There’s no single “right” way to take a screenshot —it depends on what you need: the whole screen, just one window, or a custom-selected area—and the wrong Print Screen habit wastes more time than it saves. Here’s every method that actually works, including what to do when your laptop’s keyboard doesn’t even have a dedicated Print Screen key (very common on Dell, HP, and Lenovo laptops).
Quick answer: On Windows, press Windows + Shift + S to open the snipping toolbar, select the area you want, and it’s copied to your clipboard ready to paste — this works on every laptop keyboard, no Fn key needed. On a MacBook, press Command + Shift + 4, drag to select an area, and it’s saved straight to your desktop.
Table of Contents
- The Fastest Method: Windows + Shift + S
- All Screenshot Methods on Windows 11
- Taking Screenshots on Windows 10
- No Print Screen Key? Here’s What to Do (Dell, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba)
- How to Take a Screenshot on a MacBook
- Where Do Your Screenshots Get Saved?
- Editing and Annotating a Screenshot
- Quick Reference Table
- FAQs
The Fastest Method: Windows + Shift + S
If you remember only one shortcut, make it this one. Windows + Shift + S works identically on every Windows laptop — Dell, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba, Asus — regardless of how the keyboard is laid out, because it doesn’t involve the Print Screen key at all.
- Have whatever you want to capture visible on screen.
- Press Windows + Shift + S.
- Your screen dims slightly, and a small toolbar appears at the top with four options: Rectangle, Freeform, Window, and Fullscreen.
- Pick a mode and drag to select (or click a window/the full screen).
- The image is copied to your clipboard immediately, and a notification pops up in the corner — click it to open the capture in Snipping Tool for cropping, annotating, or saving as a file. If you ignore the notification, the screenshot still sits on your clipboard, ready to paste with Ctrl + V.
All Screenshot Methods on Windows 11
Windows 11 gives you several ways to do the same job — which one is “best” just depends on whether you want a quick clipboard copy or an automatically saved file.
- PrtScn (Print Screen) alone — captures the whole screen to the clipboard only. You then need to open Paint (or any app that accepts pasted images) and press Ctrl + V, then save manually.
- Windows + PrtScn — captures the whole screen and automatically saves it as a file in Pictures > Screenshots, with no manual saving needed. The screen briefly flashes to confirm it worked.
- Alt + PrtScn — captures only the currently active window (not the whole desktop) to the clipboard.
- Windows + Alt + PrtScn — captures the active window and auto-saves it to Videos > Captures, via the Xbox Game Bar.
- Snipping Tool app — search “Snipping Tool” from the Start menu, click New, and choose Rectangle, Window, Full-screen, or Freeform. This is the same tool that Windows + Shift + S opens automatically, so use whichever entry point is more convenient.
Pro tip: you can set the PrtScn key itself to open the Snipping Tool directly, skipping the three-key combo entirely. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and turn on “Use the Print Screen key to open screen snipping.”
Extra: PureInfotech’s Windows 11 screenshot guide
Taking Screenshots on Windows 10
Windows 10 uses the same core shortcuts — PrtScn, Windows + PrtScn, Alt + PrtScn, and Windows + Shift + S all work exactly the same way. The main difference is the app name: Windows 10’s built-in snipping app is called Snip & Sketch rather than “Snipping Tool” (though the older Snipping Tool is also still present on most Windows 10 installs). Functionally, they do the same job — capture, then annotate or save from the same editor window.
No Print Screen Key? Here’s What to Do (Dell, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba)
This trips up more people than any other part of screenshotting, because laptop manufacturers don’t agree on where the Print Screen function lives. If pressing PrtScn does nothing, it’s almost always because the key is doubled up with another function and needs the Fn key to activate it.
- Dell laptops: The key may be labelled PrtSc, PrtScn, or PrntScr, and on some models it shares a key with Insert or Home. If a single press does nothing, use Fn + PrtScn. Many Dell laptops also have an Fn Lock — press Fn + Esc to toggle it, so you don’t have to hold Fn every time.
- Lenovo laptops: Most Lenovo keyboards (including the ThinkPad range) require Fn + PrtScn as standard, since the top row defaults to media/brightness controls.
- HP laptops: PrtScn is usually a standalone key in the top-right area and works without Fn on most models — but if yours doesn’t respond, try Fn + PrtScn as well.
- Toshiba (Dynabook) laptops: Behaves similarly to the above — try PrtScn alone first, then Fn + PrtScn if nothing happens.
If none of that works, or your keyboard has no PrtScn key at all, this shortcut works around the problem on virtually any Windows laptop, regardless of brand:
Fn + Windows key + Space Bar — takes a full-screen screenshot and automatically saves it to Pictures > Screenshots, the same as Windows + PrtScn.
And as covered above, Windows + Shift + S sidesteps this entire issue since it never touches the PrtScn key in the first place — it’s genuinely the most reliable option if you’re not sure how your specific keyboard behaves.
