Search Results for: How to Reset macOS Monterey to Factory Default Settings

How to Erase All Content and Settings on Mac

July 23, 2022 by feecalculator_x6rbod

How to Erase All Content and Settings on Mac.

Apple provides various tools and methods for erasing data from Mac computers. How you reset your Mac laptop or desktop computer depends on its software version and chipset architecture. This guide covers various ways to remove all content and settings on Mac computers.

Before erasing data from your Mac, we recommend backing up its contents to an external storage device—preferably using Time Machine. For step-by-step instructions, see our Time Machine backup guide.

Use macOS Monterey Erase Assistant

macOS Monterey comes with an “Erase Assistant” utility that resets your Mac to factory settings in a few clicks. The best part is that the utility only deletes your personal data, settings, apps, accounts, etc. Your Mac’s operating system remains intact after the wipe.

The Removal Assistant is only available in macOS Monterey on Macs using Apple Silicon or the Apple T2 Security Chip. Connect your Mac to a Wi-Fi or Ethernet network and do the following:

Click the gear icon in the menu bar to open System Preferences.

Alternatively, select the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the screen and choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.

Select System Preferences from the menu bar and select Erase All Content and Settings.

Enter your Mac’s password in the dialog box and click OK to open the Erase Assistant.

You will find a list of settings, data, and files that Erase Assistant will remove from your Mac. macOS will close all active foreground and background applications when you click the Continue button. The operation also disconnects and unpairs all Bluetooth devices from your Mac.

The next step is to disconnect your Apple ID account from your Mac. This will disable Find My and Activation Lock at the same time.

Enter your Apple ID password and select Continue to sign out of your Apple ID.

Select “Delete all content and settings” to start deleting your data.

Erase Mac Content and Settings Using Disk Utility

Mac computers based on Intel processors do not support the Erase Assistant utility. If your Mac doesn’t have this tool, use Disk Utility to perform a factory reset. Unlike Erase Assistant, Disk Utility erases everything on your Mac’s drive, including the operating system. Thus, you will have to reinstall macOS from scratch when setting up your Mac after erasing data.

It’s also important to create a Time Machine backup before wiping your Mac with Disk Utility. To use Disk Utility to perform a factory reset, you must shut down your Mac and boot into recovery mode.

Disconnect all unnecessary accessories from your Mac and do the following:

Press and hold your Mac’s power button (for at least 15 seconds) until its screen turns off. Wait another 10 seconds until macOS shuts down completely. Press the power button and hold the Command + R keys if you have a Mac with an Intel processor. Keep holding these keys until the Recovery Assistant window appears on the screen.

On Macs with an Apple M1 or Apple Silicon chip, press and hold the Power button until the Startup Options page appears on the screen. Select Options and then Continue to boot your Mac into recovery mode.

Select your Mac’s administrator account, enter its password, and click Next.

Can’t remember your administrator account password? Check out our guide to formatting Macs without a password.

Select Disk Utility and click the Continue button to continue.

Select the internal drive volume where macOS is installed – Macintosh HD – Data – in the sidebar and select Erase in the toolbar.

If you don’t find “Macintosh HD – Data” in the sidebar, expand the “View” drop-down menu and select “Show All Devices”.

Use the system-recommended “Name” and “Format” and select “Erase Volume Group” to delete all data stored on the disk.

Select Erase if the Erase Volume Group option is not available for your device.

You will be prompted to enter your Apple ID password. This will disconnect your account from the Mac, disable Find My, and disable Activation Lock. On Macs with an Apple Silicon chip, select Erase Mac and Restart in the pop-up window to begin erasing your hard drive. When your Mac restarts, close Disk Utility, select Reinstall macOS [Monterey], select Continue, and follow the onscreen instructions.

By default, your computer will boot to a freshly installed version of macOS when you reinstall macOS from recovery mode. To install the version of macOS that came with your Mac, press and hold Shift + Option + Command + R during startup.

Connect your computer to the Internet via Wi-Fi or Ethernet (we recommend the latter option). Charge your Mac and keep its lid open while it downloads and reinstalls macOS. Your Mac may restart and show a blank screen several times during installation. When the installation is complete, a setup assistant window will appear on the screen.

Follow the Setup Assistant to set up your new Mac. Close the Setup Assistant (press Command + Q) if you want to sell, trade, or gift your Mac.

