How to screenshot on Windows
The quickest way to screenshot on Windows is Win + Shift + S: drag over an area and it is copied to your clipboard. Press Win + PrtScn to save the whole screen as a file in Pictures\Screenshots, or Alt + PrtScn to copy only the active window. All of these work on Windows 10 and 11.
22 September 2026
Every way to take a screenshot on Windows
Win means the Windows logo key. PrtScn is the Print Screen key, sometimes labelled PrtSc, Prt Sc or Print.
- Win + Shift + S: select a rectangle, window, full screen or freeform area. Copied to the clipboard; Windows 11 also saves it to Pictures\Screenshots.
- Win + PrtScn: the whole screen, saved as a PNG in Pictures\Screenshots and copied to the clipboard.
- PrtScn: on Windows 10, copies the whole screen to the clipboard. On Windows 11, opens the Snipping Tool bar by default.
- Alt + PrtScn: copies only the active window to the clipboard.
- Snipping Tool app: adds delays, editing and, on Windows 11, screen recording.
- Win + Alt + PrtScn: the Xbox Game Bar saves the active app or game to Videos\Captures. Open Game Bar with Win + G.
How to take a partial screenshot on Windows
A selection screenshot, where you crop as you capture, is the method most people end up using.
- Press Win + Shift + S. The screen dims and a bar appears at the top.
- Choose Rectangle, Window, Full screen or Freeform on the bar.
- Drag over the area you want, or click a window.
- Paste the screenshot with Ctrl + V into a chat, email, Word or Paint.
- To save it or mark it up, click the notification in the corner. It opens in Snipping Tool on Windows 11, or Snip & Sketch on Windows 10, where Ctrl + S saves it.
Save a full screenshot as a file
With more than one monitor, Win + PrtScn captures all of them in one wide image. To capture one screen, use Win + Shift + S and drag over it.
To change where these screenshots are saved, right-click the Screenshots folder, choose Properties, open the Location tab and click Move to pick a new folder.
- Press Win + PrtScn. The screen dims for a moment to show it worked.
- Open File Explorer, then Pictures, then Screenshots.
- Your file is there as Screenshot (1).png, with the number going up each time.
Copy the screen to the clipboard and paste it
PrtScn and Alt + PrtScn copy without saving a file, which is quick when you only want to paste. Open where you want it, such as Paint, Word, Outlook or Teams, and press Ctrl + V. In Paint, press Ctrl + S afterwards to keep it as a file.
The clipboard holds one item at a time unless you turn on clipboard history in Settings, System, Clipboard. After that, Win + V lists your recent screenshots so you can paste an older one.
Windows 11 and Windows 10: what differs
Our separate guides on how to screenshot on Windows 11 and Windows 10 go through each version's settings in detail.
- PrtScn: Windows 11 opens the snipping bar by default. Windows 10 copies the screen to the clipboard unless you change the setting.
- Editing app: Windows 11 uses the new Snipping Tool. Windows 10 uses Snip & Sketch for Win + Shift + S, with the classic Snipping Tool alongside.
- Auto-save: Windows 11 saves snips to Pictures\Screenshots automatically. Windows 10 keeps them on the clipboard until you save.
- Screen recording: Windows 11's Snipping Tool records the screen. On Windows 10, use the Game Bar with Win + Alt + R.
Laptops without a Print Screen key, and Windows 7
On many laptops PrtScn shares a key with another function, so you press Fn + PrtScn, or Fn + Win + PrtScn to save a file. If your keyboard has no PrtScn at all, Win + Shift + S does not need it. You can also open the On-Screen Keyboard with Win + Ctrl + O, which has a PrtScn key.
Windows 7 has PrtScn and Alt + PrtScn for the clipboard and the classic Snipping Tool in Accessories. Win + PrtScn and Win + Shift + S arrived in later versions, so paste into Paint to save a file.
How to take a scrolling screenshot on Windows
No built-in Windows shortcut scrolls, so a long web page is cut off at the edge of the screen. Browsers can do it instead. In Edge, press Ctrl + Shift + S and choose the full page option. In Firefox, press Ctrl + Shift + S and click Save full page. In Chrome, press Ctrl + Shift + I, then Ctrl + Shift + P, type screenshot and choose Capture full size screenshot.
For one-click full page captures in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, the free NeoReader Full Page Screenshot extension captures the whole scrolling page, the visible part or a dragged area. Its editor can crop, draw arrows, add text and blur private details before you save PNG, JPG or PDF or copy to the clipboard. Free desktop tools such as Greenshot are another option for general screen capture with annotation.
To join several screenshots into one document, our free Screenshot to PDF tool does it in your browser, and the images stay on your device.
When a Windows screenshot does not work
- Nothing seems to happen after PrtScn: the screenshot is on the clipboard. Paste it with Ctrl + V.
- Screenshots go to OneDrive: OneDrive can save screenshots for you. Turn it off in OneDrive settings under Sync and back up.
- PrtScn opens another app: Dropbox, Greenshot and similar tools can take over the key. Change the hotkey in that app.
- No notification after Win + Shift + S: turn notifications back on for Snipping Tool in Settings, System, Notifications.
- Black image of a video: streaming apps and some players block capture of protected content.
