How to fix the Screenshot not working on Mac?

How to fix the Screenshot not working on Mac? When working on your Mac, taking screenshots of your screen, a menu, a window, or a portion of your screen is an essential tool. You’ll need it to quickly save images that don’t require large files, report bugs, illustrate your stories, create visual explainers, and do a variety of other things.

On your Mac, this versatile tool is always available, until it isn’t. Nothing happens one day when you use a familiar shortcut. Alternatively, you may notice a screenshot preview appear in the bottom right corner of your screen but are unable to locate it in the default location (Desktop by default but you can change it).

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How to fix the Screenshot not working on Mac?

Here is the list of 8 methods to fix the Screenshot not working on Mac:

Method #1. Restart the Mac to fix the Screenshot not working on Mac

Restarting your Mac usually works flawlessly, especially if you haven’t shut it down in a long time. It’s one of our favourite iGeeksBlog tricks because it usually gets rid of minor system bugs. So, click the Apple icon and select Restart.

Method #2. Check that keyboard shortcuts are enabled

If you try to press command + 3, command + 4, or command + 5 and nothing happens, it’s possible that the keyboard shortcuts are disabled.

Select System Preferences from the Apple menu.
Navigate to Keyboard.
Go to the Shortcuts tab.
From the sidebar, select Screenshots.
Check that all keyboard shortcuts are enabled.

Method #3. Check the screenshot location

When you take a screenshot, everything appears to be fine, but you can’t find it anywhere on the Desktop, Downloads, Documents folder, or elsewhere; perhaps your Mac screenshots are not saving, or the save location is different.

Press Command + 5 or launch the Screenshot app from the launchpad.
Choose Options from the bottom menu bar.
Confirm/modify the save location.

Method #4. Update your Mac to fix the Screenshot not working on Mac

Press Command + 5 or launch the Screenshot app from the launchpad.
Choose Options from the bottom menu bar.
Confirm/modify the save location.

Method #5. Check for malware

While malware is not common in Macs, it is possible that some unwanted, malicious actor has slipped through the cracks. Especially if your Mac stopped taking screenshots after installing any unfamiliar software or downloading a suspicious file.

To confirm the root cause, boot your Mac into safe mode. If screenshots work in safe mode, the culprit is an app or malware. Don’t worry; a good antivirus app can help you fish out and clean the Mac.

Method #6. Reset the NVRAM

The memory section of Macs that stores information about basic settings such as time zone, screen volume, resolution, and so on is known as NVRAM. A reset removes any custom settings you or apps have made and restores the system to its default state.

When an issue in the settings is detected, M1 Macs automatically reset the memory. On Intel Macs, however, you must manually reset the NVRAM.

Shut down your Mac and restart it by holding down command + option + P + R for approximately 20 seconds. Once your Mac has booted twice, remove the keys. Take a screenshot after your Mac restarts. If you can’t take a screenshot, here are some alternatives.

Method #7. Using a third-party screenshot app

A screenshot tool would not only solve the screenshots not working on Mac problem, but it would also provide you with additional features such as blurring, scrolling screenshots, editing, annotation, and so on.

I recommend that you try Monosnap, which has a freemium version that allows you to easily take and edit screenshots.

Method #8. Contact Apple Support

If nothing else has worked, your last option is to contact Apple Support. Although the chances are slim, this could be a hardware issue, and only they can assist you.