How to Take a Screenshot on Your Phone or Computer

Download Article

Easy shortcuts to capture the screen on any device

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: June 30, 2026 Fact Checked

Download Article

Windows

|

Mac

|

Android

|

iPhone/iPad

|

Linux

|

Chromebook

|

Video

A screenshot is a capture of what's currently on your computer or phone screen. You can save screenshots as images, send them to others, or open them in image editing software to tweak them. In this article, we'll teach you how to take a screenshot on any device, including a Windows PC, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad, Linux, and a Chromebook. Keep reading to learn how.

Taking a Screenshot: Quick Shortcuts

Windows: Press the PrtScrn button on your keyboard, or press Windows key + Shift + S.
Mac: Press Cmd + Shift + 3 for a full screenshot, or Cmd + Shift + 4 for a partial screenshot.
Android: Press the power and volume down buttons together for a few seconds.
iPhone/iPad: Press the sleep/wake button and volume up or home buttons.
Linux: Press PrtScrn on your keyboard.
Chromebook: Press Ctrl and the Show Windows button on your keyboard simultaneously.

Section 1 of 6:

Windows

Download Article

1
Press the PrtScrn or ⎙ Print Screen button on your keyboard. This button is located on the right-hand side of your keyboard, usually in the little cluster of buttons to the right of the letter keys and above your arrow keys (if you have them). If you have a condensed keyboard, the button may be in the same row as the function keys, or above them. You also might have it as a standard key on your keyboard. Every keyboard is laid out slightly differently, but the button will say PrtScrn, Print Screen, or something similar.
- If pressing PrtScrn gives you an error, try pressing ⊞ Win+PrtScrn. When you use this keyboard shortcut, a screenshot will instantly be saved to your Screenshots folder, which you'll find in your Pictures folder.
2
Press ⊞ Win+⇧ Shift+S to screenshot part of the screen. This keyboard shortcut will open the Snipping Tool. By default, it will let you click and drag to draw a rectangle around what you want to screenshot. You can drag your cursor to cover the whole screen, or you can just screenshot part of something that's on your screen.^{[1]
X
Trustworthy Source

Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

Go to source}
- To change what type of screenshot you take, click the button at the top of the screen that looks like a rectangle with a plus sign. You can choose Freeform, Rectangle, Window, and Full screen.
- If you want to learn all the ins and outs of the Snipping Tool, check out our in-depth guide.
Advertisement
If you use the Snipping Tool or Windows key + Print Screen to take a screenshot, you'll find the screenshots in a "Screenshots" folder inside your "Pictures" folder. Screenshots are also copied to your clipboard, and you can paste them into any app, message, or file by pressing Ctrl + V.

Section 2 of 6:

Mac

Download Article

1
Press ⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+3 to screenshot the whole screen. This will capture a screenshot of your entire screen and save it to your desktop. If you have multiple monitors, this shortcut will capture all of the screens, but it will save each display as an individual file.
- To take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it to your clipboard instead of your desktop, press Ctrl+⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+3.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
2
Press ⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+4 to screenshot part of the screen. When you press these keys together, you'll be able to click and drag with your mouse to draw a box around whatever you want to screenshot. This screenshot will be saved to your desktop.
- If you want to take a partial screenshot that is saved to your clipboard instead, press Ctrl+⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+4.^{[3]
  X
  Research source}
3
Open the Screenshot app. To do this, press ⇧ Shift+⌘ Cmd+5. You can then take a screenshot using one of these tools:
- The icon that looks like a window with a black bar at the bottom will capture the entire screen.
- The icon that is a rectangle with three dots in the corner will capture just a window.
- The icon with a dotted line rectangle allows you to capture just part of the screen.
- The icons with circles in the corner allow you to screen record.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}
On a Mac, depending on the shortcut you use, your screenshot will either be saved to your desktop or it will be added to the clipboard (so you can paste it with ⌘ Cmd+V).