Erase All Content & Settings Using Find My

Erase Assistant Tool remains the fastest, safest and best way to erase data from Mac computers. However, if you no longer have access to your Mac, Find My offers the option to delete your data remotely. Only use this tracking app/service to erase your Mac’s content and settings if it’s stolen or lost.

Open the iCloud Find My web portal and sign in with the Apple ID account associated with your Mac. Expand All Devices and select your MacBook from the list.

Select the “Erase Mac” icon in the trash.

You will receive a warning that the operation will delete your Mac’s content and settings. Select Erase to continue.

You can also erase your Mac from the Find My mobile app on iPhone or iPad. Follow these steps if your phone and Mac use the same Apple ID.

Open the Find My app, go to the Devices tab, select your Mac and click Erase this device. Select Continue and enter the message you want to appear on the screen if someone finds your Mac. You can leave the message field blank if you wish. Click “Erase” to remotely erase your Mac’s content and settings.

Restore Erased Content and Settings

If you have a Time Machine backup, you can recover deleted data if you find or restore your Mac. Contact Apple Support if you’re having difficulty deleting all content and settings on your Mac using these tools.

How to Erase All Content and Settings on Mac

How to Factory Reset Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, or iMac

May 4, 2022 by feecalculator_x6rbod

How to Factory Reset Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, or iMac.

When you reset your Mac to factory settings, you erase your device and reinstall a new version of macOS. This may be required before selling, giving away, or troubleshooting complex issues.

How you reset your Mac will depend on its hardware configuration and operating system version, among other things. We will show you how to wipe and reset your MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, MacPro or iMac to factory settings using various methods.

Factory Reset Mac with Apple T2 Security Chip

The T2 Security Chip is Apple’s second-generation, dedicated security-focused silicon chipset for Mac computers. If your Mac is equipped with the T2 security chip and is running macOS Monterey, follow these steps to restore factory settings.

The following Macs ship with the T2 security chip:

MacBook Air models from 2018 to 2020 MacBook Pro models from 2018 to 2020iMac ( Retina 5K, 2020)< /li>Mac mini (2018)Mac Pro (2019) and Mac Pro (stand, 2019)

For a complete list of Macs with the Apple T2 Security Chip, see this Apple Support document. Better yet, check your Mac’s chipset configuration with the System Information tool.

Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > System Information > Hardware and select Controller from the sidebar. Check “Model Name” to make sure your Mac has the Apple T2 Security Chip installed.

macOS Monterey has an “Erase Assistant” that does all the hard work required to reset your Mac with the T2 Security Chip. Just launch the assistant, relax and wait while it wipes your Mac.

Connect your Mac to the Internet and follow the steps below to reset it with the Erase Assistant.

Select the Apple logo in the upper left corner of your Mac screen and choose System Preferences to open the Apple menu.

Leave the System Preferences window open and select System Preferences from the menu bar. Then select “Delete all content and settings”.

This will launch macOS Monterey Erase Assistant.

Enter your Mac’s administrator account password and select OK, or press the Enter key on your keyboard.

To continue, select Continue.

The Delete Assistant will delete your personal data, Apple ID account, third-party apps and extensions, settings and settings, and more. The process of deleting your data will also remove Find Me and Activation Lock. So you won’t be able to find or track your Mac after the operation.

You may also be prompted to back up your Time Machine data to an external hard drive.

Enter your Apple ID password and click Continue to continue.

Select “Erase all content and settings” at the confirmation prompt to start the factory reset process.

Your Mac will turn off, turn on again, and display a progress bar. Wait a few minutes and connect your Mac to the Internet (via Wi-Fi or Ethernet) when the message “Hi” appears on the screen. This will activate your Mac. Follow the Setup Assistant to set up your Mac from scratch.

Factory Reset Mac Using Disk Utility

Disk Utility is the best tool for factory resetting Intel-based Macs running macOS Big Sur or earlier. Of course, you can also use this tool to reset Apple Silicon Macs running macOS Monterey.

You need to boot into macOS Recovery in order to factory reset your Mac using Disk Utility. If you’re using an Intel-based Mac, please reset its NVRAM and disable pairing with Bluetooth devices before resetting.

