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How to Take a Screenshot: Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android

Tap a device to see exactly how to capture your screen.

Windows β€” Full Screen: PrtSc

Captures the entire screen and copies it to the clipboard. Paste it into Paint or another image editor to save it as a file.

Windows β€” Select an Area: Win + Shift + S

Opens the Snipping tool so you can freely drag-select just the area you want to capture.

Windows β€” Active Window: Alt + PrtSc

Captures only the currently focused window, rather than the whole screen.

Mac β€” Full Screen: Cmd + Shift + 3

Captures the entire screen and saves it directly as an image file on your desktop.

Mac β€” Select an Area: Cmd + Shift + 4

Turns your cursor into a crosshair so you can drag-select exactly the area you want to capture.

Mac β€” A Specific Window: Cmd + Shift + 4, then Space

After pressing the shortcut, tap Space and then click any window to capture just that window, with a clean drop-shadow edge included.

iPhone: Side Button + Volume Up

Press the side button and the volume-up button at the same time to capture the screen; the screenshot appears in the bottom corner briefly before saving to Photos.

Android: Power Button + Volume Down

Press the power button and the volume-down button at the same time to capture the screen. The exact button combination can vary slightly by manufacturer.

Every device does it a little differently

Switching to a new computer or phone often leaves people fumbling to remember how to take a screenshot. Learning the basic combination for your device means you can capture whatever you need in an instant, no matter what you are using.

Screenshots are only half the workflow

Once you have captured a screenshot, most operating systems let you annotate it immediately β€” drawing arrows, boxes, or text β€” right from the preview that pops up after capture, on both Windows's Snipping Tool and Mac's screenshot preview.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do screenshots get saved on Windows?

Pressing PrtSc alone only copies the image to the clipboard without saving a file, and even a Win+Shift+S capture is copied to the clipboard first β€” you need to click the notification that pops up afterward to save it as a file.

Can I draw or mark up a screenshot right after taking it?

Yes. Both the Windows Snipping Tool and the Mac screenshot preview let you use pen, highlighter, or arrow markup tools directly from the preview window that appears right after capture.