Screen Selection Snapshots with PC Keyboard on on Mac 10.6.8
October 7, 2015 1:50 PM Subscribe
I have an Amazon basics PC keyboard and am having difficulty take screen selections.
Previously to take selections, the Mac keyboard was [cmd]+[shift]+3 and crosshairs would come up. I changed my pc's [ctrl] key to [cmd] in modifier keys area for system preferences/Keyboard and it does other former shortcuts perfectly, such as the [cmd]+e to move an item to trash. I have looked at several links such as this and this and tried changing things in my System Preferences. I may have just missed something but it was one of the main few shortcuts I used. Any ideas? Thanks for your time.
Previously to take selections, the Mac keyboard was [cmd]+[shift]+3 and crosshairs would come up. I changed my pc's [ctrl] key to [cmd] in modifier keys area for system preferences/Keyboard and it does other former shortcuts perfectly, such as the [cmd]+e to move an item to trash. I have looked at several links such as this and this and tried changing things in my System Preferences. I may have just missed something but it was one of the main few shortcuts I used. Any ideas? Thanks for your time.
Response by poster: My error on that. I did [ctrl]+[shift]+4. No crosshairs etc. The fact that I posted my question wrong is making me doubt my whole brain today!! Seriously though, it ain't working. Even ctrl+shift+3 isn't doing the screen snapshot as normal, either.
posted by chicaboom at 2:07 PM on October 7, 2015
posted by chicaboom at 2:07 PM on October 7, 2015
Best answer: Some keyboards simply don't register certain combinations of keys due to hardware limitations, an issue called "ghosting". This page from Microsoft has a detailed explanation of why this can happen, along with a demo at the top that you can use to see whether a combination of keys is recognized. I'd suggest trying a different keyboard, just to be sure the keyboard is at fault. If it is, and you bought it recently, you ought to be able to get your money back from Amazon for this issue.
posted by skymt at 2:19 PM on October 7, 2015
posted by skymt at 2:19 PM on October 7, 2015
Best answer: Alternatively, you could install Skitch, which lets you take screenshots by selecting an area on the screen and can be triggered by pressing a button.
posted by zachlipton at 2:29 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by zachlipton at 2:29 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
On a PC keyboard, Alt = Option and Windows = Command. So the key combo you're looking for is Shift+Windows+3 (or 4 to capture a region, or 4 then Space to capture a single window).
posted by neckro23 at 3:11 PM on October 7, 2015
posted by neckro23 at 3:11 PM on October 7, 2015
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posted by Thella at 1:59 PM on October 7, 2015 [1 favorite]