Hold down your Mac’s power button for about 10 seconds until it turns off completely. Wait 10 more seconds before proceeding to step 2.If your Mac has an Intel processor, press the power button once and immediately hold down the Command + R keys. Hold down these keys until your Mac loads the Recovery Assistant .

For Macs with an Apple Silicon or M1 chip, press and hold the power button until the Mac displays the Startup Options page. After that select “Options” and select “Continue” to enter recovery mode.

Select an administrator account on the macOS recovery page, enter the password, and click Next.

2- Select Disk Utility and select Continue.

3- Select your startup drive (Macintosh HD – Data) in the sidebar.

Can’t find the Macintosh HD – Data volume? Select View at the top of the Disk Utility window, select Show All Devices, and check again.

With the Macintosh HD volume selected, select Erase from the toolbar.

Enter a drive name and select your preferred drive format/file system – APFS or Mac OS Extended. Disk Utility will select the best file system/format for your Mac hard drive type – SSD or HDD. Select “Erase Volume Group” to permanently erase your Mac’s drive.

Select “Erase” if the page does not have an “Erase Volume Group” button.

You may need to enter the password for the Apple ID account associated with your Mac. After Disk Cleanup is complete, reinstall macOS and follow the onscreen instructions to set up your Mac.

Close Disk Utility, return to the macOS Recovery page and select Reinstall macOS [Monterey].

Remotely Factory Reset Mac on the Find My App

Find Me doesn’t just help you track and locate Apple devices. You can also use this tool to remotely wipe (read: reset) your devices. To factory reset a lost or stolen Mac, open the Find My app on any Apple device associated with the same Apple ID as your Mac and follow these steps.

Open the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad, go to the Devices tab, and tap your Mac.Click Erase this device at the bottom of your Mac information card.Click Continue to confirm. tip.Finally, click “Erase” to remotely reset or wipe your Mac. If your Mac is stolen/lost, send a message to anyone who finds it. Be sure to include your contact information – phone number, email address, etc. – in the displayed message.

Factory Reset Mac on the Web

You can remotely restart your Mac using the Find My tool web client. Follow the steps below to restart your Mac from another device using a web browser.

Go to the iCloud Find My iPhone website and sign in with your Apple ID.Click the All Devices drop-down icon and select your Mac from the list of devices.

Select Erase Mac.

Select Erase at the confirmation prompt.

Wiping your Mac remotely requires an internet connection, and the process doesn’t always happen instantly. The deletion starts when your (stolen or lost) Mac connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

Note. Activation Lock remains on when remotely deleting data from a Mac. Therefore, your Apple ID (email address and password) is required to reactivate your Mac.

Get Professional Assistance

Contact Apple Support or contact your nearest Apple Authorized Service Provider if you are unable to factory reset your Mac. You may have missed a step, or your Mac may have a hardware problem.

How to Factory Reset Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, or iMac

How to Factory Reset a Mac or MacBook (macOS Monterey)

January 17, 2022 by feecalculator_x6rbod

How to Factory Reset a Mac or MacBook (macOS Monterey).

As you continue to use macOS 12 Monterey on your Mac, you may run into instances that require you to reset system software to factory defaults. Whether it’s selling a macOS device, fixing a persistent problem, or just starting from scratch, this guide will help you get the job done.

Read :How to Install Chrome OS on Macbook or iMac

However, before you start, we recommend that you back up your data with Time Machine. This will help you quickly restore data to the same or another Mac later. If you are using any other cloud or local backup, double-check if everything is in order to avoid data loss.

Use macOS Monterey’s Erase Assistant

macOS Monterey comes with an erasing assistant—a first for any version of macOS—that allows you to factory reset everything right from within the operating system itself. It is very similar to the Erase Helper in iOS and iPadOS.

However, this feature is only available if your Mac runs on an Apple Silicon chip (such as M1) or contains an Apple T2 security chip. If you are using an Intel Mac without a T2 chip, skip to the next section.

1. Open the System Preferences app on your Mac. If it’s not in the Dock, open the Apple menu and select System Preferences.

2. Select System Preferences > Erase All Content and Settings from the menu bar.

3. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

Note. If you don’t have an administrator account, you can’t use the Erase Assistant to reset macOS Monterey to factory defaults. Instead, you should probably ask your administrator for help.

4. If you have set up Time Machine on your Mac, you will be prompted to make a new backup. Select “Open Time Machine” and initiate a Time Machine backup. Then select Continue.

