How to Take a Screen Shot (Screen Capture)

Want to take a screenshot on a phone, tablet, desktop, or laptop computer? Capturing your screen is super easy, and you can do it without installing any special software! Whether you're using an HP, Chromebook, iPhone, Android, Mac, or virtually any other device, this wikiHow article will teach you the easiest ways to capture and save screenshots.

Method 1
Method 1 of 5:

Using Windows

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    Press ⊞ Win+PrintScreen to save the screenshot directly to a file. The "PrintScreen" button may be abbreviated (i.e "prt sc" or similar). This will save you from having to paste it into a separate app. The file will be located in the "Screenshots" folder inside your "Pictures" folder. If this folder does not exist, it will be created automatically.
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    Press Alt+⊞ Win+PrintScreen to take a screenshot of the active window only. The "PrintScreen" button may be abbreviated (i.e "prt sc" or similar). The active window is whichever window is displayed on top on your desktop display. It's also the app that's highlighted in the taskbar at the bottom. All apps running in the background will not be included in the screen capture image. Images will be saved to the "Capture" folder in the "Videos" folder.
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    Take a full-screen screenshot in Windows 7 or Vista. To do so, press the Print Screen button. It may be abbreviated (i.e "prt sc"). It is typically located in the top row of the keyboard towards the right side.. You may need to press the Function or Fn key if you're using a laptop.
    • The image will be copied to the clipboard. This means that the image data will need to be pasted in an image editing program such as Paint or Photoshop. To paste the image, press Ctrl + V.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 5:

Using Mac

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    Press press ⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+3 to take a full-screen screenshot. This takes a picture of the entire screen. The computer will make the sound of a camera shutter.
    • By default, screenshots will be saved to your desktop.
    • If you’d rather copy the screenshot to your clipboard instead of saving it to a file, press Command + Control + Shift + 3. Instead of saving the image as a jpeg file, the image data will be copied. You'll need to paste it in an image editor such Photoshop, GIMP or Preview.
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    Press ⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+4 to capture part of your display. The pointer will turn into a crosshair. Drag the crosshairs to create a box around the area of the screen you want to capture.
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    Press ⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+4+Spacebar to capture a specific window. The cursor will become a camera icon. Click the window in which you want a screenshot. When you click, the computer will make a "shutter" sound and the image will be saved to a file on your desktop.
  4. 4
    Press ⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+5 or use LaunchPad to open Screenshot. This method works for macOS Mojave 10.14 and later versions. Here you can choose to capture full screen, selected window, or selected portion freely. Moreover, You can press ⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+6 to capture the Touch Bar on Mac. The captured image will be saved on desktop in the PNG format by default.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 5:

Using Chromebook

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    Press Ctrl+Show Windows to screenshot the entire screen. This takes a screenshot of everything displayed on your screen. The "Show Windows" button is the button that has an icon that resembles a computer screen with two lines to the right. It's in the center of the top row of the keyboard.
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    Press ⇧ Shift+Ctrl+Show Windows to take a partial screenshot. The screen will darken slightly. Click and drag the mouse cursor over the area you want to take a screenshot of. Then press Enter or click Copy to Clipboard if you'd rather copy the screenshot. You can select more screenshot features from the toolbar. [1] [2]
    • The "Show Windows" button is the button that has an icon that resembles a computer screen with two lines to the right. It's in the center of the top row of the keyboard.
  3. Image titled Take a Screen Shot (Screen Capture) Step 9
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    Press the Power button and the Volume Down button to take a screenshot on a tablet. If your Chromebook is a tablet, you can take a screenshot of the entire screen by pressing the Power Button and Volume Down button at the same time.
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    Click the notification. A notification appears after you take a screenshot. Click it to view the screenshot. Alternatively, you can find your screenshots in the Files app.[3]
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Method 4
Method 4 of 5:

Using iPhone or iPad

  1. Image titled Take a Screen Shot (Screen Capture) Step 11
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    Go to the screen you want to capture. Find the image, picture, message, website, etc., of which you want to take a picture.
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    Press the button combination for your iPhone or iPad model. Each iPhone and iPad model has a specific combination of buttons you need to press at the same time to take a screenshot. The button combination varies from one iPhone model to another. The screen will flash indicating a screenshot has been taken. Use one of the following button combinations:[4] [5]
    • iPhone with Face ID: Press the Side button and the Volume Up button at the same time.
    • iPhone with a Home button: Press the Home button and the Side button or Wake/Sleep button at the same time. The Side button is on the right side of the phone. The Wake/Sleep button is on the top-right shoulder.
    • iPad without a Home button: Press the Top button and Volume Up button at the same time.
    • iPad with a Home button: Press the Home button and Top button at the same time.
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    Open the Photos app. It has an icon that resembles a colorful flower.
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    Tap Albums. It's in the lower-right corner.
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    Scroll down and tap the Screenshots album. The image you just captured will be the last image at the bottom of the album.
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Method 5
Method 5 of 5:

Using Android

  1. Image titled Take a Screen Shot (Screen Capture) Step 16
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    Go to the screen you want to capture. Find the image, picture, message, website, etc., of which you want to take a picture.
  2. Image titled Take a Screen Shot (Screen Capture) Step 17
    2
    Press the Power and Volume-Down buttons at the same time. The screen will flash to indicate the screenshot.
    • On Samsung Galaxy devices with a Home button, press the Power button and the Home button at the same time. You can also take a screenshot by swiping your hand from left to right on the screen.
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    Open the Gallery app. It generally has an icon that resembles a photograph. Tap the Gallery icon on your Home screen to open the Gallery.
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    Tap the Screenshots folder. This is the folder that all your screenshots are saved to.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    My lock butting on my Samsung is broken. Is there an alternative way of taking a screenshot without downloading an app?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Go to Settings > Motion & Gestures. There you will find an option to take screenshots by swiping the whole screen from left to right.
  • Question
    What can cause a phone to not capture a screen shot?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    If your phone's storage is full, it will not take a screenshot.
  • Question
    I have a Dell with Windows 7. How do I take a screenshot?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Click the PrtSc SysRq button.
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References

  1. ↑ https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/183101?hl=en
  2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKsmSwzuuBc
  3. ↑ https://www.google.com/intl/en_us/chromebook/howto/take-full-screenshots/
  4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/take-a-screenshot-or-screen-recording-iphc872c0115/ios
  5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210781

About This Article

Travis Boylls
Written by:
Travis Boylls
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Travis Boylls. Travis Boylls is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Travis has experience writing technology-related articles, providing software customer service, and in graphic design. He specializes in Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux platforms. He studied graphic design at Pikes Peak Community College. This article has been viewed 1,758,349 times.
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Co-authors: 31
Updated: March 1, 2023
Views: 1,758,349
Categories: Screenshots
Article SummaryX

To take a screenshot on Windows, press the “Window” and “PrintScreen” keys. When you want to access your screenshot, look in the Screenshots folder of your Pictures folder. Alternatively, to take a screenshot on a Mac, press the “Command,” “Shift” and “3” keys. After you hear a camera shutter, you’ll see a file labeled “Screen Shot” on your desktop. If you’re using an iPhone or iPad, press and hold the "Home" and "Sleep/Wake" buttons at the same time to take a screenshot. Find your screenshot in the Photos App under the sub-category “Screenshots.” To learn how to take a screenshot on an Android, keep reading!

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