Screenshots are incredibly useful for capturing images on your desktop, but the method for capturing them on a laptop or desktop computer running Windows may not be immediately clear if you haven’t done it before.
There are several ways to accomplish this simple task in Windows, and we have detailed each method below. Yes, most of these methods work in both Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems. Keep reading to learn how to take a screenshot on a Windows computer.
The Snipping Tool in Windows 10 and 11
The best native way to take a screenshot in Windows is through the Snipping Tool. This built-in screen capture tool works well enough, but it is not the most powerful or versatile when it comes to saving a screenshot. However, it is a tool that allows users to select parts of the desktop screen and capture them as a screenshot. Here’s how to use it.
Step 1: To start, simply type “Snipping Tool” in the search box on the taskbar and select the resulting app. If you are using Windows 10, once opened, you will see a notice that it is “moving to a new home” in a later update. Don’t worry. Even in Windows 11, this tool is still available, but Microsoft encourages you to use the Win + Shift + S keyboard shortcut.
Step 2: In Windows 10, select the Mode button to expand its menu. You will find four options for capturing the screen: Freeform Snip, Rectangular Snip, Window Snip, and Full-screen Snip.
In Windows 11, you will need to select either New or press the Win + Shift + S keyboard shortcut to start the snip. Once done with either, the screen will darken slightly and you will see the four mentioned “Mode” options at the top of your screen.
Select one of these modes to start the screenshot.
Step 3: Once you have taken the screenshot, the Snipping Tool interface will display your screenshot. You can make minor edits like using a pen, marker, or eraser.
(In Windows 11, this editing screen may appear automatically, or you may need to select a pop-up notification first to open the editing screen.)
Step 4: After editing within the Snipping Tool, select File in the top left corner and click on Save As in the dropdown menu.
In Windows 11: Select the Save As floppy disk icon in the top right corner, name your file in the pop-up screen, then select the Save button.
The Snip & Sketch Tool in Windows 10
Snip & Sketch is Microsoft’s latest version of a the snipping tool, and it’s a great way to capture screenshots on a Windows PC. You can access this tool from the Start menu or by typing Win + Shift + S on your keyboard. Here’s how to use it.
(Note: Snip & Sketch is no longer available in Windows 11 and has been replaced with an updated Snipping Tool app that includes elements from Snip & Sketch. However, the following instructions (especially steps 1, 2, and 4) should remain generally correct for the Snipping Tool in Windows 11).
Step 1: If you are using the keyboard shortcut, the screen will darken and a toolbar with five buttons will appear along the top. You have the same functions as the old snipping tool, but it does not save screenshots as files. Instead, the captured image goes directly to your clipboard first.
Step 2: You will also see a notification on the desktop informing you that the image has been copied to the clipboard. This notification gives you the option to edit the captured image within the Snip & Sketch app. You can access this latter option by selecting the desktop notification itself. If you select the notification, the screenshot will be loaded into the app, allowing you to crop the image and use a pen, marker, highlighter, or eraser.
Step 3: If you download the Snip & Sketch app instead, select the arrow next to the New button in the top left corner, and choose Snip Now in the dropdown menu. The screen will darken, and the toolbar of five buttons will appear. Capture the snip, and the desired image will be automatically loaded into the Snip & Sketch app, ready for editing.
Step 4: Save the image anywhere on your computer by choosing the On the Floppy Disk button. If you want to edit the screenshot and save it using any installed image editor, click on the three dots on the toolbar and choose Open with option from the dropdown menu. (In Windows 11, simply select Edit in Paint to edit the screenshot in Microsoft Paint.)
Printing Keyboard Shortcuts on the Screen
Windows offers six ways to capture a screenshot of the desktop as an image using keyboard shortcuts. Three of them rely on the Print Screen (PrtScn) key, while the remaining three require the Windows (Win) key.
On external keyboards, you will find a dedicated PrtScn key in the top right corner. The Win key is usually in the bottom left, between the Control (Ctrl) and Alt keys. It bears the Windows logo, so it’s hard to miss.
On laptops, the Print Screen command may be combined with another function on a single key. In this case, you must press the Function (Fn) key in addition to the Print Screen key.
Here’s a breakdown of the six screenshot capture commands:
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Print Screen (PrtScn): Captures the entire screen. If you have more than one display screen, this function captures everything shown across all connected display screens as a single image. By default, this method does not save your image as a file, but only sends the captured image to your Windows clipboard. (In Windows 11, pressing the Print Screen button on the keyboard may open the Snipping Tool automatically instead. However, you can disable this by going to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, then turn off Use the print screen key to open snip tool.)
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Alt + Print Screen: Captures a single window. Make sure to select the target window first, such as a document or browser, before pressing these keys (or three on certain laptops). By default, this method does not save your image as a file, but only sends the image in the selected window to the clipboard.
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Win + Print Screen: Captures the entire screen. The difference here is that Windows saves the image as a file. By default, it is sent to C:Users
Pictures> Screenshots or C: Users OneDrive>Pictures> Screenshots on your computer. -
Win + Shift + S: Captures a screenshot using the built-in snipping tool called Snip & Sketch (or the new Snipping Tool app in Windows 11). The screen darkens, and you are provided with four options on a small toolbar (excluding the Exit icon): Rectangular Snip, Freeform Snip, Window Snip, and Fullscreen Snip. This tool does not save screenshots as images, but only sends them to the clipboard.
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Win + G: Opens the Xbox Game Bar. Select the Capture button then the Take a screenshot icon, and this tool will save the image in C:Users>(user name)>Videos>Captures by default.
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Win + Alt + Print Screen: Captures only the active window. This command saves the image in C:Users>(user name)>Videos>Captures by default.
In some cases, the screen may flash or dim to signal that Windows has taken a screenshot. If it doesn’t happen, open File Explorer and navigate to its default locations to see if Windows has saved your image.
OneDrive in Windows 10 and 11
If you are using OneDrive, you can save screenshots on your Windows PC to the cloud so they can be accessed from any device. However, it does not save screenshots by default. Instead, you need to select the cloud icon next to the system clock (or in the hidden icons menu accessed by a caret pointing up).
If this icon does not appear, you may need to open the OneDrive app first and sign in to your account. After selecting the cloud icon, choose the Help and Settings gear icon and select Settings from the resulting dropdown menu. Then select the Backup tab in the resulting pop-up window and check the box below for Screenshots. Then select Yes.
(In Windows 11, after selecting Settings, choose the Sync and Backup tab on the left side. On the Sync and Backup screen, enable the Save screenshots taken to OneDrive option.)
In this case, by pressing the first Print Screen commands, the image will be automatically saved in OneDrive. There will be no flash or dimming on the screen for these commands — you will receive a notification instead. Make sure to sync the Screenshots folder if you want to access the images on your computer.
How to take a screenshot on other devices
If you are trying to learn how to take a screenshot on a Mac device instead of a Windows PC, taking a screenshot is also extremely simple. There are several ways to do it, but the easiest involves using some helpful keyboard shortcuts. Command + Shift + 3 will capture the entire screen, while Command + Shift + 4 will allow you to draw a selection box.
You can also easily capture a screenshot on a Microsoft Surface device.
To take a screenshot on a Chromebook, again, there are several different methods, but the easiest involves a keyboard shortcut. Ctrl + Show Windows will capture the entire screen, while Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows will allow you to capture a specific area.