5. Review the settings your Mac will remove. This includes your Apple ID, Touch ID fingerprints, Bluetooth accessories, Find My Mac, and more. If you have multiple user accounts on your Mac, you’ll also find them listed on the screen. When you’re done, select Continue.

6. If you’re signed into your Mac with an Apple ID, enter its password to deactivate Activation Lock. Then select Continue.

7. Select Delete All Content and Settings. If you change your mind, this is your last chance to cancel and exit Erase Assistant!

8. Wait for the Erase Assistant to finish restoring your Mac to factory settings. In the meantime, your Mac will restart and you will see the Apple logo with a progress bar below it.

9. After the reset procedure, Erase Assistant will prompt you to reactivate your Mac. To do this, connect your device to an Ethernet connection. Or select the Wi-Fi icon in the upper right corner of the screen and connect to an available Wi-Fi network. When the message “Your Mac is activated” appears on the screen, select Restart.

10. Select “Get Started” on the welcome screen. This will launch the Setup Assistant. If you are planning to sell your Mac, press Command + Q and turn off your Mac. Or use the setup assistant to set up your Mac from scratch.

If you choose to customize your Mac, you will be given the option to restore your Mac’s data with a Time Machine backup. You can skip this if you want and use the Migration Assistant to restore everything later. For detailed step-by-step instructions, see our guide to recovering a Mac with Time Machine.

Erase and Reinstall via macOS Recovery

If you are using an Intel Mac without the Apple T2 Security Chip, you must log in and use macOS Recovery to reset your Mac to factory default settings. The procedure includes cleaning the boot disk and reinstalling the system software. Don’t worry, you won’t need external macOS installation media.

Sign out of iMessage and iCloud

If you’re going to sell or gift your Mac, you can take a few minutes to sign out of iMessage and iCloud. This minimizes the chance of account-related issues when using your Apple ID on other Apple devices you own.

iMessage: Open the Messages app and choose Messages > Preferences from the menu bar. Then go to the iMessage tab and select Sign Out.

iCloud: Open the Apple menu and choose System Preferences > Apple ID. Then go to the iCloud side tab and select Sign Out.

Enter macOS Recovery Mode

macOS Recovery is a dedicated recovery environment for your Mac. You can access it when you boot up your Mac with a specific keyboard shortcut.

1. Turn off your Mac.

2. Hold down the Command + R keys and press the power button to turn it back on.

3. Release the keys when you see the Apple logo. Your Mac will momentarily enter macOS Recovery Mode.

Erase Mac in macOS Recovery Mode

You must use the Disk Utility app in macOS Recovery to wipe your Mac.

1. Select Disk Utility from the macOS Recovery menu. Then select Continue.

2. Select Macintosh HD from the sidebar. Then click the “Erase” button in the upper left corner of the screen.

4. Set the name to Macintosh HD and the format to APFS. Then select “Erase” to erase your Mac. If you see an “Erase Volume Group” button, select it.

5. Select Done. You must then exit Disk Utility by selecting Disk Utility > Exit Disk Utility from the menu bar.

Reinstall macOS Monterey

Now that you’ve wiped your Mac, it’s time to reinstall macOS Monterey.

1. Select Reinstall macOS Monterey from the macOS Recovery menu. Then select Continue.

2. Select Continue and accept the license terms. Then select Macintosh HD as the target drive.

3. Wait for your Mac to finish installing macOS Monterey. This may take up to an hour or more.

4. When the Setup Assistant appears, press Command + Q and turn off your Mac if you plan to sell it or give it as a gift.

If not, use the Setup Assistant to set up your Mac for personal use again. You can restore your data with a Time Machine backup during the setup step or after using the Migration Assistant.

Erase Mac Using Find My

Another method is to use the Find My app on another iPhone, iPad, or Mac you own to reset macOS Monterey to factory defaults. This applies to any Monterey compatible MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, or Mac mini. It’s best used if you’re not physically near your Mac.

1. Open the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Or sign in to iCloud.com on any web browser and select Latitude.

2. Select “Devices” and select your Mac.

3. Select “Erase Device” and select “Continue” to erase your Mac. If the Mac is offline, it will start erasing itself the next time it comes online.

