How to screen capture on Windows

Short answer: For a still, press Windows + Shift + S. For video, press Windows + Alt + R to start Xbox Game Bar recording of the active window, which saves an MP4 into Videos\Captures.

Last verified: 2026-08-01

Still capture

1Press Windows + Shift + SThe Windows screen dims and a small capture bar appears at the top of the display.
2Choose a capture modeRectangular snip, free-form snip, window snip or full-screen snip. Window snip is the cleanest way to capture a single application.
3Select the areaDrag across the region, or click the window you want. The capture is copied to the clipboard immediately.
4Open the editorClick the notification in the corner to open Snipping Tool, where you can crop, annotate and undo.
5Save the filePress Ctrl + S and choose PNG for interface screenshots or JPG when file size matters.

Video capture with Xbox Game Bar

1Focus the window you want to recordGame Bar records one application, not the whole desktop.
2Press Windows + Alt + RA small recording indicator appears.
3Stop with the same shortcutThe MP4 lands in Videos \ Captures.

Windows screenshot keyboard shortcuts

These shortcuts are part of Windows itself and work in File Explorer, Chrome and any desktop application.

Shortcut	What it does	Availability
Windows + Shift + S	Open the snipping overlay: rectangular, free-form, window or full-screen snip. Result goes to the clipboard.	Windows 10 & 11
Print Screen	Copy the whole screen to the clipboard. On Windows 11 this can be set to open the snipping overlay instead.	Windows 10 & 11
Alt + Print Screen	Copy only the active window to the clipboard.	Windows 10 & 11
Windows + Print Screen	Save the whole screen straight to Pictures\Screenshots as a PNG file.	Windows 10 & 11
Windows + Alt + Print Screen	Save the active window as a PNG through Xbox Game Bar, into Videos\Captures.	Windows 10 & 11
Windows + G	Open Xbox Game Bar, which includes a capture widget for stills and screen recording.	Windows 10 & 11
Fn + Print Screen	On many Windows laptops the Print Screen key is shared with another function and needs the Fn key.	Windows laptops

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