Recently, there are many questions about screenshot not working on Mac. When people use screenshot shortcuts, the camera shutter sound and screen capture disappear. Nothing happens. The screenshot is not saving to desktop on Mac. What happens? Why is screenshot not working on Mac Catalina, Mojave and other operating systems? How to fix screenshot disappeared on Mac? You can continue reading to get all workable solutions here.
My macbook pro turns on, keyboard lights up, it makes noise on startup. But as the title says black screen is unresponsive. You can not sign in, or see anything but a black screen. No way to get into actual computer. Because the screen is black. Battery is brand new just bought. Was working perfectly fine. Take a Screenshot of Your Entire Screen. Let’s start with those keyboard shortcuts.
Part 1: 7 Common Ways to Fix Screenshot Not Working on Mac
These are all possible solutions to troubleshoot screenshot on Mac not working. It’s okay if you have no idea why you can’t take screenshots on Mac as usual. Just take the steps below to re-enable screenshot on Mac.
Way 1: Check the Keyboard Shortcut Settings
Firstly, check if you press the correct Mac screenshot hotkeys.
- Screenshot full screen on Mac: Command + Shift + 3
- Screenshot a window on Mac: Command + Shift + 4 + Space
- Screenshot custom region on Mac: Command + Shift + 4
Way 2: Restart Mac
If you try again but Command, Shift and 4 keys not working on Mac, you can restart Mac to solve the problem. It is also a good way to fix problems like you can’t open the application “screenshot” because it is not responding and more by rebooting Mac. Here are 3 ways to restart Mac.
- Press the Power key on your keyboard. Choose Restart to restart Mac and fix the screenshot not working on Mac issue.
- Choose Restart from the Apple drop-down list.
- Press Control + Command + Eject/Power to restart your Mac.
Way 3: Check Where Your Screenshots Are Saved on Mac
You need to check whether screenshots are saved into the location you think.
Step 1: Use Spotlight or Shift + Command + 5 shortcuts to open the Screenshot app on Mac.
Step 2: Click Options on the top of Screenshot toolbar.
Step 3: Choose Save To from its list.
Step 4: Find the current Screenshot destination folder on Mac.
Step 5: Go ahead to have a check why Mac screenshot not saving to desktop. Or you can change a new destination folder here.
Way 4: Check a Look at Dropbox
If you have installed Dropbox, it may change where screenshots on Mac as well. That’s why Mac screenshots are hidden or disappeared. So open Dropbox and check the Dropbox Settings. Your screenshots might be saved to Dropbox instead of desktop automatically. (Want to take a screenshot on Windows?)
Way 5: Take a Screenshot on Mac with Grab
Even though Mac screenshot shortcuts are not working, you can still take screenshots on Mac using Grab. It is a pre-installed screenshot tool for Mac OS X and macOS users.
Step 1: Open the Applications folder. Find Utilities and run Grab.
Step 2: Click Capture on the top.
Step 3: Choose from Selection, Window, Screen or Timed Screen to screenshot on Mac using Grab.
Way 6: Take a Screenshot on Mac with Preview
Preview is not only an image viewer, but also a screen capture tool for Mac. When screenshot not working on Mac suddenly, you can use Preview to take a screenshot of entire window or selection instead.
Step 1: Run Preview on Mac.
Step 2: Unfold the File list on the top.
Step 3: Select Take Screenshot from the list.
Step 4: Choose one option to take a screenshot and save it to desktop.
Way 7: Reset NVRAM
What if Grab or Preview not working on Mac neither? During this time, you can reset NVRAM on Mac. The misplaced shortcuts and not-working screenshot tools can be fixed.
Step 1: Choose Shut Down from the Apple drop-down list.
Step 2: Turn on Mac. Meanwhile, press Command + Option + P + R keys on your keyboard for 10 to 20 seconds.
Step 3: Don’t release those keys until you hear the second Mac startup sound. For Mac 2018 and later, you can release keys when you see the Apple logo disappears for the second time.
Step 4: Your Mac computer will restart and remove glitches. Just have another try to see if screenshot on Mac not working is solved or not.
Part 2: Still Cannot Screenshot on Mac? Try This Screenshot Tool
If Mac keyboard shortcuts are hard to remember, and you want to get more on-screen drawing tools, Vidmore Screen Recorder is a better choice than Grab and Preview. You can add real-time drawing effects to a screenshot with custom color and size. The Mac screenshot can be saved as PNG, JPG, JPEG, BMP, GIF or TIFF format. If you want to take a screenshot on live streaming video or gameplay, you can set custom hotkey preferences as well.
