A screenshot, or the Print Screen function, is used to capture the display currently on your monitor. Most computers allow you to capture the image on the screen fairly easily. This tutorial will walk you through how to take a screenshot on Windows, macOS, and UNIX/Linux computers, as well as on your iPhone, iPad, and Android phone.
Take a Screenshot on Windows
On
Windows, the command key used to perform the function is usually found in the upper-righthand corner of the keyboard and is called some variation of
Print Screen. Once the display that you want to capture is on your screen, press this key once. This will take a screenshot of the entire screen.
Open the graphic editing program of your choice (like Paint, for example), and, either using the command [
Ctrl] + [
V], or the program's manual options, paste the image in the provided space. You can, then, edit it to your liking or simply save it.
Screenhsot of the Entire Desktop
The easiest way to take screenshots is with the
Print Screen key. Press
Print Screen to capture an image of your entire screen to the clipboard. Next, open an image editor, such as
Paint , and press [
CTRL] + [
V] to retrieve (paste) the captured image from the clipboard. Click
File >
Save As to save the screenshot:
Take Quick Screenshots
Use [
Windows key] + [
Print Screen] to capture a quick screenshot of your entire screen. This key combo will instantly create a file for each of your screenshots in
C:\Users\Username\Pictures\Screenshots.
In a Specific App Window
Click the title bar of the desired app, which will bring the app to the front, and press [
Alt] + [
Print Screen] to capture the active window. Use a program, such as
Paint, to retrieve the screenshot from the clipboard.
In a Specific Area of Your Screen
Windows 10 features a built-in screen capture utility called the
Snipping Tool. Right-click on
Start >
Run. Type
snippingtool
, and click
OK to open the
Snipping Tool:
Click
New, then drag your cursor over the area of your screen you want to capture. Edit and save the screenshot.
With the Xbox App
The Xbox app that comes pre-installed in Windows 10 allows you to take screenshots and record video clips of your favorite apps and games.
Open the Xbox app, then minimize it, allowing it to run in the background. Next, open the desired app, press [
Windows key] + [
G] to open the Xbox app
Game Bar, then click
Yes, this is a game to add the app to your game list. (Don’t worry, you only have to perform this operation once.)
Use the
Camera button in the
Game Bar, or press [
Windows key] + [
Alt] + [
Print Screen], to capture screenshots:
You can view your screenshots directly in the Xbox app (
Game DVR >
This PC) or by going to
C:\Users\Username\Videos\Captures.
On a Windows 10 Tablet/Touch Screen Device
Use the command [
Windows key] + [
Volume Down] to capture your screenshots.
Take a Screenshot on iPhone/iPad
To take a screenshot on iOS devices, you simply need to press the
power button at the same time as the
home button. You can find your screenshot in your Camera Roll.
Take a Screenshot on Android
The process to create a screenshot on Android depends on the version that you have. For Android 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2, you need to push the
power button and the
volume down button at the same time. Your image will be saved in your gallery.
For Android 2.2 (Fro-Yo), you need to simultaneously press the
back button and the
power button.
For Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), you need to press the
home button and the
power button.
For Android 3 (Honeycomb), you will need to root the device.
Take a Screenshot on a Samsung Galaxy
If you are using a
Galaxy S5, there's an additional method. Head to
Settings, select
Motions and gestures, select
Capture screen, and enable the
Capture screen feature.
You will, now, be able to take screenshots by swiping your finger over the screen from one side to the other. The screenshots are automatically saved in the
Screenshots folder of your photo album.
Take a Screenshot on a Samsung Note
If you're using a Note, press the
S-Pen stylus button, and a small circular menu will be displayed on your screen. Tap
Screen write to take a screenshot of your current screen:
Take a Screenshot on Nexus
If you are using a Nexus 7 and 9, simultaneously press the
ON/OFF and
volume buttons to take a screenshot.
Take a Screenshot on Mac
On
macOS, you can take a screenshot of your entire screen or just a portion of it.
To capture the entire screen, press [
⌘] + [
Shift] + [
3]. The captured image will be saved to your desktop.
To capture a selected portion of your screen, first press [
⌘] + [
Shift] + [
4]. Upon releasing the keys, your mouse cursor should change into a
+ symbol. You can, now, use the tool to choose what you want to capture by clicking and dragging to create a box around the desired section of the screen. The captured image will be saved to your desktop.
You can, now, make all the desired changes in your graphic editing program (like
Preview, for example), including cropping, size and color changes, text and graphics additions, etc.
Take a Screenshot on Linux
For
Linux/
UNIX, pressing the
Print Screen key will capture the whole screen, while using the command [
Print Screen] + [
Alt] will capture the section of the screen where the mouse is pointing. This will be followed by the appearance of a
Save Screenshot dialogue.
Screen Capture Software
There are also quick and effective programs that allow you to capture your screen and edit the resulting image. The biggest advantage of using these is that they make it easy to perform screen captures that require scrolling down.
Some of the best ones are
Snagit,
TinyTake, and Apowersoft's Free Online Screen Capture.
Image: © onston - 123RF.com