Does the screenshot work on Mac?Here’s how to make it work again

Rate this post

Screenshots can be an asset. Show how to perform a specific task and indicate the exact problem you are facing. But what if the problem is that the screenshot doesn’t work on the Mac? Well, I’ll help you solve it.

  1. Make sure keyboard shortcuts are enabled
  2. Check the location of the screenshot
  3. Restart your mac
  4. Update your Mac
  5. Check for malware
  6. Reset NVRAM
  7. Alternatives you can try
  8. Contact Apple Support

1. Make sure keyboard shortcuts are enabled

How do I take a screenshot on my Mac? If you try to press command + 3, command + 4, or command + 5 and nothing works, keyboard shortcuts may be turned off.

Here’s how to enable keyboard shortcuts on your Mac::

  1. click Apple icon  → Select System Preferences..
  2. Move to keyboard.
  3. choose Shortcut tab.
  4. click screenshot From the sidebar.
  5. Check everything Keyboard shortcuts It will be checked.
Turn on keyboard shortcuts for screenshots

Take a screenshot now. If your Mac screenshots still don’t work, go to the next step.

2. Check the location of the screenshot

Probably everything is fine when I’m taking screenshots, but I can’t find it anywhere on my desktop, downloads, document folders, etc. Your Mac screenshot may not have been saved, or it may have been saved in a different location.

Now let’s check the settings and modify them if necessary.

  1. click Command +5 Or open Screenshot app From the launchpad.
  2. select option From the menu bar at the bottom.
  3. Confirm / change Save to position.
Check where to save the screenshot

Note: You can also change the screenshot location and file type (PNG, JPEG TIFF) using terminal commands.

3. Restart your Mac

Restarting your Mac works like a charm in most cases, especially if you haven’t shut it down for a while. This is one of our favorite tricks on iGeeksBlog, usually to get rid of minor system bugs.So go ahead and click Apple icon  → Select Reboot..

4. Update your Mac

The answer to why Macs don’t take screenshots can be as simple as a software problem. And the solution is in the bug fix OS update. So check your Mac for updates and do what you need to do.Go to Apple icon  → About this Mac Software update Upgrade Now (If possible).

Upgrade your Mac to the latest software

Hopefully you can take a screenshot now. If not, it’s time for some tougher actions.

5. Check for malware

Malware is less common on the Mac, but it is possible that unwanted malicious attackers have sneaked under the radar. Especially if your Mac stops taking screenshots after downloading unknown software or suspicious files.

An easy way to find out the root cause is to load your Mac in safe mode. If the screenshot is working in safe mode, the cause is an app or malware. Don’t worry; a decent antivirus app will help you find and clean your Mac.

6. Reset NVRAM

NVRAM is a Mac memory section that stores information about basic settings such as time zone, screen volume, and resolution. Resetting basically removes any custom settings made by the user or app and reverts to the defaults.

The M1 Mac will automatically reset the memory when it detects a problem in the settings. However, on Intel Macs you will need to manually reset NVRAM.

Shut down your Mac and restart it while pressing Command + Options + P + R for about 20 seconds. After the Mac boots twice, leave the key.

After your Mac restarts, try taking a screenshot. If you still can’t take a screenshot, there are some emergency response plans.

7. Alternatives you can try

Keyboard shortcuts are the easiest way to take screenshots on your Mac, but there are other ways you can try them.

I. Via screenshot app

  1. Move to launch pad → Search screenshot App → Start.
  2. Open finderapplicationutilityscreenshot..
Open the screenshot app on your Mac

Once the app is active, select the appropriate option and take a screenshot.

II.Via preview app

  1. Move to finderapplicationpreview..
  2. Select any file and press Space barOpen in preview..
Take a screenshot with the preview app on your Mac

When the preview app opens, click File Take a screenshot Select one of the following options.

  • From selection
  • From the window
  • From the entire screen

III.Via a third party screenshot app

Screenshot tools not only solve screenshots that don’t work for Mac issues, but also provide additional benefits such as blurring, scrolling screenshots, editing and annotations.

We encourage you to try Monosnap. The freemium version makes it easy to take and edit screenshots.

If nothing else works, the last resort is to contact Apple Support. The chances are small, but this could be a hardware-related issue and only they can help you.

sign off…

Hope you can seamlessly take and share screenshots on your Mac! Please share the following 👍. My team and I know we were able to help.

Looking for a fun macOS hack?Check out these links below: