Screenshots on a Windows laptop

Laptop keyboards and the Print Screen key

• Compact keyboards label the key PrtScn, PrtSc, Print Sc or simply a small camera icon.
• If the key is printed in a secondary colour, hold Fn while pressing it.
• Some laptops have an Fn Lock (often Fn + Esc) that flips the behaviour permanently.
• If the key is missing entirely, use Windows + Shift + S or the on-screen keyboard (Windows + Ctrl + O).

Laptop capture step by step

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

Troubleshooting when the screenshot does not work

• Nothing happens on Print Screen: on a Windows laptop the key may be shared with a function key. Try Fn + Print Screen or Fn + Windows + Print Screen.
• Windows + Shift + S does nothing: check Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, and make sure the Snipping Tool app is installed and updated from the Microsoft Store.
• The screen does not dim: another application may have taken the hotkey. Close capture tools running in the notification area and try again.
• Screenshots are black: this usually means hardware-protected content, such as a DRM video player. Capture the window with a different tool or disable hardware acceleration in that application.
• The file never appears: Windows + Print Screen writes to Pictures\Screenshots. If OneDrive is managing your Pictures folder, look inside OneDrive \ Pictures \ Screenshots.

Recommended Windows software

Frequently asked questions

My laptop has no Print Screen key. What now?

Press Windows + Shift + S, or open Snipping Tool from the Start menu. Neither requires the key.