- Take a screenshot on Mac of full screen, a single window or selected region, even though Mac screenshot not working or responding.
- Add text, line, arrow, callout and other shapes to your screenshot.
- Set hotkeys for screen capture on Mac.
- Save Mac screenshots as PNG, JPG, JPEG, BMP, GIF or TIFF with high quality.
- Share screenshots to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Flickr directly.
- The Mac screenshot tool works with Mac OS X 10.10 or above (macOS Big Sur included).
Step 1: Free download, install and launch Vidmore Screen Recorder. Choose Screen Capture when screenshot not working or frozen on Mac.
Step 2: If you want to take a screenshot of a certain window, just hover mouse to this window. Then left-click the mouse to confirm. Or you can drag with your left mouse to take a screenshot of any rectangular shape as well.
Step 3: After taking a screenshot on Mac, you can see a popping-up edit window. Choose the screenshot editing effects based on your need. You can add annotations and shapes to a screenshot with ease.
Step 4: Use Redo, Undo, Delete, Erase, Share, Export, Pin, Copy and more options to edit a screenshot on Mac. At last, save your Mac screenshot to anywhere or any format you like.
Tips: If you are okay with Mac screenshot tools, but want to get a free online screen recorder, you can take a look at Vidmore Free Online Screen Recorder. It is 100% safe and free to use. You can record screen video as WMV with any part of your screen for free.
Part 3: FAQs of Screenshot Not Working on Mac
What to do to fix the file screenshot couldn’t be opened in Preview?
If you have troubles while opening screenshots with Preview, you can check the software update on your Mac computer. Moreover, you can force quit and re-open Preview to open Mac screenshots.
How to troubleshoot blank screenshot on Mac?
No matter you use shortcuts or Preview, the screenshot turns out to be blank. The blank Mac screenshots are caused by the corrupted.plist file, incorrect keyboard settings, malware infection or other third-party incompatibility issues. After knowing the reasons, you can take measures to fix screenshots turn up blank on Mac.
Why won’t my screenshots save on Mac?
Just press Command + Shift + 4/3 keys to take a screenshot on Mac. It is not suggested to press the Control key at the same time. Otherwise, your screenshot will be copied into clipboard instead of desktop.
These are all possible ways to fix screenshot not working on MacBook Air and Pro. All Mac operating systems are supported. No matter you encounter screenshot not showing, working, saving or other not responding issues, you can still take a screenshot on Mac. The alternative Mac screenshot tool is also good to use. You can capture and edit Mac screenshots with ease.
Even if you’ve never been a Windows user, you should have heard the phrase “black screen of death” (BSOD) or something similar. You also may have thought Mac had nothing similar… until now.
The black screen some MacBook Pro users may experience is hardly a death sentence, but it is fairly annoying and ruins whatever activities you were previously engaged in.
It’s exactly the kind of problem that brings things grinding to a halt while being frustratingly unpredictable, so we’ve collected a few ways to help you fix it.
MacBook Pro Black Screen: Possible Causes
Power Issues
It might sound kind of obvious, but power issues are the most common reason your Mac’s screen is blank. Whether it’s a bad battery or a faulty charging cord that lets you fall into the black screen trap, this is always a good place to start looking.
Waking from Sleep
Black screen issues are most common when waking your MacBook from sleep. Whether this is an issue on Apple’s end or the user remains unclear, but it is usually described as opening the lid of your MacBook only to have your screen refuse to wake up. Although it may seem like your computer has turned on (via the activity indicator, fans, or noises), the screen remains blank. The cause of this scenario remains unclear, but it is a well-recognized situation.
Broken Disk Permissions or Login Items
Sometimes, the cause for your Mac to go black screen or even not allow your laptop to boot up normally is due to broken disk permission issues; While other times the culprit is certain apps that sneak into the auto startup list and affect your MacBook’s booting. If that’s the case, you’ll have to check those problems and fix them (see Step 5 for more).
Software/App Error
Everybody wants to blame things on a glitch. It’s a simple answer to a seemingly otherwise unsolvable problem, especially if you’re booting to a black screen or something equally infuriating. Some known bugs could be causing the issue, however, so this is a valid possible cause. Make sure to check official Apple channels such as the security update list or Apple Community Forum to find out if this is your case.
