Print screen is a key on PC keyboards that allows users to capture their current screen/activity. It can also be referred to as screen grab, screen capture, screen dump, or screencast. It is often abbreviated as prt scrn, print scrn, prt scn, prt scr, pr sc, prnt scrn or prt sc on PC keyboards.
How to print screen on Mac
There is no dedicated print screen button on Apple products. To carry out this function you have to simultaneously press certain keys on your keyboard.
How to print screen on macOS Sierra 10.12.2 and macOS High Sierra
- Press and hold command, 6, and shift keys at the same time.
- The picture is saved as a PNG file on the devices’ desktop.
- If you would like the picture to be saved on a clipboard instead, press and hold the command, shift, 4, and control keys.
How to take a picture of the entire screen on your Mac
- Press and hold the shift, 3 and command keys.
- A thumbnail will display at the corner of your screen. Click it if you would like to edit the image.
- The picture will be saved to desktop.
How to take a Screenshot of a Portion of the Screen on Mac
- Press and hold the command, shit, and 4 keys.
- Click and drag the crosshair to cover the area you would like to capture.
- If you would like to stop capturing press the ESC key.
- To change the position, size, or shape of the image, press the space bar or shift key.
- The image will be saved to your desktop as a .png file.
How to Capture a Window or Menu on Mac
- Open the window or menu you would like to capture.
- Press and hold the shift, space bar, 4, and command keys.
- The pointer would change to a camera icon.
- Click the window or menu you would like to snap. If you would like to exclude the window’s shadow from the picture, press and hold the option key while clicking on image.
- To edit the image, click the thumbnail that appears at the corner of your screen.
- Image would be saved on your desktop as an a.png file.
You can also use third-party apps like Monosnap, Skitch, and Snagit.
How to Print Screen on Windows pc
Most Windows pc have a dedicated print screen key, usually located at the upper right corner of the keyboard.
How to print screen in windows XP
- Press the print screen key on your keyboard to capture the entire screen.
- If you don’t want to capture the entire screen, select the window you would like to capture and then press and hold the ALT key along with the print screen button.
- Your computer will automatically save the image to the clipboard.
- To save image, in the accessories section in the start bar, select accessories and click on Paint.
- Press the control and the V keys or select past on the edit menu at the top of the page.
- Crop or edit image to your liking.
- When you’re done, click on the file icon at the top of the page.
- Select “save as” and choose the type of file you would like to save image.
How to Take Screen Shot in Windows 7
- To screenshot an active window, press the print screen and ALT keys.
- To save a screenshot on your pc, click the start button on your home page.
- Click on “all programs” and search for accessories.
- Under accessories, select Paint.
- Click the paste icon when the Paint starts.
- Click on the select icon to save just a part of the image.
- Edit image by using directing your cursor to select image.
- When you’re done selecting, right-click, and on the menu that appears select, crop.
- On the drop-down menu at the top of the page, select save as and pick your desired option.
How to Print Screen in Windows 8 and 10
- Select the window you would like to capture.
- Click on the windows and print screen keys simultaneously.
- Image automatically saves under the “screenshots” folder in your pictures.
How to take a Print Screen Using Windows Snip & Sketch tool
- Open the start bar and search for the tool by typing the letters or by going through the list of apps on the laptop. You can use the keyboard shortcut by pressing the Windows key + S + Shift keys.
- When it opens, select “new” on the top left corner of the page.
- Select the type of snip you want to create. You have to choose between rectangular, window, freeform, or full screen. Rectangular snip, which is the default snip type, allows you to take a rectangular image of the screen. Windows snip allows you to capture the window selected with the cursor. Freeform Snip allows you to take a picture of the screen in whatever shape or size you desire. Fullscreen snip lets you capture the entire screen.
How to take a Screenshot Using Windows Snipping Tool
This tool is no longer available on all Windows pc because of the release of the updated Snip and Sketch tool.
- To open the app, search for it on your desktop’s start bar.
- After it opens, click on the “new” button.
- Click the mode icon and select between rectangular, freeform, and full-screen snip.
For people who would like to make major changes to images, using external tools like Sharex and Greenshot would get the job done.
How to Take Screenshots on Chromebook
The keyboard on a Chromebook is quite different than that of Windows Pc and Mac. Some of the keys associated with certain functions on other devices might be missing on a Chromebook. Instead, there are customized keys that carry out these functions. To successfully take a screenshot on a Chromebook, you need to first identify the Show windows key. It is a rectangular shape with two lines on its right side. The Show Windows key is usually located on the top right of the keyboard first row.
- To capture the entire screen, press the control and Show Windows keys.
- Simultaneously press the control + show windows + shift keys to capture only a section of the screen.
- A crosshair icon would appear on the screen. Click and drag it until you have highlighted the section of the screen you would like to capture and then let go.
- The screenshot would automatically be saved in your downloads folder in your files app.