If you have sold or given away an Apple Silicon Mac or a Mac with an Apple T2 security chip inside, you must also select the Remove Device option to remove Activation Lock. This is the only way to allow the new owner to set up and use the device.

macOS Monterey Reset to Factory Defaults

With Erase Assistant, it’s pretty easy to reset your Mac to factory defaults if you’re using a newer Mac with an Apple Silicon or T2 chip inside. If not, you should resort to a macOS restore (which looks tricky, but not that hard). You also have the option to use Find My if you don’t have a Mac.

How to Factory Reset a Mac or MacBook (macOS Monterey)

How to Reset macOS Monterey to Factory Default Settings

21 tips and tricks to better organize your Notes app

May 3, 2022 by feecalculator_x6rbod

21 tips and tricks to better organize your Notes app.

Looks can be deceiving, and Apple Notes is a perfect example of this. While the standard note-taking app for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS looks overly simplistic, it’s filled with all sorts of features that make it extremely versatile.

If you’re relatively new to the Notes app, here are 21 tips to get you started using Apple Notes effectively on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac.

1. Pin Notes

If you have a note in a folder that you want to quickly jump to, try pinning it to the top of the list. To do this, swipe the note to the right and tap the pin icon. On a Mac, Control-click a note and choose Pin Note instead. You can pin as many notes as you like this way.

Want to unpin a note? Just swipe right again (or Control-click the note on a Mac) and choose Unpin or Unpin Note.

2. Switch to Gallery View

The default list view of Apple Notes makes it difficult to distinguish between notes. If you prefer a more visual approach, consider switching to gallery view.

On iPhone and iPad, tap the More icon (three dots) in the top right corner of the screen and select View as Gallery. On the macOS version of Notes, select the Gallery icon at the top of the application window.

3. Add Password Protection

When composing a secret or confidential note, it’s a good idea to add an extra layer of protection by blocking it. To do this, tap the “More” icon and select “Block”. On a Mac, select the padlock icon in the upper-right corner of the Notes window instead.

The first time you do this, you must set a password, which you must use to unlock the note and any other notes you later lock. You can also unlock notes with Face ID or Touch ID to speed up the process.

4. Use Quick Notes

If you’re using an iPad or Mac with iPadOS 15 or macOS Monterey installed, you can use the Quick Note feature to quickly take notes without opening Notes. It can also grab links to web pages in browsers like Safari and Chrome.

To activate Quick Note, simply swipe your finger (or the tip of your Apple Pencil) over the bottom right corner of your iPad screen. On a Mac, click the cursor in the lower right corner of the screen instead.

Anything you write down this way will appear in the Quick Notes folder of the Notes app. You can also access this folder on your iPhone.

5. Store Notes Offline

By default, the Notes app stores notes in iCloud, which means they’re easily synced across iPhone, iPad, and Mac via your Apple ID. However, if you’re running out of iCloud storage, you also have the option to store notes locally.

On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings > Notes and turn on the toggle next to On my iPhone/iPad account. On the macOS version of Notes, select Notes > Preferences from the menu bar and check the box next to Enable the My Mac account.

You’ll then find a new section labeled “On my iPhone/iPad/Mac” on the home screen or sidebar of the Notes app. You can create folders and notes in it in the future.

6. Create Checklist

While your iPhone, iPad, and Mac come with a dedicated Reminders app, you can also use the Notes app as a replacement for your to-do manager. To create a quick checklist, simply tap the Checklist button at the top of the on-screen keyboard (iPhone and iPad) or at the top of the Notes window (Mac).

7. Use Text Formatting

The Apple Notes app isn’t just for simple note-taking. You can also structure your text with headings, bold text, bullets, and more. Simply tap the Aa button at the top of the on-screen keyboard (iPhone and iPad) or at the top of the Notes window (Mac) to access formatting options .

8. Shake to Undo

Made a mistake while writing a note? Just shake your iPhone or iPad and hit “Undo” to undo the action! Here are some other useful gestures you can use on iOS devices.

9. Start Dictating

Your iPhone, iPad, and Mac have a powerful built-in dictation feature that you can use to take notes faster. Just tap the microphone icon on the on-screen keyboard (iPhone and iPad) or choose File > Dictation from the menu bar (Mac) and start talking, and the Notes app will convert your words to text in real time.

