Press the Screen Capture key to open the on-screen overlay tool, allowing you to choose between full-screen, partial, or window captures. 2. The Traditional Shortcut: Ctrl + Show Windows
If you are trying the steps above on your new machine and nothing is happening, check these common settings:
Press all three keys at once to take a picture of your entire screen. You will hear a camera click sound, and a thumbnail will appear in the corner. 2. Selected Portion:
The screen will dim, and a toolbar will appear at the top, allowing you to select a rectangular area, freeform area, window, or full screen. how to print screen on laptop new
Want a clean shot of just your browser or document without cropping?
Stop pasting screenshots into Paint. That is ancient history.
: It copies to your clipboard automatically. Click the pop-up notification to save or edit it. 2. The Direct Save: Windows + Print Screen Action : Press the Windows Key + Print Screen (PrtScn) key. Result : The screen dims briefly to confirm the capture. Press the Screen Capture key to open the
| Shortcut | Functionality | What Happens Afterwards? | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Captures the entire screen. | The image saves directly to your desktop by default. | | Cmd + Shift + 4 | Turns your cursor into a crosshair. | The image saves directly to your desktop. Press Spacebar after this shortcut to capture a specific window. The pointer turns into a camera icon. | | Cmd + Shift + 5 | Opens the interactive Screenshot Toolbar. | Allows you to capture the entire screen, a selected window, or a selected portion. Also starts screen recordings. You can set a timer or choose a save location. | | Cmd + Shift + 6 | Captures the Touch Bar (on older MacBook Pro models). | The image saves directly to your desktop. | | Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + 4 | Captures a selected area of the screen. | Saves the screenshot to your clipboard instead of the desktop, ready for pasting. |
: Press Windows Key + PrtSc . Your screen will briefly dim, and the file is automatically saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
How to Print Screen on a Laptop (Windows 11 & 10): 6 Easy Ways (2026 Guide) You will hear a camera click sound, and
Go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and turn on the "Print Screen shortcut" toggle. This changes your PrtSc button to open the Snipping Tool instead of the old clipboard method.
Very new Windows 11 versions (2024–2025) may map PrtScn to directly. To change this back: