Taking screenshots in Windows 11 is simple and offers multiple methods depending on your needs. Here are 7 easy ways to capture screenshots:
1. Print Screen (PrtScn) – Full Screen
- Press the PrtScn key (usually on the top-right of the keyboard).
- The screenshot is copied to the clipboard (not saved automatically).
- Paste (Ctrl + V) into an app like Paint, Word, or Discord.
2. Windows + Print Screen – Save Instantly
- Press Win + PrtScn.
- The screen dims briefly, and the screenshot is saved automatically in:
Pictures > Screenshotsfolder.
3. Alt + Print Screen – Active Window Only
- Press Alt + PrtScn to capture only the active window.
- The image is copied to the clipboard (paste it into an app).
4. Snipping Tool (Advanced Screenshots)
- Open Snipping Tool (press Win + Shift + S or search for it).
- Choose from:
- Rectangular Snip (drag to select an area)
- Freeform Snip (draw any shape)
- Window Snip (capture a specific window)
- Fullscreen Snip (entire screen)
- The screenshot is copied to the clipboard and can be edited in the Snipping Tool app.
5. Snip & Sketch (Win + Shift + S)
- Press Win + Shift + S to open the snipping bar (same as the Snipping Tool).
- Select a snip type (rectangular, freeform, etc.).
- The screenshot is copied to the clipboard and opens in the Snip & Sketch editor.
6. Game Bar (Win + Alt + PrtScn) – For Gamers
- Press Win + G to open the Xbox Game Bar.
- Click the Camera icon or press Win + Alt + PrtScn.
- Screenshots are saved in:
Videos > Capturesfolder.
7. Windows + Volume Down (Surface Devices)
- On Surface tablets or 2-in-1 devices:
- Press Windows + Volume Down to capture the screen.
- The screenshot is saved in the
Pictures > Screenshotsfolder.
Bonus: Third-Party Tools
- Lightshot (Quick editing & sharing)
- Greenshot (Advanced annotations)
- ShareX (Screen recording + screenshots)
Choose the method that fits your workflow! 🚀 Which one do you prefer?
Microsoft Windows has long had numerous options for taking screenshots, also known as screencaps or screen grabs—perhaps too many. Windows 11 simplifies the situation. Recent updates to the OS have added nifty new tools that let you take screenshots more easily, record video of your screen activity, and run optical character recognition (OCR) on images. Here are seven ways to take a screenshot in Windows 11.
Microsoft Windows has long had numerous options for taking screenshots, also known as screencaps or screen grabs—perhaps too many. Windows 11 simplifies the situation. Recent updates to the OS have added nifty new tools that let you take screenshots more easily, record video of your screen activity, and run optical character recognition (OCR) on images. Here are seven ways to take a screenshot in Windows 11.
An advantage of this method (and the next) is that it doesn’t affect the app displaying on your screen the way using a keyboard-combination shortcut sometimes does. For example, sometimes a menu dropdown disappears if you use a shortcut instead.
If you want to capture only the active window and not the full desktop image, add the Alt key for Alt-PrtScn. Using this keyboard shortcut saves the current window to the clipboard, and from there, you can paste it into an image editing application. In Windows 11, the result can be a little strange because the rounded window corners are extended to squared-off corners (image files are always rectangular).
In Windows 11, the Print Screen key now opens the Snipping Tool (see below) by default. To return to the behavior described above, go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and switch off the setting “Use the Print screen key to open screen capture.”
