How to Screenshot on Windows
Every way to take a screenshot on Windows 10 and 11 — from the Print Screen key to the Snipping Tool — with where each one saves the file.
| Step | Details |
|---|---|
| 01 | Press Print Screen (PrtScn) to copy the whole screen Copies everything on your screen to the clipboard. Nothing is saved as a file — paste it (Ctrl+V) into Paint, Word, or an email to see it. |
| 02 | Press Alt + PrtScn to capture just the active window Copies only the window you're currently focused on, without the desktop or other windows behind it, straight to the clipboard. |
| 03 | Press Windows + Shift + S to select a specific area Opens a crosshair overlay with rectangle, freeform, window, and full-screen capture options. The result copies to the clipboard, and a notification pops up so you can open it in Snip & Sketch to markup or save it. |
| 04 | Press Windows + PrtScn to auto-save a full-screen shot The only shortcut that saves a file automatically — no pasting needed. Your screen dims briefly to confirm, and a PNG lands in Pictures > Screenshots. |
| 05 | Open the Snipping Tool app for delayed or scheduled captures Search "Snipping Tool" in the Start menu, click New, and pick a capture mode. On recent versions of Windows 11 it also offers a delay timer — useful for menus or tooltips that disappear the moment you click. |
| 06 | Use Xbox Game Bar (Windows + G) for full-screen games Regular shortcuts sometimes fail to capture games running in exclusive full-screen mode. Game Bar's camera button works around that and saves screenshots to Videos > Captures. |
Windows actually has several screenshot methods built in — the trick is knowing which shortcut fits what you're trying to capture.
Which method should you use?
| You want to... | Use | Saves a file? |
|---|---|---|
| Copy the whole screen | PrtScn | No, clipboard only |
| Copy just the current window | Alt + PrtScn | No, clipboard only |
| Select a specific area | Win + Shift + S | No, clipboard only |
| Save a full-screen shot automatically | Win + PrtScn | Yes, Pictures > Screenshots |
| Capture with a delay timer | Snipping Tool app | Optional, you choose |
| Capture a full-screen game | Win + G (Game Bar) | Yes, Videos > Captures |
A quick note on clipboard vs. file
Most of these shortcuts only copy the image to your clipboard — they don't create a file on their own. If you just need to drop a screenshot into a chat or document, that's actually faster: press the shortcut, then paste with Ctrl + V. If you need an actual saved file, either use Win + PrtScn (the only shortcut that auto-saves), or paste the clipboard image into Paint and save it from there.
On a Mac instead? See our full Mac screenshot guide — the shortcuts and default save location are both different from Windows.
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