Windows and macOS give you a variety of ways to quickly capture anything you want, including keyboard shortcuts and built-in tools for capturing, annotating, and saving screenshots and screen recordings.
Most of the screenshot shortcuts in Windows 11 are the same as in Windows 10, but there are some lesser-known screen capture features that are unique to Windows 11, such as a tool for capturing a specific part of the screen instead of the entire desktop. MacOS has similar keyboard shortcut options as well as a native screenshot app.
How to use the Windows 11 print screen shortcut
Let's start with the most obvious method: the Print Screen key (truncated to "PrntScrn" on some keyboards), which is the keyboard's dedicated screenshot button.
Full-size keyboards usually have a dedicated Print Screen key, but smaller keyboards and laptops often have the Print Screen key somewhere else as a secondary function (usually on the F12 key), in which case you need to press " FN" key, and then press the "F12" key. Press the Print Screen key simultaneously.
There are several ways to use this key to take a screenshot, but these are the most common:
Press Windows Key + Print Screen Key to save whatever is currently on the screen as a PNG image in the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
Another standard screenshot technique in Windows is to simply press Print Screen (or FN + Print Screen ) to copy an image of the current desktop to the clipboard. After copying the screenshot, open any image-editing or word-processing application that supports images and paste it ( right-click > Paste , or press Ctrl + V ), then save the document.
Press Alt + Print Screen to copy a screenshot of the window or application you are working in to your clipboard. Before pressing the shortcut, make sure you click on the application or folder window you want to capture. Remember to paste and save the screenshot into another program.
If your keyboard doesn't have a Print Screen key at all, the Windows key + FN + Space shortcut will also copy the screenshot to the clipboard.
How to Use Windows 11 Screenshots and Snipping and Sketching Tools
In addition to the default Print Screen shortcut, Windows 11 has two built-in apps that let you click and drag to select a specific area to take a screenshot: Screenshot and Snip & Sketch .
Technically, the two apps can be integrated with each other; you can use "Snip & Sketch" to make screenshots, and then use the "Snipping Tool" to crop, edit or draw the selection and save it directly as an image . The Snipping Tool menu also includes a capture delay, so you can schedule your screenshot to take three, five, or 10 seconds later.
The easiest way to get started is to search for "Snipping Tool" in the Start menu and open it from the search results.
Alternatively, you can change the print key function to open the snipping tool instead of taking a screenshot. This is done in the Windows 11 Settings menu:
Go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard.
Enable "Open screenshot using print screen button".
Close the Settings menu and press "Print Screen" to open the snipping tool.
Here's how to take a screenshot after opening the tool:
Click New from the Snipping Tool pop-up menu or press Windows Key + Shift + S to start a new capture using Snip & Sketch. You can also set a capture delay if needed.
A small menu will appear at the top of the screen, and your desktop will dim slightly.
The menu includes four icons that change the shape of your snippet: the first icon on the left is a rectangular selection, the second is a "free-form" selection, and the third captures the currently selected application or folder window ( Such as Alt + Print Screen), the rightmost icon is full screen capture (such as Print Screen key or Windows key + Print Screen).
Click the selection type you want, then click and drag to select the part of the screen you want to save as a screenshot.
The image will open in the Snipping Tools menu. There will be multiple editing options including the pen tool, image cropping, and other adjustments you can use as needed.
Click the Save icon to save the image to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
You can also use Snip & Sketch without using the Snipping Tool (I know, it's confusing):
When you're not using the Snipping Tool, press Windows Key + Shift + S to open Sketch & Snip. This skips the Snipping Tool menu for setting the delay timer and goes directly to the screen capture menu.
After you take a screenshot, it will be copied to your clipboard so you can paste it and save it elsewhere.
You can also click the pop-up notification to open the screenshot in the snipping tool so you can edit and save it as an image.
How to take screenshots using the Xbox Game Bar in Windows 11
The last way we'll cover taking screenshots in Windows 11 is by using the Xbox Game Bar. The Xbox Game Bar comes pre-installed on Windows 10 and 11 and features a variety of tools such as a mixer, Xbox social menu, and screen capture tool, which is great for recording gameplay videos or screenshots, but you can also use it to take screenshots Anything shown on the screen.
Press Windows Key + G to open the Xbox Game Bar overlay.
Find the Capture window (located in the upper left corner by default) and click on the camera icon to take a screenshot. You can also press the keyboard shortcut Windows key + Alt + Print Screen to take a screenshot.
Xbox Game Bar screenshots are saved in the Windows 11 Videos folder under Video > Capture.
Taking a screenshot using the Xbox Game Bar is functionally the same as taking a screenshot using the Print Screen shortcut or the Snipping Tool, but it's a worthwhile backup option. Since Xbox Game Bar screenshots are saved to different folders, it can be helpful to organize certain screenshots, such as game images, into their own separate directory.
How to take a screenshot on macOS
There are several ways to take a screenshot on macOS:
To capture the entire screen, hold down Shift + Command + 3 .
To capture a portion of the screen, hold down Shift + Command + 4 . Drag the crosshair icon to include the area you want to capture, then release your mouse or trackpad. If you need to move the selected area before capturing, hold down the space bar and drag. You can also press Esc to cancel the selection.
To capture a window or menu, hold down Shift + Command + 4 and then press Space . The crosshairs that appear change to the camera icon and click on the window you want to capture.
In macOS Mojave and later, you can also open the Screenshot app by holding down Shift + Command + 5 . This allows you to capture or record the entire or partial screen as well as take screenshots of specific windows or menus.
Screenshots on macOS save to the desktop by default, but you can change their location using the Screenshots app under the Options menu.