How to Take a Screenshot on a MacBook
MacBook shortcuts are consistent across every model and don’t have the Fn-key ambiguity Windows laptops do:
- Command + Shift + 3 — captures the entire screen, saved straight to the Desktop as a PNG.
- Command + Shift + 4 — turns the cursor into a crosshair; drag to select an area, and release to capture it, also saved to the Desktop.
- Command + Shift + 4, then Space Bar — turns the cursor into a camera icon; click any open window to capture just that window, complete with a subtle drop shadow.
- Command + Shift + 5 — opens a screenshot toolbar with extra options, including screen recording, a capture timer, and choosing where the file is saved instead of always defaulting to the Desktop.
Add Control to any of these combinations (for example, Command + Control + Shift + 4) and the screenshot is copied to your clipboard instead of saved as a file — handy for pasting straight into an email or chat.
Where Do Your Screenshots Get Saved?
This depends entirely on which method you used:
| Method | Where it ends up |
| PrtScn alone | Clipboard only — paste it somewhere and save manually |
| Windows + PrtScn | Automatically saved to Pictures > Screenshots |
| Windows + Shift + S | Clipboard, with an option to open and save via the notification |
| Windows + Alt + PrtScn | Automatically saved to Videos > Captures |
| Fn + Windows + Space Bar | Automatically saved to Pictures > Screenshots |
| Mac: Cmd+Shift+3 / 4 | Automatically saved to the Desktop as a PNG |
| Mac: Cmd+Shift+5 | Wherever you set under “Save to” in the toolbar |
If you can’t find a screenshot you know you took, check both of those default Windows folders before assuming it didn’t save — the clipboard-only methods are the ones people most often think “failed.”
Editing and Annotating a Screenshot
Once you’ve captured something, both Snipping Tool (Windows) and the Mac screenshot toolbar let you mark it up without opening a separate app:
- Windows: Click the notification after a Windows + Shift + S capture (or open a saved screenshot in Snipping Tool) to access a pen, highlighter, eraser, and crop tool, plus a ruler for straight lines.
- Mac: Click the thumbnail that appears in the corner right after capturing to open Markup tools — pen, shapes, text, and signature — before it’s saved.
For anything more involved than quick annotations — resizing, compressing for email, or combining multiple screenshots — pasting into Paint (Windows) or Preview (Mac) still works fine for basic edits.
Quick Reference Table
| Shortcut | What it captures | Saves to |
| PrtScn | Whole screen | Clipboard |
| Fn + PrtScn (Dell/Lenovo, some HP) | Whole screen | Clipboard |
| Windows + PrtScn | Whole screen | File — Pictures > Screenshots |
| Alt + PrtScn | Active window only | Clipboard |
| Windows + Alt + PrtScn | Active window only | File — Videos > Captures |
| Windows + Shift + S | Custom selection | Clipboard (+ save option) |
| Fn + Windows + Space Bar | Whole screen | File — Pictures > Screenshots |
| Cmd + Shift + 3 (Mac) | Whole screen | File — Desktop |
| Cmd + Shift + 4 (Mac) | Custom selection | File — Desktop |
| Cmd + Shift + 5 (Mac) | Your choice, with options | Your chosen location |
FAQs
What is the keyboard shortcut to take a screenshot on a laptop?
Windows + Shift + S is the most reliable, since it works the same on every Windows laptop keyboard. On a MacBook, it’s Command + Shift + 4 for a selected area or Command + Shift + 3 for the full screen.
My laptop doesn’t have a Print Screen key — how do I screenshot?
Try Fn + Windows + Space Bar, which works on virtually any Windows laptop and auto-saves the image to Pictures > Screenshots. Windows + Shift + S is an even more reliable alternative, since it doesn’t rely on the Print Screen key at all.
Why isn’t my Print Screen key working?
On most Dell and Lenovo laptops, and some HP models, PrtScn is combined with another function and needs Fn + PrtScn to activate. Some Dell laptops also have an Fn Lock (Fn + Esc) that changes this behaviour.
How do I screenshot just one window instead of the whole screen?
On Windows, press Alt + PrtScn for a clipboard copy, or Windows + Alt + PrtScn to save it automatically. On a Mac, press Command + Shift + 4, then tap the Space Bar, then click the window.
Where do my screenshots get saved on Windows?
It depends on the method — Windows + PrtScn and Fn + Windows + Space Bar save automatically to Pictures > Screenshots, while plain PrtScn and Windows + Shift + S only copy to the clipboard until you save them manually.
How do I take a screenshot on a Dell or Lenovo laptop specifically?
Use Fn + PrtScn on most models — the plain PrtScn key is usually doubled up with another function on these brands. Windows + Shift + S is a safe fallback that works regardless of the Fn key situation.
Got a laptop from us and running into a keyboard shortcut that doesn’t match what’s here? Contact us, and we’re happy to help you figure out your exact model. You can browse the Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Apple collections, or check our Laptop Tips & Tricks section for more quick guides like this one.
