How to take a screenshot on laptop [2025]

Are you worried how to take 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.

Taking a screenshot is a little different on each version of Windows, but this wikiHow article 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.

Method 1: Taking a Screenshot in Windows

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

Step 1 Go to the screen that you want to capture.

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

This method will quickly capture everything on your screen and save the image to your PC. Once you’ve saved the screenshot, you can edit it or share it with anyone.

Step 2 Find the ⎙ Print Screen key on your keyboard.

The Print Screen key will usually be 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. You can also use the On-Screen Keyboard and locate the PrtScn button beneath the Insert button.

You have two options for capturing your entire screen:

Instantly save the screenshot as an image: Press the Windows key and the PrtSc keys at the same time. This saves your screenshot as a PNG file to the Screenshots folder in your Pictures folder. On most keyboards, the Windows key is located in the bottom left corner on the same row as the spacebar. Upon pressing this key combination, the screen may dim briefly to indicate that the screenshot was captured.
Copy the screenshot so you can paste it: 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.
With some Windows laptops or keyboards, you will need to hold down the Fn key as you press the Print Screen key.

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

Open File Explorer by pressing the Windows key + E on your keyboard.
If you see a folder called ‘Pictures’ in the left panel, click it. If not, click This PC, and then double-click the Pictures folder.
Double-click the Screenshots folder.
Each screenshot you take is labelled “Screenshot (number)”. Depending on the version of Windows you’re using, the file name will either end with a number that corresponds with the number of screenshots you’ve taken or the date and time at which you captured the screenshot.
If you can’t find your screenshot, try using the Snipping Tool instead. See Snipping Tool (Windows 11) or Snipping Tool (Windows 10 and earlier).

Method 2: Take a One-Window Screenshot

Step 2 Hold down Alt and press ⎙ PrtScr.

You will not see any confirmation that the screenshot has been taken.
On some Windows keyboards, you will need to also hold down the Fn key when you use print screen.
If your keyboard doesn’t have a Print Screen key, use the Snipping Tool on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Press the Windows key and type paint.
Click Paint.

Step 4 Press Ctrl+V to paste the screenshot.

You can also paste the screenshot into other programs, such as Word, or the body of an email. Open the program you want to paste the image into and press Ctrl + V.
Alternatively, you can paste the screenshot into any open document, email, or other area using this shortcut.
If your screenshot doesn’t appear, try using the Snipping Tool instead. See Snipping Tool (Windows 11) or Snipping Tool (Windows 10 and earlier).

Step 5 Save your screenshot as an image.

You can change the screenshot’s file type by clicking the “Save as type” drop-down box at the bottom of the window and then clicking a different format (e.g., JPEG) in the drop-down menu.

Method 3: Use Snipping Tool (Windows 11)

The Windows 11 Snipping Tool makes it incredibly easy to capture and edit full-screen, partial-screen, and single-window screenshots. To access Snipping Tool, press the Windows key, type snip, and click Snipping Tool.

Rectangle: Let’s you capture any part of the screen by drawing a rectangle around an area.
Window: Allows you to capture an individual window without getting anything else in the screenshot.
Full screen: Captures everything on the screen.
Freeform: Lets you draw any shape around an area of the screen to take a screenshot.

In Rectangle mode, click and drag a rectangle around the desired area to instantly capture a screenshot.
In Window mode, click the window you want to capture to take the screenshot.
In Full screen mode, the entire screen will instantly capture.
In 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 Click the Snipping Tool icon in the taskbar to view your screenshot.

To crop a screenshot, select the Crop tool, then select the part of the screenshot you want to keep.
Use the pen tool to write or draw on the screenshot. This is helpful if you need to redact something.
You can use the highlighter to bring attention to a certain area, or the eraser tool to erase any additions you’ve made.
Use the Shapes tool to draw shapes, like a circle around text or an arrow.
To edit your screenshot further, click Edit in Paint at the top-right corner to open it in the Paint app.

Click the disk icon at the top.
Select a location to save your screenshot.
Name your file and click Save.
Alternatively, click the Copy icon at the top-right to copy the screenshot to your clipboard. This makes it easy to paste the screenshot into any open app or document.

Step 8 Use the Snipping Tool shortcut in the future.

When you use the keyboard shortcut, you’ll see a smaller Snipping Tool at the top of the screen. Each icon on the Snipping Tool indicates a different screenshot type—Rectangle, Window, Full screen, and Freeform modes. Click the mode you’d like to use, then capture your screenshot.

Method 4: Use Snipping Tool (Windows 10, 8.1, and 7)

1. Open the Snipping Tool. The Snipping Tool is a great way to take all kinds of screenshots, including full-screen, individual windows, and even a particular area of the screen.

On Windows 10, press the Windows key, type snip, and click Snipping tool.
- While Microsoft once intended to replace Snipping Tool with an updated tool called Snip & Sketch, that tool no longer receives updates.Microsoft now recommends using Snipping Tool, not Snip & Sketch, for capturing screenshots.
On Windows 8.1, swipe in from the edge, select Search, type snipping, and then select Snipping Tool.
On Windows 7, click the Start menu, type snipping, and then click Snipping Tool.

Free-form Snip lets you draw any shape with your mouse. The area inside the shape will be snipped.
Rectangular Snip lets you select a rectangular area, which will be snipped.
Window Snip lets you choose a window to snip.
Full-screen Snip snips the whole screen, including all windows (except the Snipping Tool window).

If you had Full-screen Snip selected, your Snip will automatically be created once you click New.

The Erase tool will only erase annotations, not the screenshot itself.

PNG is the default format in Windows 8 and later. The default format in earlier versions is JPG.

To paste the Snip, open a window that supports pasting and press Ctrl+V.

Method 5: Use the Snipping Tool Shortcut (Windows 10 & 11)

Open the program or screen you want to take a picture of, making sure that any windows or items you don’t want on-screen are out of the way.

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

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

Alternatively, save your screenshot as an image file by pressing Ctrl + S, entering a name, selecting a save location, and clicking Save.

Method 6: Take a Screenshot of a Game or App

The Game Bar is a handy tool that makes it easy to capture screenshots of games, as well as any other open windows on your PC. To open the tool, press Windows key + G at the same time.
- You can even use the Xbox Game Bar to record your screen in real time.

Step 4 Click the pushpin icon on the Capture widget.

Method 7: Screenshot on a Windows Tablet

This quick shortcut will instantly screenshot 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, which you can access 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 instead.

Method 8: Screenshot Several Windows in a Row

- Understand how this works. The Windows Steps Recorder allows you to record up to 100 different screens and save them all to one document. This program also makes a note of where you click and which actions you perform on each screen.
- This tool is being phased out on Windows 11 beginning in 2024.

If you want to record more than 25 changes, first click on the right side of the toolbar, click Settings…, and change the “Number of recent screen captures to store” number.