A screenshot (sometimes called a screengrab or screen capture) is a picture of whatever is on your computer screen.
It’s the easiest way to keep a copy of something useful, save the details of an online form or booking, or show someone an error message you don’t understand.
Windows has several ways to take a screenshot on a PC, all built in and all free. I’ll show you each one in Windows 11 and Windows 10, and where your screenshots end up afterwards.
The Short Version
- PrtScn: copies the whole screen. Paste it with Ctrl + V.
- Alt + PrtScn: copies just the window you’re using.
- Windows key + PrtScn: saves the whole screen to your Screenshots folder.
- Windows key + Shift + S: lets you draw round just the part you want.
Where Is the PrtScn Key?
Most of the shortcuts use the Print Screen key. It’s usually at the top right of the keyboard, near F12, and it’s labelled in different ways depending on the make:
- PrtScn
- PrtSc or Prt Sc
- Print Scrn or Print Screen
On many laptops the PrtScn key shares a key with something else, often Insert or End. If pressing it on its own does nothing, hold down the Fn key at the bottom left of the keyboard and press PrtScn with it.
No PrtScn key at all? Use Windows key + Shift + S instead, which I cover below. It does everything Print Screen does and more.
How to Screenshot the Whole Screen (PrtScn Key)
The best known way to take a screenshot on a computer is to press the PrtScn key.
It takes a picture of your whole screen and puts it on the clipboard, the same invisible holding area that copy and paste uses. Nothing appears to happen, and no file is saved yet.
To use the screenshot, paste it with Ctrl + V. You can paste it straight into an email, into a Word document, or into Paint if you want to save it as a picture file.
Quick Tip
Press PrtScn on a Windows 11 PC and the Snipping Tool may open instead. That’s a Windows 11 change, and I explain it in its own section below.
Alt + PrtScn: Screenshot Just One Window
If you only want the window you’re working in, rather than the whole screen, hold down Alt and press PrtScn.
Windows copies just the active window (the one at the front) to the clipboard, without the desktop, the taskbar or anything else around it. Paste it with Ctrl + V, just like PrtScn.
It’s my favourite for sending someone an error message, because they see just the message and not everything else on your screen.
Windows Key + PrtScn: Save a Screenshot Straight Away
Hold down the Windows key and press PrtScn. The screen dims for a moment, and Windows saves a picture of the whole screen as a file.
It goes into the Screenshots folder inside your Pictures folder, named Screenshot (1), Screenshot (2) and so on. It’s also copied to the clipboard, so you can still paste it.
This is the one to use when you want to take several screenshots one after the other, because each one is saved and nothing gets overwritten.
Why Does PrtScn Open the Snipping Tool?
On up-to-date Windows 11 PCs, pressing PrtScn on its own opens the Snipping Tool bar instead of quietly copying the whole screen. Microsoft changed it in 2023, and it catches a lot of people out.
There’s nothing wrong. You can either use the Snipping Tool (see the next section), or switch PrtScn back to the old behaviour:
- Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Type print screen in the search box at the top left.
- Click Use the Print screen key to open screen capture.
- Turn the switch Off.
On recent versions of Windows 11 the setting lives under Bluetooth & devices, then Keyboard. On older versions it’s under Accessibility, then Keyboard. Searching finds it either way.
How to Use the Snipping Tool
The Snipping Tool lets you capture exactly the part of the screen you want, rather than the whole thing.
- Press Windows key + Shift + S. The screen darkens and a small bar appears at the top.
- Pick a shape on the bar: Rectangle, Window, Full screen or Freeform. Rectangle is the one you’ll use most.
- Hold down the left mouse button and drag over the part of the screen you want.
- Let go. The lighter area is your screenshot, and the darker area is left out.
What Happens Next in Windows 11
Your snip is copied to the clipboard ready for pasting in to any application and saved automatically to your Screenshots folder (which is inside your Pictures folder).
What Happens Next in Windows 10
In Windows 10, Windows key + Shift + S copies the snip to the clipboard only. Paste it with Ctrl + V, or click the notification that pops up to open it and save it as a file.
