Sometimes when you watch a great movie scene or a hilarious moment from a TV show, you want to share it with your friends who aren’t there. If you watch Netflix on your Mac, you can take a screenshot of this image and share it. But what about when you’re watching something on your Apple TV 4K?
You can click on an image from that moment using your iPhone. But isn’t it better to share an image with impeccable quality? Unfortunately, you cannot directly take screenshots on Apple TV 4K because there is no button combination to do so. It’s possible if you connect a Mac to your Apple TV 4K to take screenshots.
In this article, we will show you how to take screenshots on Apple TV 4K using your Mac.
Before you start
We recommend updating the software on your Apple TV 4K and Mac. This feature of wirelessly connecting your Apple TV 4K and Mac using AirPlay was introduced with tvOS 11 and macOS High Sierra respectively. Here’s how to check and update the software version of your devices.
Update tvOS
Step 1: Go to Settings on the home screen of your Apple TV 4K.
2nd step: Scroll down and select System.
Step 3: Select Software Updates.
Step 4: Select Update Software.
Step 5: If an update is available, click Download and Install.
Update macOS
Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search, type Check for software updates, and press Return.
2nd step: If an update is available, download and install it.
How to Take a Screenshot on Apple TV 4K
After installing updates, you’ll need to check if your Apple TV 4K and your Mac are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. On your Mac, click the Wi-Fi icon in the top-right corner of the menu bar to check the network name.
Here’s how to check the Wi-Fi network name on your Apple TV 4K.
Step 1: Open Settings from the home screen of your Apple TV 4K.
2nd step: Scroll down and select Network.
Step 3: Under connection, check the name of your Wi-Fi network.
After confirming that both devices are connected to the same network, here’s how to take your screenshots:
Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search, type QuickTime Player, and press Return.
2nd step: Click File in the upper left corner of the menu bar.
Step 3: Select New Video Recording from the list of options.
Step 4: When a recording bar opens, click the down arrow icon next to the Record button.
Step 5: Select the name of your Apple TV 4K as the screen input.
Step 6: Enter the AirPlay code displayed on your TV screen.
You will see your Apple TV 4K screen mirrored wirelessly using AirPlay on your Mac.
Step 7: Open the app to choose the frame you want to capture.
Step 8: Press Command + Shift + 3 on your Mac to take a screenshot.
You can also take cropped screenshots on your Mac. Press the Record button to start a screen recording which will be saved on your Mac.
To stop capturing your Apple TV 4K screen, you can switch back to the FaceTime HD camera in the QuickTime Player window.
Anything That Can Be Captured Using Screenshots on Apple TV 4K
The method we recommend for taking screenshots on Apple TV 4K using your Mac has some limitations. Since streaming platforms offer DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected content, you can’t really take a screenshot of every piece of content on these platforms. We tried to take a screenshot of various streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Mubi and Apple TV Plus.
It seems that Netflix, Prime Video, Mubi and Apple TV Plus allow taking screenshots of their interface. As soon as you start playing content, the screen goes black on your Mac.
However, this does not apply to Disney+ and YouTube as they both allow you to take screenshots while playing any content.
You can also take screenshots during games like Asphalt 8: Airborne on your Apple TV 4K.
Share your favorite moments
The ability to take Apple TV 4K screenshots on your Mac lets you share those amazing moments in movies and TV shows with your friends. But if you are having trouble taking screenshots on your Mac, you can refer to our article suggesting the best fixes for screenshots not working on your Mac.