How to Take a Screenshot on Any Device (Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android)

Taking a screenshot is something you do almost every day — saving a receipt, capturing an error message, sharing a conversation, or documenting something for work. Yet the method is different on every device, and most people only know one way.

This guide covers every screenshot method on every device, including tricks most people do not know — like scrolling screenshots, timed captures, and built-in screen recording.

Windows Screenshots

Print Screen (Full Screen)

Press PrtScn (Print Screen) on your keyboard. This copies the entire screen to your clipboard. Paste it into any app with Ctrl+V.

Windows + Print Screen (Auto-Save)

Press Win + PrtScn. The screen flashes briefly and the screenshot is automatically saved to:

C:\Users\YourName\Pictures\Screenshots\

No need to paste anywhere — it is already saved as a PNG file.

Alt + Print Screen (Active Window Only)

Press Alt + PrtScn to capture only the currently active window (not the entire screen). Copies to clipboard — paste with Ctrl+V.

Snipping Tool (Selected Area)

Press Win + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool overlay:

The screenshot copies to your clipboard AND opens a notification where you can annotate and save it.

Snipping Tool with Timer

Open the Snipping Tool app (search in Start menu):

1. Click the clock icon
2. Set a delay (3, 5, or 10 seconds)
3. Click New
4. The screenshot captures after the delay — useful for capturing menus, tooltips, or hover states

Xbox Game Bar (Screen Recording)

Press Win + G to open the Game Bar:

• Win + Alt + PrtScn — screenshot of the active window
• Win + Alt + R — start/stop screen recording
• Win + Alt + G — record the last 30 seconds

Recordings are saved to C:\Users\YourName\Videos\Captures\

Mac Screenshots

Full Screen

Press Cmd + Shift + 3. The screenshot saves to your Desktop as a PNG file.

Selected Area

Press Cmd + Shift + 4. The cursor becomes a crosshair — click and drag to select the area. Release to capture.

Tip: After pressing Cmd+Shift+4:

• Press Spacebar to switch to window capture mode (click any window)
• Hold Option while dragging to resize from the center
• Press Escape to cancel

Touch Bar (MacBook Pro)

Press Cmd + Shift + 6 to capture the Touch Bar.

Screenshot App

Press Cmd + Shift + 5 to open the screenshot toolbar with all options:

• Capture entire screen
• Capture selected window
• Capture selected area
• Record entire screen
• Record selected area
• Timer options (5 or 10 seconds)
• Choose save location

Change Save Location

By default, Mac screenshots save to the Desktop. To change:

1. Press Cmd + Shift + 5
2. Click Options
3. Choose a different save location (Documents, Clipboard, etc.)

Or via Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Pictures/Screenshots
killall SystemUIServer

Disable the Floating Thumbnail

That preview that appears in the corner after every screenshot:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture show-thumbnail -bool false
killall SystemUIServer

iPhone Screenshots

iPhone with Face ID (X and later)

Press Side button + Volume Up simultaneously. Quick press and release.

iPhone with Home Button (8 and earlier)

Press Home button + Side button simultaneously.

AssistiveTouch (No Buttons)

1. Settings → Accessibility → Touch → AssistiveTouch → On
2. A floating button appears on screen
3. Tap it → Device → More → Screenshot

Scrolling Screenshot (Full Page)

1. Take a normal screenshot
2. Tap the preview that appears in the bottom-left corner
3. Tap Full Page at the top
4. Scroll to see the entire page captured
5. Tap Done → Save as PDF

This works in Safari, Mail, Notes, and many other apps.

Screen Recording

1. Add Screen Recording to Control Center: Settings → Control Center → add Screen Recording
2. Swipe down from top-right corner
3. Tap the Record button (circle icon)
4. 3-second countdown, then recording starts
5. Tap the red bar at the top to stop

Android Screenshots

Universal Method (Android 4+)

Press Power + Volume Down simultaneously. Hold for 1-2 seconds.

Three-Button Navigation

Press Power + Home button simultaneously.

Gesture (Android 11+)

Some Android phones support a three-finger swipe down to capture.

Samsung Phones

• Palm swipe: Swipe the edge of your hand across the screen
• Power + Volume Down: Standard method
• S Pen: Remove S Pen → Air Command → Screen Write

Google Pixel

• Power + Volume Down or
• Quick tap the back of the phone (Pixel 4a and later): Settings → System → Gestures → Quick Tap → Screenshot

Scrolling Screenshot (Android 12+)

1. Take a normal screenshot
2. Tap "Capture more" in the preview
3. Drag to extend the capture area
4. Tap Save

Screen Recording (Android 11+)

1. Swipe down twice from the top for Quick Settings
2. Tap Screen Record
3. Choose to record audio (media, mic, or both)
4. Tap Start
5. Swipe down and tap the notification to stop

Chromebook Screenshots

Full Screen

Press Ctrl + Show Windows (the rectangle with two lines button, usually F5)

Selected Area

Press Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows, then click and drag

Screen Capture Toolbar

Press Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows to open the capture toolbar with screenshot and recording options

Screenshots save to the Downloads folder.

Where Do Screenshots Go?

Tips for Better Screenshots

• Crop unnecessary parts — do not share your entire screen when only a small area is relevant
• Hide sensitive info — blur or cover personal data, passwords, email addresses before sharing
• Use annotations — draw arrows, circles, or add text to highlight what matters
• Use PNG for screenshots with text — JPG compression makes text blurry
• Resize before sharing — a 4K screenshot is overkill for most purposes. Use our Image Resizer to reduce file size

Related Tools

• Image Resizer — resize and compress screenshots before sharing
• Image to PDF — convert screenshots into a PDF document
• PNG to JPG — convert screenshots for smaller file size