How to Take a Screenshot on a Windows PC

Need to take a screenshot on your Windows PC? Whether you want to capture the full screen or just one window or area, there are several quick and easy ways to take screenshots in Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows 8. This guide will teach you how to use keyboard shortcuts (including the Print Screen key), the Snipping Tool, and the Xbox Game Bar to screen capture any area of your Windows desktop.

Taking a Screenshot in Windows

To capture the entire screen, press the Windows + Print Screen keys simultaneously. You’ll find the image in the Screenshots folder inside the Pictures folder. To capture just one area of the screen, press Windows Key + Shift + S to use the Snipping Tool.

Method 1: Take a Quick Full Screen Screenshot

Step 1: Go to the screen you want to capture

When you screenshot your entire screen, everything that’s open will be captured in your screenshot. Ensure you close any windows you don’t want included.

Step 2: Find the Print Screen key on your keyboard

The Print Screen key is often located on the upper-right side of the keyboard, excluding the numeric keypad. It’s usually abbreviated to “PrtSc” or something similar. If your keyboard doesn’t have a Print Screen key, use the Snipping Tool on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Step 3: Take your screenshot

You have two options for capturing your entire screen:

• Instantly save the screenshot as an image: Press the Windows key and the PrtSc keys simultaneously. This saves your screenshot as a PNG file to the Screenshots folder in your Pictures folder. The screen may dim briefly to indicate that the screenshot was captured.
• Copy the screenshot to the clipboard: Press the Print Screen key alone to copy the screen to your PC’s clipboard. You can then paste the copied screenshot into a document, email message, or social media post by right-clicking the desired location and selecting Paste. On some Windows laptops, you may need to hold down the Fn key while pressing the Print Screen key.

Step 4: Find the screenshot

If you used Windows key + Print Screen to capture the screenshot, follow these steps to locate the file:

• Open File Explorer by pressing Windows key + E on your keyboard.
• Click the Pictures folder in the left panel or under This PC.
• Double-click the Screenshots folder.
• Each screenshot is labeled “Screenshot (number)” and may include the date and time of capture. If you can’t find your screenshot, try using the Snipping Tool instead.

Method 2: Take a One-Window Screenshot

Step 1: Click the window you want to capture

If you only want to screenshot a single window, click anywhere on the window you wish to capture, ensuring it is in front of all other windows.

Step 2: Hold down Alt and press PrtScr

This copies an image of the window to the clipboard. You will not see any confirmation that the screenshot was taken. On some Windows keyboards, you may need to also hold down the Fn key when using Print Screen. If your keyboard doesn’t have a Print Screen key, use the Snipping Tool on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Step 3: Open Paint

To open Paint, press the Windows key, type paint, and click Paint.

Step 4: Press Ctrl + V to paste the screenshot

You will now see your one-window screenshot in the Paint window. You can also paste the screenshot into other programs, such as Word or an email, by pressing Ctrl + V. If your screenshot doesn’t appear, try using the Snipping Tool instead.

Step 5: Save your screenshot as an image

Click File, then Save. Enter a file name, choose a location, and click Save. You can change the screenshot’s file type by selecting a different format (e.g., JPEG) from the “Save as type” drop-down menu.

Method 3: Use Snipping Tool (Windows 11)

Step 1: Open the Snipping Tool

To access Snipping Tool, press the Windows key, type snip, and click Snipping Tool.

Step 2: Select a screenshot mode

Click the Snipping Mode menu (a square with a plus (+) at its bottom-right corner), then choose an option:

• Rectangle: Capture any part of the screen by drawing a rectangle around the area.
• Window: Capture an individual window without getting anything else in the screenshot.
• Full screen: Capture everything on the screen.
• Freeform: Draw any shape around an area of the screen to take a screenshot.

Step 3: Click + New

This option is at the top-left corner of Snipping Tool.

Step 4: Capture your screenshot

• Rectangle mode: Click and drag a rectangle around the desired area to instantly capture a screenshot.
• Window mode: Click the window you want to capture to take the screenshot.
• Full screen mode: The entire screen will be captured instantly.
• Freeform mode: Draw an outline around the part of the screen you want to capture. You can also delay the screenshot capture by a few seconds using the stopwatch menu at the top of Snipping Tool.

Step 5: View your screenshot

Click the Snipping Tool icon in the taskbar to view your screenshot. If it doesn’t appear automatically, click the scissors icon in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen to preview it.

Step 6: Edit your screenshot (optional)

Use the tools at the top of the window to edit your screenshot. Hover your cursor over the icons to see what each tool does:

• Crop tool: Select the part of the screenshot you want to keep.
• Pen tool: Write or draw on the screenshot.
• Highlighter: Bring attention to a specific area.
• Eraser tool: Erase any additions you’ve made.
• Shapes tool: Draw shapes like circles or arrows.
• Edit in Paint: Click this option to open the screenshot in the Paint app for further editing.

Step 7: Save your screenshot

Click the disk icon at the top to save your screenshot. Choose a location, name your file, and click Save. Alternatively, click the Copy icon at the top-right to copy the screenshot to your clipboard for easy pasting into any open app or document.

