Multi Screen Capture: Screenshot help for multi-monitor setups

Do you use multiple monitors on Apple Mac, then taking screenshots can be a bit difficult depending on the situation. With the standard key combination command+Shift+3, one screenshot image file is saved per screen. But if you only need a specific one, then you have to delete the rest. If there are several recordings, this can end up in annoying sorting work. want to remedy this Multi Screen Capture, a free Mac App, which you can download from the official App Store for macOS. It offers several useful options, but I think it could do even more. You can find details on this in this post.

TL; DR: You can go directly to the App Store here

Own experiences with a multi-screen setup on the Apple Mac

Multiple monitors can be used simultaneously on Mac, Mac mini, Mac Studio and similar desktop computers from Apple, among others. But additional screens can also be connected to the iMac and mobile MacBooks, both of which have their own displays. Personally, I use a MacBook Pro with the built-in display as well as an over HDMI connected monitor. 

Working for the Sir Apfelot Blog, I often have to take screenshots, not just of individual apps, but also of the entire screen - but usually only of one, not both. Therefore, while searching for a solution, I came across the Multi Screen Capture app. This has a good but expandable range of screenshot features.

Multi Screen Capture for screenshots of individual Mac screens

The Multi Screen Capture App is available as a free download in the App Store. The barely 675 KB large software works macOS 12 Monterey and is located in the menu bar after opening. After installation and before using it for the first time, you must give the app permission to take screen recordings. However, you can revoke this grant of rights at any time in the system settings of your Mac.

You can trigger screen recordings either via the menu bar icon or via two different key combinations. After using the individual options several times, they actually flow into the workflow quite quickly. The selection looks like this:

• Via the menu bar: Selection of the individual displays
• Active screen (selected screen): The currently used screen is scanned with a key combination (by default Shift+command+E).
• Mouse screen: The screen on which the mouse cursor is located is saved using a different key combination (by default Shift+command+R).

I'm missing this feature: Keyboard shortcuts for individual screens

Several times a year, namely at Apple's keynotes, I find myself taking notes on one screen while Apple's live stream is running on the other screen. At each of these events, I take 200 to 300 screenshots in order to be able to customize the posts I write about them. However, this is only possible to a limited extent with the Multi Screen Capture app. 

Because the screen I'm taking notes on is both the active screen and the one where the mouse cursor is. But I need screenshots of the inactive second screen without a mouse pointer. Therefore, an extra shortcut for this would be useful - I have already requested this function. Perhaps it will be submitted later in an update for the app. Possibly even before the WWDC23-Keynote in June :D

Johannes Domke

After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.