10. Takes Notes With Siri

If you want to quickly create a new note, just ask Siri. Say “Hey Siri, take a note” or “Hey Siri, create a note” and whatever you say right after that becomes a headline. Then say “New line” and continue to the end of the note.

11. Use Hashtags

Starting with iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, you can manage your notes with hashtags. Simply add a tag or multiple tags anywhere in your notes and they will appear in the tag browser on the home screen or sidebar of the Notes app. You can then quickly tap on them to filter your notes.

12. Create Smart Folders

Smart Folders are essentially saved collections of hashtags that you can use to filter your notes even faster. To create a Smart Folder, choose New Folder > New Smart Folder in the bottom left corner of the Notes app. Then add a name, enter the desired tags, and click Finish. You can then access it through the home screen or sidebar of the Notes app.

13. Convert Handwriting to Text

If you’re using an iPad with an Apple Pencil, the Notes app offers the perfect way to handwrite notes. But did you know that you can also convert this to real text? Just tap the A-shaped pen and Notes will transcribe everything you write in real time.

14. Draw Perfect Shapes

The Notes app on iPad also lets you draw perfect shapes with your Apple Pencil. Just press and hold your Apple Pencil after you draw a shape (circle, square, triangle, etc.) and the built-in shape recognition algorithm will automatically turn on and adjust it for you.

15. Drag and Drop Items

If you want to add an attachment (such as an image or PDF) to a note, you can simply drag and drop it into the Notes app on iPhone and iPad. Just press and hold on an item or items (like in Photos or Files), switch to the Notes app (you’ll have to use both hands), and release. It’s even faster on iPad with multitasking.

16. Scan Documents and Insert Multimedia

You can scan and paste documents directly into the Notes app on iPhone and iPad. With a note open, tap the camera icon on the bottom or top toolbar. Then place the document you want to scan into the camera’s viewfinder and tap the shutter icon. You can also take and paste photos and videos, or add items directly from your photo library.

17. Search Your Notes

If you hate organizing your notes, you can make up for it with the powerful search features built into the Notes app. Just select the search field and you can filter notes by text and type – attachments, checklists, pictures, and more. Notes is almost smart enough to detect text in scanned documents, so don’t forget to try that.

18. Use the Notes Widget

You can use the Notes widget on iPhone and iPad to quickly get your latest notes. Simply open the widget gallery (shake the home screen and tap the Plus icon), select the Notes widget, choose a size, and tap Add Widget. You can also add the Notes widget to Notification Center on Mac.

19. Access Notes via Lock Screen

On iPhone, you can access your latest notes right from the lock screen. To do this, add the widget to the Today view instead of the home screen. You can then swipe right on the lock screen to access the Notes widget in Today View.

20. Share Notes via iCloud

The Notes app lets you share notes (and even collaborate on them in real time) via iCloud. To share a note, tap the More icon and select Share Note. Then select a medium to share it, such as Messages, Mail, and more.

21. Restore Deleted Notes

Did you accidentally delete a note? Don’t worry – you have 30 days to restore it. Just tap or select the Recently Deleted option from the home screen or sidebar of the Notes app to open a list of deleted notes that you can recover.

Become an Apple Notes Pro

You just scratched the surface in Apple Notes. Keep taking regular notes and you’ll discover even more ways to get the most out of it. If you want to explore other note-taking options for Apple devices, try Evernote, Microsoft OneNote, and Notion.

21 tips and tricks to better organize your Notes app

How to Print Screen on a Mac

March 4, 2022 by feecalculator_x6rbod

How to Print Screen on a Mac.

Pressing Windows + Print Screen is one of the fastest ways to take a screenshot on Windows computers. Mac and desktop keyboards do not have a Print Screen key. This explains why some people who recently switched from Windows are not comfortable taking screenshots on a Mac.

Read : How to Open the Emoji Keyboard on macOS

On macOS, there are also several ways to take screenshots of your Mac. You can use the touchpad or keyboard shortcuts. What’s more, you can create a makeshift Print Screen key on your Mac. We’ll also share some tips and tricks for taking screenshots like a pro on Mac.

Convert a Function Key to Print Screen Key

By assigning the Print Screen function to a function key, you can easily take screenshots on your Mac with a single keystroke.

Go to System Preferences and select Keyboard.

Click the Shortcuts tab and select Screenshots from the sidebar.

Continue to the next step to change any keyboard shortcuts for screen capture to a function key.