How to Screenshot a Menu That Disappears
Some things vanish the moment you press a key, such as a right-click menu or a drop-down list. The answer is a delay.
- Open the Snipping Tool from the Start menu.
- Click Delay (the clock) and choose a delay, such as 5 seconds.
- Click New, then open the menu you want before the time runs out.
- When the screen darkens, drag over the menu as normal.
How to Record Your Screen Instead
In Windows 11 the Snipping Tool can make a video too. Press Windows key + Shift + R, drag over the area you want to record, then click Start. Click the stop button when you’re done, and save the video.
How to Copy the Text Out of a Screenshot
Once a snip is open in the Windows 11 Snipping Tool, click Text actions. Windows reads the words in the picture so you can copy them, and Quick redact blanks out any email addresses and phone numbers before you share it. I explain more ways to copy the text out of a picture in a separate guide.
Where Are Screenshots Saved on a PC?
It depends on how you took it:
- Windows key + PrtScn and the Windows 11 Snipping Tool save a file in Pictures, then Screenshots.
- PrtScn, Alt + PrtScn and Windows 10 snips aren’t saved anywhere. They sit on the clipboard until you paste them, and the next thing you copy replaces them.
To find the folder, open File Explorer, click Pictures on the left, then double-click Screenshots.
If OneDrive backs up your Pictures folder, the Screenshots folder is inside OneDrive. It’s the same folder, you just reach it through OneDrive.
Quick Tip
Taking lots of PrtScn screenshots in a row? Turn on clipboard history and press Windows key + V to see the last few, not just the most recent one.
How to Screenshot a Whole Web Page
The Snipping Tool only captures what’s on screen, so a long web page gets cut off at the bottom.
In Microsoft Edge, press Ctrl + Shift + S and choose Capture full page. Edge captures the whole page from top to bottom, scrolling included, and you can save it as a picture.
If Your Screenshot Isn’t Working
Nothing Happens When I Press PrtScn
Usually it has worked, and the screenshot is waiting on the clipboard. Open an email or Paint and press Ctrl + V to see it.
On a laptop, try Fn + PrtScn. If that doesn’t work either, use Windows key + Shift + S, which doesn’t need the PrtScn key at all.
My Screenshot Is Just a Black Box
That happens when you screenshot films and TV from sites such as Netflix. It’s deliberate copy protection, not a fault with your PC.
I Can’t Find My Screenshot
If you used PrtScn or Alt + PrtScn, there’s no file to find. Paste it with Ctrl + V. If you used Windows key + PrtScn or the Windows 11 Snipping Tool, look in Pictures, then Screenshots, including the one inside OneDrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the shortcut to take a screenshot on a PC?
A: Press PrtScn for the whole screen, Alt + PrtScn for just the window you are using, or Windows key + PrtScn to save the whole screen as a file. Windows key + Shift + S lets you pick part of the screen.
Q: How do I take a screenshot on a laptop without a PrtScn key?
A: Press Windows key + Shift + S and drag over the part of the screen you want. If your laptop has a PrtSc label on another key, hold Fn and press that key.
Q: What is the difference between PrtScn and Windows key + PrtScn?
A: PrtScn copies the screen to the clipboard, so you have to paste it somewhere. Windows key + PrtScn saves it as a picture file in your Screenshots folder as well.
Q: How do I screenshot just part of the screen?
A: Press Windows key + Shift + S, make sure Rectangle is chosen on the bar at the top, then drag over the part you want.
Q: Where do screenshots go on Windows 11?
A: Into the Screenshots folder inside your Pictures folder. Screenshots taken with PrtScn or Alt + PrtScn on their own only go to the clipboard until you paste them.
Summary
It’s not often you need a screenshot, but when you do, Windows has everything you need built in:
- PrtScn copies the whole screen.
- Alt + PrtScn copies just one window.
- Windows key + PrtScn saves the whole screen to Pictures, then Screenshots.
- Windows key + Shift + S lets you snip just the part you want.
Use screenshots to keep information for later, share it with other people, and show someone exactly what’s on your screen when something goes wrong.
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