The fastest way: Press Print Screen or Windows Key + Shift + S

On most PCs, the simplest method is to press the Print Screen key (often labeled PrtScn or PrtSc) on your keyboard. This copies an image of your entire screen to your clipboard — you won't see anything happen, but the image is there. Open any program that accepts images (Notepad, Word, Paint, an email), right-click, and select Paste to insert it.

If you want to capture only part of your screen, press Windows Key + Shift + S instead. Your screen will dim slightly and your cursor will change to a crosshair. Click and drag to draw a box around the area you want to capture. When you release, that portion is copied to your clipboard and a small notification appears in the bottom right corner.

Both methods copy to your clipboard, which means the image stays there until you copy something else. If you want to save it as a file right away, use the Snipping Tool or Screenshot app instead.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Print Screen to copy your entire screen, or Windows Key + Shift + S to select just the part you want.
  • Screenshots go to your clipboard first — paste them into any document, email, or image editor to use them.
  • The Snipping Tool (Windows 10 and earlier) and Screenshot app (Windows 11) let you save screenshots as files automatically.
  • The Windows Key + Shift + S method shows a notification in the bottom right where you can click to edit or save the image when ready.
  • Alt + Print Screen captures only your active window instead of the whole screen.

Using the Snipping Tool to save directly to a file

The Snipping Tool is built into Windows and gives you more control than Print Screen alone. Search for "Snipping Tool" in your Start menu and open it. You'll see a window with a "New" button at the top. Click it, and your screen will dim with a crosshair cursor — drag to select the area you want to capture.

Once you release, the screenshot appears in the Snipping Tool window. From there you can annotate it with a pen or highlighter, crop it, or erase parts. When you're done, go to File > Save As to save it as a PNG, JPG, or GIF file to your computer. You can choose exactly where to save it and what to name it.

On Windows 11, Microsoft replaced the Snipping Tool with the Screenshot app, which works the same way but with a slightly different interface. Search for "Screenshot" in your Start menu to find it.

Capturing only your active window

If you have multiple windows open and want to capture only the one you're currently using, press Alt + Print Screen. This copies just that window to your clipboard — the background and other open programs won't be included. Paste it the same way you would a full-screen screenshot.

This is useful when you're taking a screenshot of an error message, a single process, or a document, and you don't want to crop out the rest of your desktop afterward.

Finding your screenshots in File Explorer

If you use Windows Key + Shift + S and click the notification that appears, your screenshot is saved to a folder automatically. By default, screenshots go to your Pictures folder under a subfolder called Screenshots. Open File Explorer, navigate to Pictures, and look for the Screenshots folder.

You can also change where screenshots are saved. In the Screenshot app or Snipping Tool, look for Settings to choose a different location. Some people prefer to save them to their Desktop or Documents folder instead, depending on how they organize their files.

Pasting screenshots into documents and emails

Once you've copied a screenshot to your clipboard using Print Screen or Windows Key + Shift + S, you can paste it into almost any program. In Microsoft Word, right-click where you want the image and select Paste. In Gmail or Outlook, click the attachment or image button and paste. In Paint, go to Edit > Paste.

The image will appear at full size, so you may need to resize it to fit your document. In Word, click the image and drag the corners to make it smaller. In email, the image usually resizes automatically to fit the message width.

Using Game Bar for screenshots while gaming

If you're playing a game on your PC, the Game Bar (built into Windows 10 and 11) lets you take screenshots without pausing. Press Windows Key + Alt + Print Screen to capture the game window. The screenshot is saved automatically to your Videos folder under a subfolder called Captures.

You can also open Game Bar itself by pressing Windows Key + G while a game is running. A small menu appears where you can click the camera icon to take a screenshot or the record button to start recording video. This method is faster than minimizing the game to use the Snipping Tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between Print Screen and Windows Key + Shift + S?

Print Screen captures your entire screen and copies it to your clipboard — you have to paste it somewhere. Windows Key + Shift + S lets you select just the area you want, shows a notification when done, and gives you the option to edit or save when ready. Use Print Screen for speed, and Windows Key + Shift + S when you need to capture only part of your screen.

Where do my screenshots go when I press Print Screen?

They go to your clipboard, which is temporary storage. You must paste them into a document, email, or image editor to see them. If you want screenshots saved as files automatically, use the Snipping Tool, Screenshot app, or Windows Key + Shift + S instead.

Can I take a screenshot of just one window?

Yes. Press Alt + Print Screen to copy only the active window to your clipboard, then paste it where you need it. Or use the Snipping Tool and manually select just the window you want.

How do I edit a screenshot after I take it?

If you use Windows Key + Shift + S, click the notification that appears to open the image in the Screenshot app, where you can crop, annotate, or erase parts before saving. If you use the Snipping Tool, the image opens in that program automatically and you can edit it there. For more advanced editing, paste the screenshot into Paint or another image editor.

Why isn't my Print Screen key working?

On some keyboards, Print Screen shares a key with another function and requires you to hold Fn (Function) at the same time. Try Fn + Print Screen. If that doesn't work, use Windows Key + Shift + S instead, which works on all Windows PCs. If neither works, your keyboard may need new drivers — search for "Device Manager" in your Start menu, find your keyboard, right-click it, and select "Update driver".