If you’re using a Mac, there are a few ways to take screenshots with a visible mouse cursor. The first is to use the Command-Option-V shortcut combination. This will take a screenshot of the current screen and save it as a JPEG file. The second way is to use the Option-Command-V shortcut combination. This will take a screenshot of the current screen and save it as an PNG file. The third way is to use the Option-Command-N shortcut combination. This will take a screenshot of the current screen and save it as an PDF file.
When taking screenshots on a Mac, the Mac screenshot tool usually hides the mouse pointer so it won’t get in the way. But sometimes, you need to capture the pointer to illustrate something properly. Luckily, it’s easy to turn on with a simple option. Here’s how.
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To capture the mouse cursor in screenshots, we’ll need to change an option in macOS’s built-in Screenshot app. Press Shift+Command+5 on your keyboard and a small toolbar will appear. Click “Options.”
In the Options menu that pops up, place a checkmark beside “Show Mouse Pointer.”
After that, every time you take a screenshot with Shift+Command+3 or Shift+Command+4, you’ll capture the mouse pointer within the screenshot.
If you want to hide the mouse cursor in the future, just trigger the Screenshot toolbar with Shift+Command+5 again and uncheck “Options” > “Show Mouse Pointer.”
Interestingly, as of macOS 11.0 Big Sur, macOS does not capture the accurate size of a pointer that has been enlarged using Mac’s accessibility features. This suggests that the pointer image is added to the screenshot by the screenshot program rather than by just capturing a raw bitmap of the screen. If that’s a problem, you could try a third-party screenshot app.
Happy capturing!
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