How to screenshot on an HP laptop, desktop or Chromebook
On an HP laptop running Windows, press Windows + Shift + S to snip part of the screen, or Windows + prt sc to save the whole screen to Pictures\Screenshots. HP labels the key prt sc, usually near the right end of the top row. On an HP Chromebook, press Ctrl + Show windows instead.
27 August 2026
HP screenshot shortcuts for Windows
Most HP laptops and desktops (Pavilion, Envy, Spectre, EliteBook, ProBook, Victus, OMEN) run Windows, so the screenshot shortcuts are the same across the range. Only the keyboard layout differs.
- Windows + Shift + S: the snipping bar. Drag an area, click a window or take the full screen. The image is copied to the clipboard, and Windows 11 also saves it to Pictures\Screenshots by default.
- Windows + prt sc: saves the full screen as a PNG in Pictures\Screenshots.
- prt sc alone: on current Windows 11 builds it opens the snipping bar. On Windows 10, or with that setting off, it copies the full screen to the clipboard.
- Alt + prt sc: copies just the active window to the clipboard.
- Windows + Alt + prt sc: saves the active window to Videos\Captures through the Xbox Game Bar.
Where is Print Screen on an HP keyboard?
HP prints it as prt sc, in lower case. On most HP laptops it is on the top row towards the right, near the delete key, sometimes on a key of its own and sometimes sharing one with another function. On HP desktop keyboards with a full layout it sits to the right of F12.
Some recent HP laptops also have an action key with a scissors or screen-capture icon on the top row that opens the snipping bar directly. Not every model has one, so check the icons on your own keyboard.
Action keys and the fn key on HP laptops
Most HP laptops ship with action keys turned on: pressing the top row changes volume, brightness and so on, and you need fn to get F1 to F12. If prt sc is printed as a secondary function on a shared key, press fn + prt sc (or fn + Windows + prt sc to save a file).
HP calls this action key mode. On many models it can be switched off in the BIOS setup, which makes the F keys primary again. The menu and wording vary by model and BIOS version, so HP's support page for your exact model is the best guide if you want to change it.
How to screenshot on an HP EliteBook or Envy
EliteBook and ProBook business laptops usually have prt sc on the top row, sometimes paired with another function, so try it on its own first and then with fn. Envy and Spectre models, including the x360 convertibles, follow the same pattern. On an x360 folded into tablet mode, there is no keyboard to press, so use the hardware buttons or the Snipping Tool instead (see below).
- Open what you want to capture and close anything private.
- Press Windows + Shift + S.
- Choose Rectangle, Window, Full screen or Freeform from the bar at the top.
- Drag or click. The capture is copied, and a notification appears.
- Click the notification to crop or annotate in the Snipping Tool and save it, or press Ctrl + V to paste it into an email or chat.
How to screenshot on an HP desktop
HP desktop keyboards usually have a dedicated prt sc key that needs no fn. Press Windows + prt sc to save the full screen, or Windows + Shift + S to choose an area. With two monitors, prt sc captures both as one wide image, so use Windows + Shift + S if you only want one screen. HP desktops with the screen built in work the same way with their bundled keyboard.
HP 2-in-1s and tablets in tablet mode
On Envy x360, Spectre x360 and Elite x2 style devices used as a tablet, pressing Power and Volume Up together takes a screenshot on many Windows 11 models. If nothing happens on yours, open the Snipping Tool from the Start menu and tap New, or use a pen if the device supports one.
How to screenshot on an HP Chromebook
HP Chromebooks run ChromeOS, which has its own shortcuts and no prt sc key.
Press Ctrl + Show windows (the top-row key showing a rectangle with two lines beside it) for the full screen, or Ctrl + Shift + Show windows to open the screen capture bar and drag an area. Screenshots are saved to the Downloads folder. Our Chromebook guide covers tablet mode, the stylus and changing the save folder.
Capture a whole web page
Screen shortcuts stop at the edge of the window. To save a whole scrolling web page, use NeoReader Full Page Screenshot, a free extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox that also works on Chromebooks. It stitches the full page, lets you crop, annotate and blur private details, and saves PNG, JPG or PDF. To put several screenshots into one document, our free Screenshot to PDF tool does it in the browser, and your images stay on your device.