Shift + Command + 3 is the default keyboard shortcut for capturing the entire screen on Mac. To change the keyboard shortcut, select the current keyboard shortcut next to the description.

Enter the new key (or key combination) you want to assign to the action. In this case, press any of the 12 function keys (F1-F12) on your keyboard.

The selected function key becomes the active shortcut to capture the entire desktop screen on your Mac, which is equivalent to using “Print Screen” on Windows devices.

You can change or reconfigure all seven (7) screen capture options to use a unique function key. This is much easier and faster than using keyboard shortcuts.

We recommend changing the shortcut that launches the macOS Screenshot tool – pressing a function key is much faster than using keyboard shortcuts.

On the Screenshots menu page, select the keyboard shortcut next to the Screenshot and Record options and press F2 (or your preferred function key) in the dialog box.

When you press the assigned function key anywhere on your Mac, a menu of screenshots appears on the screen. You can then start taking personalized screenshots of your Mac.

We’ll look at alternative ways to access the Screenshot tool and explain what each icon does. But before that, learn how to reset screenshot shortcuts to factory defaults.

Click the “Restore Defaults” button to undo all changes and revert all screenshot shortcuts to Apple presets.

Alternate Ways to Access Screenshot Menu

In addition to using keyboard shortcuts, you can also open the macOS screenshot menu from the launcher or touchpad.

Open Launchpad, expand the “Other” folder and select “Screenshot”.

Better yet, expand the Touch Bar and tap the camera icon.

The Mac Screenshot Tool/Menu

Starting from the left, the first icon in the Screen Capture toolbar is the Capture Entire Screen option. Select this icon if you want to capture everything on your Mac’s screen. Your Mac’s cursor becomes a camera icon. Move the camera icon using the trackpad and select anywhere on the display to take a screenshot.

Next up is the “Capture Selected Window” option. Takes a snapshot of an application, window, or menu bar. Select an icon, move the camera icon to the window/application/menu bar, and tap the trackpad or mouse button.

Then there’s the “Capture Selected Part” option, which captures part of your screen. Select the icon, resize the dotted rectangle above the part of the screen you want to capture, and select Capture.

The icons in the following sections represent screen recording options. To record your Mac full screen, select the first icon (Entire Screen Recording) and choose Record. Otherwise, select the second icon (“Record Selected Part”) to record the selected area of your Mac’s screen.

To stop screen recording, select the Stop Recording icon in the menu bar.

If your MacBook Pro has a Touch Bar, tap the Stop icon to stop screen recording.

Customize Mac Screenshots and Recording Settings

Apple allows users to customize how your Mac saves, manages, records, and takes screenshots and recordings. Let’s take a look at some of the customization options for the macOS screenshot tool.

Change where screenshots are stored

The default storage location for screenshots and screen recordings depends on your operating system. On some Mac computers, screenshots are automatically saved to your desktop. On macOS Monterey, the Screenshot tool opens screenshots and recordings in Preview by default.

The good thing is that you can always change where screenshots are stored whenever you want.

Open the Screenshot tool, select Options, and select your preferred location for saving screenshots under Save to.

Set delay timer

By default, the screenshot tool takes screenshots (and recordings) as soon as you select Capture or Record. If your Mac is running macOS Mojave or later, you can set a timer to delay recording by a few seconds.

Open the “Options” menu in the screenshot tool and select the duration of the delay in the “Timer” section.

Show/hide mouse pointer

Do you want screenshots and recordings to include mouse pointers and cursor clicks? Open the options menu for the screenshot app and check the “Show mouse clicks” box.

Show or hide floating thumbnail

When you save a screenshot or recording, macOS displays a thumbnail of the file in the lower right corner of your Mac screen for a few seconds. Select a thumbnail to annotate or edit the preview screenshot or trim the recording. You can also drag the thumbnail to another application or document before it is saved to your Mac.

If you don’t want the thumbnail, open the screenshot options and uncheck Show Floating Thumbnail.

Remember last choice

This option saves the last captured area of the screen. The next time you open the Screenshot tool, the previous screen area you took or recorded is automatically mapped.

Screenshot the Mac Way

There’s a lot you can do with the Screenshot tool and its output. Check out our tutorials on cropping Mac screenshots and converting screenshots (to PDF, JPG, TIFF, and more).