Screenshot - Windows
Learn how to screenshot on a Windows PC device
Kim Ford
Last Update 2 months ago
There are several ways to take a screenshot on a Windows device, depending on what you want to capture:
1. Capture the Entire Screen:
Press the Windows key + Print Screen (PrtScn) key simultaneously.
On most keyboards, the Print Screen key is located in the upper-right area. It might be labeled "PrtScn," "PrntScrn," "Print Scr," or similar.
When you press these keys, the entire screen image is copied to your clipboard.
To save the screenshot as a file:
Open an image editing program like Paint (search for "Paint" in the Start Menu).
Press Ctrl + V to paste the screenshot into Paint.
Go to File > Save As and choose your desired file format (e.g., PNG, JPG) and location.
2. Capture the Active Window:
Press the Alt key + Print Screen (PrtScn) key simultaneously.
This will capture only the window that is currently active (the one you are currently working in).
The screenshot is copied to your clipboard.
To save the screenshot as a file:
Open an image editing program like Paint.
Press Ctrl + V to paste the screenshot.
Go to File > Save As and save the image.
3. Use the Snipping Tool (Built-in Utility):
The Snipping Tool is a versatile built-in utility for taking different types of screenshots.
To open the Snipping Tool:
Search for "Snipping Tool" in the Start Menu search bar and click on it.
Using the Snipping Tool:
Click the "New" button.
Your screen will dim, and your cursor will turn into a crosshair (+).
Choose a snip type from the dropdown menu next to "New" (or "Mode" in older versions):
Free-form Snip: Draw a freehand shape around the area you want to capture.
Rectangular Snip: Drag a rectangle around the area 1 you want to capture.
Window Snip: Click on the window you want to capture.
Full-screen Snip: Captures the entire screen (similar to the Windows key + PrtScn method).
Once you've made your selection, the screenshot will appear in the Snipping Tool window.
From here, you can save the screenshot (File > Save As), copy it (Edit > Copy), annotate it with a pen or highlighter, and email it.
4. Use the Snip & Sketch Tool (Newer Windows Versions - Windows 10 and 11):
Snip & Sketch is the newer and recommended screenshot tool in recent Windows versions.
To open Snip & Sketch:
Search for "Snip & Sketch" in the Start Menu search bar and click on it.
Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut: Windows key + Shift + S. This will immediately dim your screen and bring up the snipping bar at the top.
Using Snip & Sketch:
When the snipping bar appears at the top of the screen, choose your desired snip type:
Rectangular Snip: Drag a rectangle around the area.
Free-form Snip: Draw a freehand shape.
Window Snip: Click on a window.
Full-screen Snip: Captures the entire screen.
The screenshot will be copied to your clipboard and a notification will appear in the bottom-right corner.
Click the notification to open the Snip & Sketch app where you can annotate, save, and share your screenshot.