Random Screenshots on my Big Sur iMac

Question

Random Screenshots on my Big Sur iMac

Ever since the upgrade to Big Sur, I'm getting random screenshots saved to my desktop.

They all seem to be just windows wallpaper - and, maybe, always from my second display.

I'm using a mid-2011 iMac as a second display and, of course, it's running older OS-X software - but it's sole purpose is go give me a second screen without the cost of a modern hi-res screen worthy of the job. I almost never even touch that mouse or keyboard.

I've never seen any of my actual open windows showing - just wallpaper - I think. (I'm not gonna drag dozens of .png files out of the trash to be certain.)

Any idea where the heck these things are coming from?

Windows, Windows 6

Posted on Sep 18, 2021 1:12 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

den.thed

Level 10

94,986 points

Sep 19, 2021 8:55 AM in response to Ann Arbor Dude

It kind of sounds like an unintentional key combination, a sticky key or another key combination that is triggering the screenshot of a blank desktop.

I would start by looking and the System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Screenshots settings.
I would open the Keyboard Viewer and test the keyboard for any hung, sticky or faulty key strokes.
I would go to Mission Control and uncheck the boxes for Spaces when using multiple displays.

Please also review > https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201361

and > https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/take-a-screenshot-or-screen-recording-mh26782/mac

Reply

Answer 2

Jack-19

Level 8

46,324 points

Sep 18, 2021 1:15 PM in response to Ann Arbor Dude

What year is your Mac? How are using a 2011 iMac is a Display? Target Display Mode has been discontinued in macOS Big Sur.

Reply

Answer 3

Sep 19, 2021 5:58 AM in response to Jack-19

My “middle” Mac IS running Big Sur and it IS using the mid 2011 (“old”) Mac as a second display. My “newest” Mac (last December I think) will NOT run with the “old” Mac as a second monitor. In spite of what Apple’s documentation says (or fails to say) about using an old Mac as a slave, my “middle” Mac fell in a window (i.e. time frame) during which the capability still existed. Believe me, I found this out only through hours of wasted time trying to make this work with my newest Mac (for which I’ve had to purchase a $1,300 monitor to produce the same screen resolution)

There - - - that’s out of my system. Sorry.

In any case, I DO get all of these screenshots showing up on the monitor of my newest Mac (only - not the slave) and they ARE only of wallpaper backgrounds or icons for devices or programs which may have been in use. There’s no image that contains any actual data from whatever I’m doing. I can go through (without dragging them all back onto the desktop) to document exactly which ones they are and maybe try to get timestamp info if that would be useful.

Thanks for your response. I look forward to hearing from you again. (Incidentally, I’m a “geek” from way back in 1967 and can follow instructions pretty well if you want me to shed light on anything else.)

Reply

Random Screenshots on my Big Sur iMac

Similar questions