How to Fix Unresponsive Black Screen
In this section, we’ll take it from the top and show you how to change an unresponsive black screen back to normal.
Step 1: Check Your Power
If your MacBook Pro was previously charging, make sure the plug wasn’t suddenly yanked out of the wall or that anyone tripped over the cord. You should also check your battery cycles to see if it needs to be replaced.
Screenshots On Mac Not Working
To do this, go to the Apple menu from the top left of your Mac and select “About this Mac”, then “System Report”. Once the report opens, pick “Power” from the right-hand side.
From the power panel, look down until you find the cycle count and condition for your battery. If it says “Poor” or “Bad”, it’s time to consider purchasing a new battery for your MacBook Pro.
If you can’t buy a battery right now or need a solution in the meantime, keeping your MacBook plugged in should provide temporary relief. While it does reduce the working capacity of having a laptop, it’s only a temporary solution.
Also Read: Common MacBook Pro Battery Issues and How to Fix Them
Step 2: Restarting
If it’s not the battery (or if you can’t access the system report at the moment to check), your next best solution is restarting the machine. You can do this in a couple of different ways:
- Use the CNTRL + EJECT keys to bring up the dialog box, then press ENTER even if you can’t see the dialog box since “Shut Down” is automatically selected. Then press the power button again once the computer has finished shutting down to restart it.
- CNTRL + CMND + EJECT will automatically trigger a restart.
- Hold the power button for 5 seconds to have it shut down. Wait 15 seconds and press it once again to reboot.
Your MacBook should restart to its normal state, resolving the black screen issue.
Didn’t work? Move onto the next step listed here for a special key pattern that might do the trick.
Step 3: Try a Known Key Sequence
Some users have reported that a specific key sequence dug from the depths of the MacRumors forum has helped resolve their black screen booting issues, so it’s worth a shot trying. This is what you have to do:
- Press the power button once, which normally brings up a shutdown dialog box (you won’t be able to see it with a black screen).
- Press “S”, the hotkey for sending your Mac to sleep.
- Hold the power button to force a hard shut down.
- Wait around 15 seconds before pressing the power again to restart.
And voila, your MacBook should boot as normal instead of to a black screen.
Step 4: Resetting the NVRAM/PRAM
Or… not. If you’re still having problems even after trying multiple methods or the problem is re-occurring it might be time to take a bit more drastic measures. You’ll be resetting the NVRAM/PRAM on your Mac — here’s how to do it.
- Shut down your Mac (see above if you aren’t sure how).
- Press the power button. Once you hear the startup chime, hold down CMND + OPT + P + R.
- Hold these until you hear another startup chime, then release them.
Your Mac should boot normally now, although you may have lost some setting along the way so make sure to check system preferences to see if your display, date/time, and disk options are all in order.
Step 5: Check & Repair Disk Permissions
Screen Capture On Mac Air
Like I said, one of the causes for black screen is due to broken disk permissions. Fortunately, it’s easy to diagnose and fix.
All you need is run CleanMyMac on your Mac. Open the app, go to Maintenance > Repair Disk Permissions, click “Run” and you’re all set.
Step 6: Check for App Issues or Bugs
Again, the best way to identify those suspicious apps is to run CleanMyMac. In the Extensions section, check Launch Agents and Login Items. If you find some apps that launch automatically (often without your consent), feel free to disable or remove them.
Another way to do this is by searching the Apple Community for a post that most matches yours to see if any bugs (and ways to squash them) have been identified, although you can also make your post.
Other forums such as MacRumors and iFixit are also great places to start, as well as searching for general articles.
For example, Mark Gibbs from NetworkWorld discovered that using his iCloud password caused the computer to experience an error where it booted to a black screen with just his mouse and no login options. It’s a strange correlation, but sometimes very random things can send your computer into a frenzy, so it doesn’t hurt to look.
Final Words
Black screens are never fun to deal with. Besides the unending frustration, rebooting and potentially losing your work aren’t exactly enjoyable activities. Hopefully, this guide has helped you alleviate the issue and sets you back on your feet.
We’d also love to hear from you if you have another way of fixing the black screen on a MacBook Pro — leave us a comment below to tell us more about it.