The fastest way to capture your screen

On Windows, press the Print Screen key (often labeled PrtScn) to copy the entire screen to your clipboard. On Mac, press Command + Shift + 3 to capture the whole screen and save it as a file on your desktop. On Chromebook, press Ctrl + Show Windows (the Show Windows key is usually where F5 would be on a regular keyboard) to capture the full screen. Each method stores the image differently — Windows puts it in your clipboard ready to paste, while Mac and Chromebook save it as a file you can find when ready.

If you need only part of the screen, every operating system offers a cropping tool. Windows 11 and later have a built-in Snipping Tool. Mac has Command + Shift + 4. Chromebook has Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows. These let you drag a box around the area you want before the image is saved or copied.

Key Takeaways

  • Windows Print Screen copies the full screen to your clipboard; paste it into any document or image editor with Ctrl + V.
  • Mac Command + Shift + 3 saves a full screenshot directly to your desktop as a PNG file.
  • Chromebook Ctrl + Show Windows captures the full screen and saves it to your Downloads folder.
  • All three systems have partial-screen tools: Windows Snipping Tool, Mac Command + Shift + 4, and Chromebook Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows.

Windows: Print Screen and the Snipping Tool

The Print Screen key on a Windows keyboard captures everything on your monitor and places it in the clipboard. After you press it, nothing visible happens — the image is stored in memory, not saved to a file. Open any program that accepts images: Notepad, Word, Paint, or an email draft. Press Ctrl + V to paste the screenshot. If you want to edit it first, open Paint (search for "Paint" in the Windows Start menu), paste the image, crop or annotate it, then save it as a JPG or PNG file.

For a partial screenshot, use the Snipping Tool, built into Windows 10 and 11. Search for "Snipping Tool" in the Start menu and open it. Click New, then drag a box around the part of the screen you want. The tool opens the cropped image in an editor where you can draw, highlight, or erase before saving. On Windows 11, you can also press Windows key + Shift + S to open the snipping menu without launching the full process.

If you have an older Windows version or prefer a keyboard shortcut, Alt + Print Screen captures only the active window instead of the entire screen. This is useful when you have multiple windows open and want to isolate one.

Mac: Command + Shift + 3 and Command + Shift + 4

On Mac, Command + Shift + 3 captures the entire screen and saves it as a PNG file directly to your desktop. The file appears with a timestamp in the name, like "Screenshot 2024-01-15 at 2.30.45 PM". You can then drag it into a folder, email, or document. If you want to copy it to the clipboard instead of saving a file, add Control to the shortcut: Command + Control + Shift + 3.

For a partial screenshot, press Command + Shift + 4. Your cursor changes to a crosshair. Click and drag to draw a box around the area you want. When you release the mouse, the image saves to your desktop the same way. If you change your mind while dragging, press Escape to cancel. You can also press the spacebar while the crosshair is active to switch to window-capture mode, which lets you click a single window to capture it with its shadow.

Screenshots on Mac open in a thumbnail preview in the corner of your screen for a few seconds. Click the thumbnail to open the image in the Screenshot app, where you can crop, draw, or add text before saving.

Chromebook: Ctrl + Show Windows

On a Chromebook, the Show Windows key (usually in the top row of the keyboard where F5 would be on a regular computer) replaces the traditional function keys. Press Ctrl + Show Windows to capture the entire screen. The image saves automatically to your Downloads folder as a PNG file. You can open Files, navigate to Downloads, and find it there.

To capture part of the screen, press Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows. A crosshair appears. Click and drag to select the area you want, then release. The partial screenshot saves to Downloads the same way. If you want to cancel while selecting, press Escape.

Chromebook screenshots are always saved as files, never copied to the clipboard. If you need to paste a screenshot into a document, take the screenshot, open Files, find the image in Downloads, and drag it into your document or email.

Where screenshots are stored and how to find them

Windows screenshots taken with Print Screen exist only in your clipboard until you paste them. If you close a program without pasting, the image is lost. To avoid this, paste when ready into Paint or another editor, then save the file. Windows Snipping Tool saves files to your Pictures folder by default, though you can choose a different location when you save.

Mac screenshots appear on the desktop with a timestamp in the filename. They are PNG files, which means they support transparency and compress well. You can move them to a folder, rename them, or delete them like any other file. The default location is always the desktop, but you can change this by opening Terminal and running a command — most users find the desktop location convenient enough.

Chromebook screenshots always go to the Downloads folder. Open the Files app, click Downloads in the left sidebar, and you will see all your screenshots listed by date. You can rename, move, or delete them from there. If you want to send a screenshot in an email, you can drag it directly from the Files app into a Gmail compose window.

Editing and saving screenshots after capture

Once you have captured a screenshot, you may want to crop it, highlight part of it, or add text. Windows has the Snipping Tool built in, which opens automatically when you use the partial-screen shortcuts. Mac has the Screenshot app, which appears when you click the thumbnail in the corner. Both let you draw, add text, and magnify before saving.

If you want more control, open the screenshot in a full image editor. On Windows, Paint is included with the operating system — search for it in the Start menu. On Mac, Preview is built in — double-click the screenshot file to open it. Both programs let you crop, rotate, adjust colors, and add shapes or text. When you are done, use File > Save or File > Export to save the edited version.

For Chromebook, you can open a screenshot in Google Photos or another image app from the Files app. Right-click the file and choose "Open with" to see available editors. Google Photos has basic cropping and filter tools. For more advanced editing, you can upload the file to a web-based editor like Pixlr or Photopea.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Print Screen and Snipping Tool on Windows?

Print Screen copies the entire screen to your clipboard in one keystroke, but the image exists only in memory until you paste it. Snipping Tool lets you select a specific area before capturing, and it saves the image as a file on your computer. Use Print Screen for speed; use Snipping Tool when you need only part of the screen.

Can I take a screenshot of just one window?

Yes. On Windows, press Alt + Print Screen to capture only the active window. On Mac, press Command + Shift + 4, then press the spacebar to switch to window mode, and click the window you want. On Chromebook, there is no single-window shortcut, but you can use Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows to draw a box around just the window.

Why does my Print Screen key not work?

On some laptops, Print Screen is combined with another key and requires you to hold Fn (Function) at the same time. Try Fn + Print Screen. If that does not work, check your keyboard settings in System Settings to see if the key has been remapped. You can also use the Snipping Tool instead, which works on all Windows computers.

How do I take a screenshot on a Mac without saving a file to the desktop?

Press Command + Control + Shift + 3 to copy the full screen to your clipboard instead of saving a file. Then paste it into any document or email with Command + V. For a partial screenshot, press Command + Control + Shift + 4, draw your selection, and it will copy to the clipboard instead of saving.

Can I change where Chromebook saves screenshots?

Chromebook always saves screenshots to the Downloads folder. You cannot change the default location, but you can move or copy the file to another folder after it is saved. Open Files, find the screenshot in Downloads, and drag it to a different folder or create a new folder to organize them.