within the built-in photo editor and manager.
Step 1 Download and install the free snipping tool for Mac, you can launch the program and click the Blu-ray Master Screen Recorder for Mac menu to choose the Preferences option to tweak the photo formats and more other settings to take screenshots.
Step 2 After that, you can select the desired area you want to screenshot. When you move the mouse cursor to a window, it will take a snapshot of the active window accordingly. Just click the mouse to capture a screenshot on your Mac as desired.
Step 3 You can add the callouts, texts, arrows, lines and more other files into the screenshots. Moreover, you can also tweak the fonts for the texts, color and size for all the elements. Then you can click the Save icon to save the screenshot to your hard drive.
Step 4 When you want to further edit the screenshots, you can click on the Recording history on the left bottom to manage the photos. It enables you to view, rename, add to folder, share to social media websites and even delete the photos easily.
Part 3: FAQs about How to Fix Screenshot Not Working on Mac
1. What Should You Do If Grab Not Working on Mac?
When screenshot not working on Mac with Grab, you should update to the latest macOS to check whether it works. After that, launch the Finder and click Go from the menu bar, select the Go to Folder and enter the following path: ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.grab.plist. Once you have entered the command line, you can drag the selected plist file to the Trash and restart your Mac to fix screenshot not working on Mac.
2. Where are the Screenshots Saved on Mac?
For macOS Mojave or later, press the Command + Shift+ 5 and in the Options, choose Desktop as path and tick Remember Last Selection and continue taking a screenshot, it is also a potential workaround when Mac screenshot disappeared.
3. What the Default Snipping Tools for Mac to Take Screenshots?
Is there any method to take a snapshot without installing extra software on Mac when screenshot not working on Mac? Of course, you can simply use the Grab or Preview from the Apps to take snapshots on your Mac. But the program only provides limited features, especially when you need to add annotations or edit the screenshots.
Conclusion
To screenshot on Mac, the key combination is always the first choice. The article shares 6 most frequently used methods to fix screenshot not working on Mac. Just follow the steps to get rid of the problem, of course, you can also choose the Blu-ray Master Screen Recorder to take a snapshot on your Mac for free with advanced features.