How To Delete Screenshots On Mac? [Step by Step Guide]

How to Delete Screenshots on Mac?

To rid your Mac of unnecessary clutter, begin by selecting the file(s) you want to remove. Employ the keyboard shortcut Command + Delete to swiftly delete screenshots or any other files from your Mac.

For a more in-depth exploration of capturing and erasing screenshots on your Mac, continue reading.

Making Space: Why Deleting Screenshots Matters

Capturing screen images, or taking screenshots, serves diverse purposes, whether for personal reference or aiding others. Yet, with repeated use, your computer accumulates numerous screenshots that can become obsolete. Deleting them is a wise move, especially for Mac laptops, where entry-level MacBooks often contend with limited storage capacity. This article serves as a comprehensive guide on How to Delete Screenshots on Mac, delving into further details.

Streamlining Your Mac: A Prudent Decision

When your Mac is inundated with unnecessary screenshots, it’s a wise decision to free up disk space by removing them. Queries on platforms like Quora frequently inquire about deleting screenshots on MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. Notably, the method for deleting screenshots remains consistent for both laptop types. In this post, screenshots are demonstrated on a MacBook Air for illustrative purposes.

Follow these steps to efficiently delete screenshots on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro:

  1. Selecting the Screenshots: Navigate to the location of your screenshots. Hold down the Command key while clicking on the screenshots you wish to remove. This enables the selection of multiple screenshots if needed.
  2. Executing the Deletion: With your desired screenshots selected, press the Delete key while still holding down the Command key. This prompts your Mac to promptly remove the selected screenshots.
  3. Confirming the Deletion: Depending on your settings, your Mac may request confirmation before permanently deleting the screenshots. Confirm the deletion to create ample space on your disk.

How To Delete Screenshots On Mac (Macbook Air or Macbook Pro)

“In theory, you have the ability to remove any file, including a screenshot, by pressing the Command and Delete keys on your keyboard simultaneously. Make sure to select the file(s) before carrying out this action.”

“Additionally, you have the option to delete individual or multiple files by either right-clicking with two fingers on the Screenshot stack/folder or any single file, or by selecting multiple files and then clicking ‘Move to Bin.’ The final step involves going to the Bin and emptying it.

Each screenshot on your Mac consumes storage space, and accumulating numerous images can take up gigabytes of memory. Therefore, it is important to regularly clear them to free up space. If you have stored screenshots in different locations, manually checking and deleting them can be a time-consuming process. In such cases, you can simplify the task by using a Cleaner app, which can locate all the screenshots from various folders simultaneously, eliminating the need for manual searching.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: If you don’t already have the app, download it from the App Store. Once installed, open the Cleaner app.

Step 2: Go to the ‘Screenshots’ section and select all the screenshots.

Step 3: Click on ‘Review and Remove.’

Step 4: If necessary, choose the screenshots you want to keep.

Step 5: Click ‘Remove’ to delete all the screenshots at once.

Step 6: Check the Trash bin and clear it as well.

You have now successfully deleted all the screenshots from your MacBook in a single action.”

How To Take Screenshot On Mac?

How to Take Screenshots on Mac Using Shortcut Keys?

“Capturing a screenshot on a Mac is just as simple as on Windows, requiring only three key combinations.

Step 1: Navigate to the content or image you want to capture in the screenshot.

Step 2: Adjust the display to achieve a more precise screenshot.

Step 3: Press SHIFT+COMMAND+3 simultaneously to capture the screenshot.

Once the screenshot is taken, a small preview window will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Accessing these screenshots is easy—they are conveniently placed on your desktop for immediate use.

For users who need to capture a specific portion of the screen and save time on cropping the screenshot later, Mac provides specialized screenshot apps. These features are available in the latest Mac versions like Mojave and Catalina.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Taking Screenshots on Mac:

  • Shift + Command + 3: Capture a screenshot of the full desktop screen.
  • Shift + Command + 4: Capture a screenshot of a specific area of your desktop screen.
  • Shift + Command + 4 + Space: Capture a screenshot of a specific window on the desktop. This shortcut can also be used to take a website screenshot on your Mac.

How to Take Screenshots on Mac Using Screenshot App?

“When you open Launchpad on your Mac and search for ‘Screenshot,’ you’ll locate the app icon, depicted in the screenshot below. Click on it to activate the app.

Upon launching the app, you’ll encounter a variety of options at the bottom of your screen, enabling you to capture full-screen shots, specific areas, or even record your screen.

Hovering your cursor over each option provides a brief description of its functionality, but I’ll also provide an explanation for each one here, numbered from 1 to 7:

  1. This option captures the entire screen.
  2. This option captures the selected window.
  3. This option captures a selected area.
  4. This option records the entire screen as a video.
  5. This option records a selected area as a video.
  6. This option displays additional options.
  7. This option initiates screen recording.”

Read about: How to Check a Private Number that Called You?

How To Remove Screenshots From Mac Desktop Without Deleting?

“When you capture screenshots using the Command+Shift+3 shortcut, they are automatically saved on your desktop, potentially cluttering it over time. To maintain a tidy desktop, consider creating a dedicated folder for your screenshots and relocating them there. If you prefer not to manually move new screenshots into the folder, you can change the default saving location to that folder.

Here’s how:

Step 1: Create a folder on your desktop and name it ‘Screenshots’; this will serve as the designated location for saving and accessing your screenshots.

Step 2: Right-click on the ‘Screenshots’ folder to access a set of options.

Step 3: Choose ‘Get Info.’

Step 4: Locate the ‘Where’ information in the new tab that opens.

Step 5: Copy this information into the Notes app on your device for later use.

Step 6: Press Command+Space, type ‘Terminal,’ and hit Enter to open the Terminal app.

Step 7: In the new Terminal window, enter ‘defaults write com.apple.screencapture location.’

Step 8: Open the Notes where you saved the ‘Where’ information, copy it, and paste the text after the previously written code (ensure there’s a space after ‘Location’ before pasting the path).

Step 9: Add ‘/Screenshots’ to the end of the code and then press Enter.

Note: Alternatively, you can drag the ‘Screenshots’ folder to the Terminal, automatically inputting the folder’s path. This method combines steps 8, 9, and 10 into one.

Step 10: Enter ‘killall SystemUIServer’ and press Enter again to ensure the changes take effect.

Now, you can move older screenshots from the desktop to the ‘Screenshots’ folder. Any new screenshots you capture will be automatically saved in the ‘Screenshots’ folder, given the changed storage location for screenshots.

Conclusion

In Conclusion, you’ve learned how to capture and organize Mac screenshots, removing them from the desktop without deletion. While deletion is straightforward, the option to declutter the desktop without losing the screenshots offers a more organized solution. We’ve provided detailed steps for both processes, allowing you to choose according to your preference.”

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