How to Take a Screenshot on Any Device

Grabbing a screenshot is the quickest way to save a receipt, show an error message to tech support or keep a recipe you found online. Every major device has a built-in method, and once you learn the shortcut for yours it takes about a second. Here is how to do it on computers, phones and tablets.

On a Windows PC

Windows gives you several options depending on how much of the screen you want to capture.

1. Press Windows key + Shift + S to open the snipping toolbar. Choose a rectangle, a freeform shape, a single window or the full screen.
2. Drag across the area you want. The capture is copied to your clipboard, and a notification appears that lets you open it for editing.
3. Paste it straight into an email or document with Ctrl + V, or click the notification to annotate the image and save it as a file.

The Print Screen key, often labelled PrtScn, also works. On many setups it opens the same snipping tool; on others it copies the whole screen to the clipboard. Pressing Windows key + Print Screen saves a full-screen image directly into a Screenshots folder inside Pictures.

On a Mac

• Command + Shift + 3 captures the entire screen.
• Command + Shift + 4 turns the pointer into crosshairs so you can drag to select an area. Press the Space bar after this shortcut to capture a single window instead.
• Command + Shift + 5 opens a small control panel with every capture option, a timer and a setting for where screenshots are saved.

By default, Mac screenshots land on the desktop. Hold the Control key along with any of these shortcuts to copy the image to the clipboard instead of saving a file.

On an iPhone or iPad

1. On models with Face ID, press the side button and the volume up button at the same time, then release them quickly.
2. On models with a Home button, press the Home button together with the side or top button.
3. A thumbnail appears in the corner. Tap it to crop, mark up or share, or swipe it away to save it to your Photos app.

On an Android Phone or Tablet

On most Android devices, press the power button and volume down together for a moment. The screen flashes and a preview pops up with options to edit, share or capture more of a long page, sometimes called a scrolling capture. Many manufacturers add extra gestures, such as swiping across the screen with the side of your hand or tapping the back of the phone. Look in the gestures or screenshot section of your settings to see what yours supports.

Handy Screenshot Tips

• Crop out anything private, such as account numbers or incoming notifications, before you share an image.
• Use the markup tools to circle or highlight the exact part you want someone to notice.
• Delete old screenshots now and then, because they quietly eat up storage.
• If a shortcut does nothing, a keyboard utility or a work device policy may have disabled it, so open the built-in capture app instead.