How To Use Print Screen Key On Keyboard Jun 2026

Utilization of the Print Screen Key for Screen Capture

If you want to skip the pasting step and save the image as a file immediately, press the at the same time.

If you only want to capture a specific rectangle or part of your screen: how to use print screen key on keyboard

| Action | Keys | Result | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | PrtSc | Captures entire screen. No notification. Image saved to clipboard. | | Active Window to Clipboard | Alt + PrtSc | Captures only the currently selected window. Saved to clipboard. | | Direct Save (Full Screen) | Win + PrtSc | Screen dims briefly. Saves full-screen screenshot automatically to Pictures > Screenshots . | | Snipping Tool (Partial) | Win + Shift + S | Opens small snipping bar to select rectangular, freeform, window, or full-screen snip. Saves to clipboard and opens notification. |

You must Paste (Ctrl + V) the image into another program like Microsoft Paint, Word, or a chat window. 2. Windows Key + Print Screen (Save Automatically) Utilization of the Print Screen Key for Screen

Microsoft recently updated the default behavior of the key. If you find that pressing PrtScn now opens a cropping tool instead of just copying the screen, you can toggle this in your settings: How To Take a Screenshot on Windows

If you only want a picture of the window you are currently working in (and not your entire desktop): Image saved to clipboard

In the early days of computing (think MS-DOS and the 1980s), the key did exactly what it said: it sent the current screen’s text directly to your printer. Since printers were connected via parallel ports and screens were text-only, this was a literal "print" command. By the time Windows 3.0 arrived in 1990, it shifted to its modern role—copying the screen image to your clipboard instead. Pro Moves: Beyond the Basic Tap