Section 3 of 6:

Android

Download Article

1
Press the power and volume down buttons simultaneously to take a screenshot. You may have to press and hold for a few seconds for your device to take the screenshot.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- If your device won't take the screenshot, you may need to press the home and power buttons instead for a couple of seconds.
- You can also take a scrolling screenshot (or a full-page screenshot) when taking screenshots on Android. To do so, after taking the screenshot, tap the button with a crop icon and a pencil, then drag the corner arrows to cover the entire page.
If you have the Google Assistant set up, you can use voice commands to take a screenshot. Say, "Hey, Google," to wake up the assistant, then say, "Take a screenshot." Your phone will take a screenshot of whatever's open on the current page.^{[6]
X
Research source}
On an Android, screenshots will be saved to your Gallery or Photos app, depending on the type of Android you have. You'll find them in a "Screenshots" folder.

Section 4 of 6:

iPhone/iPad

Download Article

1
Press the sleep/wake and volume up buttons if your device doesn't have a home button. Newer iPhone and iPad models don't have home buttons (the round button at the bottom of the device's front face). Depending on your device, the sleep/wake button may be on the top or the right side. It's the button you press to put your device to sleep, wake it up, or turn it off (if you press and hold it).^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Depending on what you're screenshotting, you may be able to take a full page screenshot. Once you take the screenshot, check at the top of the screen to see if it says "Screen" or "Full Page." If you choose "Full Page," the screenshot will be long, and it will contain everything that's on the page, not just what's currently visible on your screen.^{[8]
  X
  Research source}
2
Press the sleep/wake and home buttons if your device has a home button. This includes older iPhone and iPad models. Depending on your device, the sleep/wake button might be along the top edge or on the right side. It's the button you use to put your device to sleep, wake it up, or shut it down (if you press and hold it).^{[9]
X
Research source}
- Depending on what you're screenshotting, you may be able to take a full page screenshot. Once you take the screenshot, check at the top of the screen to see if it says "Screen" or "Full Page." If you choose "Full Page," the screenshot will be long, and it will contain everything that's on the page, not just what's currently visible on your screen.^{[10]
  X
  Research source}
You can also take a screenshot hands-free with Siri. Simply say, "Hey, Siri," to wake Siri up, then say, "Take a screenshot." Your phone will take a screenshot of whatever's currently on your screen.
On an iPhone or iPad, screenshots will be saved to your Photos app. They'll be in the Camera Roll, but you can also find them in a special "Screenshots" folder.

Section 5 of 6:

Linux

Download Article

1
Press PrtScrn or ⎙ Print Screen on your keyboard. Depending on your keyboard, you might see PrtScrn, PrtScn, Print Screen, or something similar. It's usually located near the top of your keyboard, typically above the arrow keys or in the top row.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- In most Linux distros, pressing this button will let you take a screenshot. However, how you take a screenshot might vary depending on which Linux you have.
  - In GNOME and KDE Plasma, pressing this button launches a screenshot utility that lets you take a screenshot (similar to the Snipping Tool in Windows).
  - In other Linux distros, pressing this button will just take a screenshot of your screen (similar to how Windows handles pressing the PrtScrn button).
On Linux, depending on the Linux distro and/or the shortcut you use, taking a screenshot will either save the image to ~/Pictures/Screenshots or copy it to your clipboard.

Section 6 of 6:

Chromebook

Download Article

1
Press Ctrl and the Show Windows
button at the same time. This will screenshot the entire screen. The "Show Windows" button looks like a rectangle with two lines, and it's usually found in the top row of your keyboard.
- Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+F5.^{[12]
  X
  Research source}
2
Press Ctrl+⇧ Shift and the
button to take a partial screenshot. When you press these buttons together, you'll be able to click and drag with your mouse to draw a rectangle around whatever you want to screenshot. The "Show Windows" button looks like a rectangle with two lines in it.
- Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+F5 to take a partial screenshot.^{[13]
  X
  Research source}
On a Chromebook, taking a screenshot saves a copy of the image to your "Downloads" folder and to your clipboard (so you can easily paste it with Ctrl+V).