How to take a screenshot on Windows and Mac

A screenshot is a picture of what is on your screen. It is the quickest way to show someone an error message, keep a receipt, or explain where to click. Both Windows and the Mac have several shortcuts for it, and choosing the right one saves cropping afterwards.

The Windows shortcuts here follow Microsoft's own list, read on 12 November 2026.

Windows

Keys	What it does
`Win` + `Shift` + `S`	Choose an area, a window or the whole screen. The picture goes to the clipboard
`PrtScn`	Windows 11: the same as Win + Shift + S. Windows 10: copy the whole screen to the clipboard
`Win` + `PrtScn`	Save the whole screen as a file in Pictures, Screenshots
`Alt` + `PrtScn`	Copy the active window to the clipboard
`Win` + `Shift` + `R`	Windows 11: choose an area to record as a video
`Win` + `G`	Open the Game Bar, which can also capture and record

The best all-round choice: Win + Shift + S

The screen dims and a small bar appears at the top with four shapes: a rectangle, a freehand shape, a single window, and the full screen. Pick one and drag or click. The picture is copied to the clipboard, and a notification appears. Click the notification to open the picture in Snipping Tool, where you can draw on it, crop it and save it.

To use the picture straight away, paste it with Ctrl + V into an email, a chat, a document or a paint program.

Where is my screenshot?

Win + PrtScn saves a file by itself, in the Pictures folder, inside a folder named Screenshots. The screen dims for an instant to show it worked.
Win + Shift + S, PrtScn and Alt + PrtScn copy to the clipboard. Nothing is saved until you paste the picture somewhere or save it from Snipping Tool. Recent versions of Snipping Tool can be set to save every snip automatically.

Laptops

On many laptops PrtScn shares a key with another function, and is written PrtSc, PrtScr or Prt Sc. If pressing it does nothing, hold Fn as well. Some compact keyboards have no such key at all. Win + Shift + S works on every keyboard.

In Windows 11, a setting under Settings, Accessibility, Keyboard, "Use the Print Screen key to open screen capture", decides whether PrtScn opens the snipping bar or copies the whole screen.

Mac

Keys	What it does
`Cmd` + `Shift` + `3`	Capture the whole screen
`Cmd` + `Shift` + `4`	Drag to capture an area
`Cmd` + `Shift` + `4` then `Space`	Click a window to capture just that window
`Cmd` + `Shift` + `5`	Open the panel with all capture and recording options
`Ctrl with any of the above`	Copy to the clipboard instead of saving a file

By default, a Mac saves each screenshot as a file on the Desktop, named with the date and time. A small preview appears in the corner for a few seconds. Click it to crop or draw on the picture before it is saved.

Cmd + Shift + 5 opens a panel with buttons for the whole screen, a window, an area, and for recording a video of the screen. Its Options menu sets where files are saved, adds a timer, and can show or hide the pointer.

While dragging an area with Cmd + Shift + 4, holding Space moves the whole selection, and Esc cancels.

Which one should I use?

I want	Windows	Mac
just part of the screen	Win + Shift + S	Cmd + Shift + 4
one window	Alt + PrtScn	Cmd + Shift + 4, then Space
everything, saved as a file	Win + PrtScn	Cmd + Shift + 3
to paste it straight into a message	Win + Shift + S, then Ctrl + V	add Ctrl to the shortcut, then Cmd + V
a video of the screen	Win + Shift + R	Cmd + Shift + 5

Capture only what is needed. A picture of one window or one area is easier to read and less likely to show something private.

Before you send a screenshot

A screenshot records everything visible: other open tabs, notifications, account numbers, email addresses, names in a chat list. Look at it before sharing.

Capture an area, not the whole screen.
Close or hide anything private first.
To hide a detail, cover it with a solid block in an image editor. A blur or a highlighter-style scribble can sometimes be undone.
Never share a screenshot that shows a password, a one-time code, a full card number or a QR code used for payment or login.

On a web page

Browsers have their own tools for capturing a whole page, including the part below the screen. In Edge, Ctrl + Shift + S opens web capture. In Firefox, right-click the page and choose Take Screenshot. In Chrome, the developer tools have a "Capture full size screenshot" command.

Phones and Chromebooks, briefly

On most Android phones, press the power and volume-down buttons together. On an iPhone with Face ID, press the side button and volume-up together. On a Chromebook, Ctrl with the Show Windows key captures the screen, and adding Shift lets you pick an area. Phone makers vary, so check your model's own help if these do not work.

This is an independent reference site. It is not connected with Microsoft, Apple, Google or any other maker of the programs named here. Product names belong to their owners and are used only to say where a shortcut works. Programs change; if a shortcut does not work for you, check the program's own help.