How To Crop A Screenshot On Mac: The Ultimate Guide (2024)

how to crop a screenshot on mac

Using a Mac for your daily tasks is one of the premium and smoothest experiences but also there are a lot of situations where we get stuck or stay puzzled when it comes to doing something very easy like taking a screenshot or cropping it. These days screenshots are not just taken to give references but it has also become solid proof for many actions. Not only this but, now the screenshot’s cropping is also equally crucial as it helps in making the image more specific, eliminates unnecessary sections, and also hides sensitive/personal data. So, to help you in this matter and make you an expert Mac user, we made a complete guide answering “how to crop a screenshot on Mac” which is loaded with multiple solutions. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s start without wasting a single minute! 

How To Take A Screenshot On Mac?

Before heading toward the main cropping steps, let’s simply learn about the multiple ways through which we can take a new screenshot on Mac. However, you can use dedicated applications to do the same but below we will be sharing only the quickest and easiest ways which is by using “Keyboard shortcuts”. 

desktop picture

Image credits: cleanmymac.com

Method 1: For doing the screenshot of the complete screen: If you want to capture the complete screen then you need to press three keys at the same time i.e. “Shift” + “Command” + “3” and you are done. 

Method 2: For doing the screenshot of a particular section: There are times when we want to capture only a specific area or section of the window then at that time you need to press “Shift” + “Command” + “4” at the same time. 

Method 3: For doing the screenshot of a specific menu or window: If you do not want to capture the entire screen or wish to save a particular menu or window only then you must press “Shift” + “Command” + “4“ + “Spacebar” and you are done. 

How To Crop A Screenshot On Mac?

There are multiple ways through which we can crop, edit, and save any of the existing screenshots in our system. To know about those different ways and choose the best one that suits you, read the below-shared points. 

Way 1: Try the default cropping tool

Mac offers its own in-built cropping tool which can be used right after taking a new screenshot and the steps for the same are mentioned below:

how to crop a screenshot on mac

Image credits: iDownloadBlog

  • First of all, take a screenshot and click on the thumbnail that pops up on the bottom right of the screen. 
  • If done correctly and fastly, a new window will open on the screen which will be loaded with multiple editing options. 
  • Now, look at the top right of the screen and click on the crop icon. 
  • After this, all you have to do is drag the cursor and select the section you want to save or crop from the extra areas. 
  • Once done precisely, click on the “Done” option which is available on the top right of the screen. And, this is how you can easily crop any screenshot on Mac. 

Way 2: Try the photo application

Mac also offers a default image viewing, resizing, managing, and editing application in the system that is called “Photos”. From here, you can effortlessly crop your screenshot within a couple of minutes and to know about the steps, read the below-shared steps:

photo editing apps

Image credits: OS X Daily

  • First of all, take a screenshot and save that file in your system. 
  • Once done, search for the “Photos” application and open it on your screen.
  • After this, quickly click on the “files” and select the import option from there. 
  • Now, search for the screenshot or image you want to crop and simply click the “import” option. 
  • At this stage, the selected image will come into the working area and now you have to double-click on the image to activate the editing mode. 
  • After this, all you have to do is select the “Edit” option which is available on the top right side of the screen panel. 
  • Now move your cursor and select all the wanted areas. 
  • Once you are done with cropping, click on the “Done” button which is yellow in color and will be available on the top right corner.

Way 3: Try the preview feature

Preview is an in-built feature that is available in almost all laptops through which you can easily see and edit the images you have captured or saved in the system. To know how to crop a screenshot on Mac using this feature, read the below-shared steps:

how to crop a screenshot on mac

Image credits: ploradoctor.weebly.com

  • First of all, take a screenshot and save that image in your system. 
  • Once done, search the file of the image and open the same on your screen. 
  • After that, all you have to do is double-click on the image as doing this will open the screenshot in a new window. 
  • Now, go through from the complete toolbar and click on the pencil icon that will be available on the top right side. 
  • Doing the previous step will turn your mouse pointer into a selection tool. So, simply drag it and choose the area you want to save or crop out from the extra sections. 
  • Once done, press the keys “Command + K” and your screenshot will crop successfully. Finally, to save the image, press the keys “Command + S” and you are done with your task in the simplest way. 

Way 4: Try any third-party cropping tool

There are a lot of third-party tools available in the tech world that offer various editing, cropping, resizing, and more options to the users. However, below we are sharing the steps for using Photoscape X which is a trustworthy application and works seamlessly. To know, how you can use it for cropping, read the below-shared steps:

third party apps

Image credits: fixthephoto.com

  • First of all; go to the App Store and install the “Photoscape X” app in your system. 
  • Once done, run the application on the screen. 
  • Now, from the working space, click on the “Open” option which is available at the bottom right side, and then from the “Finder” option, choose the screenshot on which you want to work. 
  • Once you find the screenshot, simply move your cursor there on the file and choose the “Open” option. 
  • After this, the screenshot will come on the workspace and now you just need to click on the “Edit” option that is available on the top right section of the screen. 
  • Doing the previous step correctly will pop up a menu bar on the right-hand side and from there you need to click on the “Crop” feature. 
  • After that, select the area of the screenshot you want to keep by dragging your cursor there, and once done, click on the “Crop” option that is available on the bottom right. 
  • Lastly, to save the cropped screenshot, simply press the keys “Command + S” and you are done. 

Way 5: Try using online cropping tools

There are a lot of websites and online tools that can be easily accessed on the internet and offer free-of-cost services to everyone when it comes to editing your images. However, below we are sharing the steps of only one online tool that is “iloveimg.com” which works tremendously well. So, to know how to crop a screenshot on Mac using such tools read the below-shared points:

how to crop a screenshot on mac

Image credits: media.io

  • First of all, go to the web browser and open the website “iloveimg.com”. 
  • Once done, click on the “Select Images” option which is present in the middle of the page and looks like a large blue tab. 
  • After that, search for the screenshot you want to crop and click on the “Open” option mentioned on the button on the right corner.
  • At this step, move your cursor on the screenshot and select the area you want to crop out. 
  • Next, click on the “Crop Image” button that is available in the bottom right corner in blue color. 
  • At last, select the “Download Cropped Image” and save your file on the desired location. 

FAQs

What is the shortcut key for screenshots of full screen on Mac?

For this you need to press three keys at the same time i.e. “Shift” + “Command” + “3” and you are done. 

How to crop a screenshot on Mac?

There are multiple ways of doing this and the best ones include using photo applications, trying online cropping tools, accessing third-party editing applications, using the preview feature, or having your hands on the default cropping tool of Mac. 

Which are the best online websites for cropping a screenshot on a Mac?

There are a lot of websites that offer editing or specifically cropping services and some of the best ones are “iloveimg.com”, “Cropp.me”, “picresize.com”, and more. 

Conclusion

Above we shared a brief guide answering “how to crop a screenshot on Mac” along with its other aspects like “how to take a screenshot on Mac” so that you never lag anywhere. There are a lot of ways through which you can do the cropping of any image however, the best in-built options include “Photos app” and “Preview feature” whereas external options include “third-party application” and “online cropping tools”. 

I hope the page helped you and fulfilled all your expectations. Last but not least, if you have any other query or want us to assist you in something then do let us know in the comment section mentioned below. Thank you for reading! 

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Technology · tips · Trending

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