Use the Snipping Tool shortcut in the future: Next time you want to take a screenshot, use the handy shortcut: Windows key + Shift + S. This brings up a smaller Snipping Tool at the top of the screen, allowing you to choose from Rectangle, Window, Full screen, and Freeform modes.

Method 4: Use the Snipping Tool Shortcut (Windows 10 & 11)

Step 1: Prepare the screen

Open the program or screen you want to capture, ensuring any unwanted windows or items are out of the way.

Step 2: Press Win + Shift + S

Doing so will cause your screen to turn grey, and your mouse pointer will turn into a crosshairs icon. The Snipping Tool will appear at the top of the screen.

• By default, the shortcut will open Snipping Tool in Rectangle Snip Mode, allowing you to click and drag a rectangle around the area you want to capture.
• Windows 10: Select a different screenshot mode from the Mode menu. For example, to capture the whole screen, select Full-screen Snip (which takes the screenshot automatically). To capture a single window, select Window Snip.
• Windows 11: Use the icons at the top to select a different mode. The icons, in order, are Rectangle (default), Window, Full screen (which takes the screenshot automatically), and Freeform modes.

Step 3: Select an area to screenshot

Click and drag your mouse from the top-left corner of the area you want to screenshot to the bottom-right corner. Release the mouse button to capture the screenshot and copy it to your clipboard.

• If you selected a full-screen screenshot, you can skip this step.

Step 4: Paste or save your screenshot

You can now paste your screenshot into any program that allows pasting photos (e.g., Paint, Word, an email) by pressing Ctrl + V. The selected area of your screen will appear in your program.

• To save your screenshot as an image file, press Ctrl + S, enter a file name, select a save location, and click Save.

Method 5: Take a Screenshot of a Game or App

Step 1: Open the Xbox Game Bar

The Game Bar is a handy tool for capturing screenshots of games and other open windows on your PC. To open the tool, press Windows key + G simultaneously.

• You can also use the Xbox Game Bar to record your screen in real time.

Step 2: Click the Widget menu

It’s the second icon from the left in the Game Bar at the top of the screen.

Step 3: Click Capture

You’ll find this near the top of the menu, and the Capture widget will appear.

Step 4: Pin the Capture widget

Click the pushpin icon on the Capture widget to pin it to your screen, so it won’t disappear when you navigate away.

Step 5: Click the window you want to capture

You can capture any window on your screen, such as your web browser, a game, or a document.

Step 6: Click the camera icon on the Game Bar

This captures a screenshot of the active window and saves it to your screenshots folder.

Step 7: View your screenshots

Click See my captures at the bottom of the Capture widget. Here, you’ll find all the screenshots you’ve captured using the Game Bar.

• To unpin the Capture widget, press Windows key + G to reopen the Game Bar, click the pushpin icon, then click anywhere on the screen.

Method 6: Screenshot on a Windows Tablet

Press and hold the Power and Volume Up buttons simultaneously

This quick shortcut will instantly capture the whole screen on a Surface Laptop, Surface Pro, Surface Book, Surface Go, or Surface Studio. The screen will dim momentarily to indicate a screenshot was taken. Your screenshot will be stored in the Screenshots folder, accessible by opening File Explorer and navigating to Pictures → Screenshots.

• If you have a Surface Duo 2, press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons instead.
• For more control over your screenshots, use the Snipping Tool.

Q&A for How to Take a Screenshot in Microsoft Windows

What versions of Windows include the Snipping Tool? The Snipping Tool is included in all versions of Windows since Windows Vista. This includes Vista, 7, 8, 10, Server 2008, and Server 2012. The only versions of Windows that don’t include it are Windows 7 Starter and Windows 7 Home Basic. If you’re using either of these versions, you’ll need another utility for taking screenshots or use the keyboard shortcuts.

How do I create arrows and circles after capturing a screenshot? Load your screenshot into a photo editing software (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, Picasa, or MS Paint) to edit your photo. Then you can draw arrows and circles on your screenshot and save the picture.

What is a screenshot? A screenshot is a picture of what’s currently on your screen. The term originates from “to shoot a picture,” hence a picture of the screen is called a screenshot.

Where can I find the Print Screen key? The Print Screen key is typically located along the top row of your keyboard, between F12 and Scroll Lock. You may need to press the Fn key on your laptop to use it, as many laptops share key functions. If you don’t have a Print Screen key, you can use the On-Screen Keyboard.

Where are my screenshots saved? On Windows, the default save location for photos and screenshots is the Pictures folder. When you save your screenshot using Paint or the Snipping Tool, you can choose where it’s saved, just like any other file or document on Windows.

How do I take a screenshot with a Samsung Galaxy Tab (Android)? Hold down the power button and volume down button for a few seconds to capture a screenshot.

How do I take a screenshot on my Asus Transformer Pro? It’s the same as a Surface Pro or an HP Notebook. Press Windows + Volume Up on a tablet, or press Windows + PrtScn on a keyboard.

How do I take a screenshot using my HP Pavilion entertainment PC laptop? If you use Windows, it comes with an application named “Snipping Tool.” Open it, press New, then drag on the area you want to capture.

How do I take a screenshot if I have no Windows key and my Print Screen button is broken? Use the Snipping Tool. Enter “snipping tool” in the search bar, and the program should appear. Follow the steps in Method 4 to take a screenshot.