What screen capture means and why you'd use it

Screen capture means taking a picture or recording of what you see on your monitor right now. You can grab a still image of a single window, a portion of the screen, or everything displayed. You can also record video of your screen as it moves and changes — useful for showing someone how to do something, documenting a problem, or saving information before it disappears.

Most people use screen capture to share an error message with tech support, save a receipt or confirmation number, show a coworker how to navigate software, or record a tutorial. The tools are built into Windows and Mac, so you do not need to buy anything.

Key Takeaways

  • Windows has a built-in tool called Snipping Tool for still images and Xbox Game Bar for video recording, both free and already on your computer.
  • Mac users can press Shift + Command + 5 to open the screenshot menu, which lets you capture a window, portion, or the whole screen, or record video.
  • The simplest method on either system is the Print Screen key (Windows) or Command + Shift + 3 (Mac), which saves an image to your clipboard or desktop automatically.
  • For recording video of your screen, use Xbox Game Bar on Windows or the built-in screenshot tool on Mac — no separate software needed.
  • After you capture, you can edit, crop, or annotate the image in Paint, Preview, or the capture tool itself before saving or sharing.

Screen capture on Windows using Snipping Tool

The easiest way to grab a still image on Windows is Snipping Tool, which is already installed. Press the Windows key, type "Snipping Tool," and open it. You will see a window with a "New" button at the top.

Click "New" and your screen will dim slightly. Now drag your cursor to draw a rectangle around the area you want to capture. When you release the mouse, the captured area opens in the Snipping Tool editor. From there you can crop it further, draw on it with a pen or highlighter, or erase parts. Click "Save As" to save it as a PNG, JPG, or GIF file to your computer, or click "Copy" to paste it directly into an email or document.

If you want to capture the entire screen at once without dragging, use the keyboard shortcut: press Windows key + Shift + S. Your screen dims, and you can click and drag to select the area, or click one of the four icons at the top to choose "Fullscreen," "Window," "Rectangular Snip," or "Freeform Snip." The image goes to your clipboard, ready to paste.

Screen capture on Mac using the screenshot menu

On Mac, press Shift + Command + 5 to open the screenshot menu. You will see a toolbar at the bottom of your screen with five icons: the first captures a window, the second captures a selected portion, the third captures the entire screen, the fourth records a selected portion, and the fifth records the entire screen.

For a still image, click the icon you want, then click the area of the screen you wish to capture (or just click "Capture" if you chose fullscreen). The image appears as a thumbnail in the bottom right corner of your screen. Click the thumbnail to edit it — you can crop, draw, magnify, or add text. Click "Done" to save it, or drag the thumbnail to an email or document to paste it directly.

If you do not want to use the menu, the older shortcuts still work: Command + Shift + 3 captures the entire screen, and Command + Shift + 4 lets you drag to select a portion. Both save directly to your desktop as PNG files.

Recording video of your screen on Windows

To record video on Windows, use Xbox Game Bar, which is built in. Press Windows key + G to open it. You will see a small menu appear; look for the "Capture" widget, which shows a circle icon. Click the red circle to start recording.

Your screen will record everything you do — mouse movements, typing, window changes, and audio from your speakers or microphone if you have them turned on. A small timer appears on screen showing how long you have been recording. When you are done, press Windows key + G again and click the red square to stop. The video saves automatically to your Videos folder in a subfolder called "Captures."

If the Capture widget does not appear, click the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the Xbox Game Bar window and look for "Captures" in the left sidebar. You can also adjust settings there — turn microphone audio on or off, choose video quality, and see all your past recordings.

Recording video of your screen on Mac

On Mac, use the same Shift + Command + 5 menu you use for still images. Click the fifth icon (the one on the far right) to record your entire screen, or the fourth icon to record just a selected portion. A red "Record" button appears; click it to start. Your screen records everything until you click the "Stop" button that appears in the menu bar at the top.

The video saves to your desktop as an MOV file by default. You can change where it saves by clicking "Options" in the screenshot menu and choosing a different location. You can also choose whether to include mouse clicks and microphone audio in the recording.

Editing and saving your captures

After you capture an image, you can edit it before saving. On Windows, Snipping Tool has a built-in editor — use the pen, highlighter, and eraser tools to mark up the image, then save. You can also open any captured image in Paint (search for it in the Windows menu) to crop, resize, or add text.

On Mac, click the thumbnail that appears after you capture to open the editing panel. You can crop, rotate, draw with the pen tool, add text, magnify, or sign with your trackpad. Click "Done" when finished.

For video files, both Windows and Mac can play them in the default video player. If you want to edit a video — trim the beginning or end, add captions, or cut out sections — you will need video editing software. Windows includes a basic editor called Photos (search for it in the Windows menu); Mac includes iMovie in the Applications folder. Both are free.

Sharing your captures without saving to disk

You do not always need to save a capture as a file. Most capture tools copy the image to your clipboard — the temporary storage your computer uses when you copy and paste. Once an image is in your clipboard, you can paste it directly into an email, document, or messaging app by pressing Ctrl + V (Windows) or Command + V (Mac).

This is faster than saving a file, uploading it, and then sending a link. Just capture, paste into your email or chat, and send. The image stays in your clipboard until you copy something else, so you can paste it multiple times if you need to send it to several people.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between capturing a window and capturing a portion?

Capturing a window grabs one open process window and its borders, automatically stopping at the window edge. Capturing a portion lets you draw a rectangle around any area you choose, which can include parts of multiple windows or just a small section of one. Use window capture when you want a whole process; use portion capture when you want to focus on specific information.

Can I capture something that is not currently visible on my screen?

No. Screen capture tools can only grab what is displayed on your monitor right now. If you need to capture something in a document or webpage that is scrolled out of view, scroll to it first, then capture. For long documents, you may need to take multiple captures and piece them together, or use a browser extension designed for capturing full-page screenshots.

Where do my screen captures go after I take them?

On Windows, Snipping Tool lets you choose where to save before you click "Save As." If you use the Print Screen shortcut, the image goes to your clipboard only — you must paste it somewhere to save it. On Mac, screenshots go to your desktop by default, but you can change the location in the Options menu. Video recordings go to your Videos folder on both systems.

Can I record my screen with audio from a specific process?

On Windows, Xbox Game Bar records system audio (sound from your speakers) and microphone audio if you turn them on in settings, but you cannot select a single process. On Mac, the screenshot tool records system audio and microphone audio the same way. If you need to record audio from one specific program, you may need third-party software designed for that purpose.

What file format should I use when saving a screen capture?

PNG is the best choice for most screen captures because it preserves sharp text and does not lose quality. JPG works if file size matters and you do not mind slightly softer edges. GIF is useful only if you are capturing something with animation. For video, MOV (Mac) and MP4 (Windows, if you convert it) are standard formats that play on most devices and software.