Save a Screenshot

Screenshots have lots of uses, and most devices allow you to take them with quick shortcuts. Screenshots can be used for troubleshooting, instruction, reference, or for showing off. The process for taking screenshots varies depending on the device you are using.

Steps

Windows

If you're using a Surface or Windows tablet, see the Save-a-Screenshot.

1. Take a full-screen screenshot by pressing .⎙ PrtScr. You may have to press the Fn key to activate the ⎙ PrtScr key. This will copy the image on your monitor to the clipboard. You will then need to paste the screenshot into another program, such as Paint or Word. After pasting the screenshot into another program, save the file to save the screenshot. There won't be any indication that the screenshot was taken.
   • Windows 8/8.1 - You can save a full-screen screenshot directly to a file by pressing ⊞ Win+⎙ PrtScr. The screen will dim momentarily and the screenshot will be saved in the Screenshots folder in your Pictures library as a PNG file. Since you're saving the screenshot directly to a file, you don't need to paste it into another program.
   • Windows 8.1 - You can share a screenshot of your desktop using the Charms bar. Press ⊞ Win+C to open the Charms bar and then click "Share". Windows will take a screenshot of your desktop and then give you a list of apps that you can use to share it.
2. Take a screenshot of the active window only by pressing .Alt+⎙ PrtScr. This will copy a screenshot the currently-selected window to your clipboard. You will then need to paste the screenshot into Paint or another image-editing program. Once you've pasted the image, save it to save the screenshot to your hard disk.
3. Use the Snipping Tool to create custom screenshots. The Snipping Tool is available in Windows Vista and later. It allows to you select what you want to appear in the screenshot, as well as add basic annotations to the completed screenshot. You can open the Snipping Tool by clicking the Start button and typing "snipping tool".
   • For detailed instructions on using the Snipping Tool, Take-a-Screenshot-with-the-Snipping-Tool-on-Microsoft-Windows.
4. Take screenshots of a game using the game's screenshot key. Many games will not allow you to take screenshots using the ⎙ PrtScr key. Instead, many games have a dedicated screenshot key that you can find in the Controls section of the menu. If the game doesn't have a screenshot key, you can Use-Fraps-to-Take-a-Screen-Capture to take the screenshot.

Mac

1. Take a full-screen screenshot by pressing .⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+3. You'll hear a shutter sound if your speakers are on. The screenshot will be saved to a file on your desktop in PNG format. The image's name will be the date and time it was taken.
   • To copy the screenshot to your clipboard instead of creating a file, press ⌘ Command+Control+⇧ Shift+3.
2. Take a custom-sized screenshot by pressing .⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+4. The cursor will change into a crosshair. Click and drag to create a box on your screen. Everything inside of the box will be captured when you release your mouse button.
   • Press Esc to exit the screenshot selection without taking the picture.
   • To copy the screenshot to your clipboard instead of creating a file, press ⌘ Command+Control+⇧ Shift+4.
3. Take a screenshot of a window by pressing .⌘ Command+⇧ Shift+4. Press Space to turn the crosshair into a camera. Click the window that you want to capture. The screenshot will be saved to your desktop.
4. Use the Grab utility for more control over your screenshots. The Grab tool allows you to choose between full-screen, window, or selection capture. You can open Grab from the Utilities folder. Click the "Capture" menu to choose your capture mode.

Linux

1. Take a full-screen screenshot by pressing the .⎙ PrtScr key. In most Linux distributions, this will copy the image of your screen to the clipboard. In some distributions, this will launch a screen capture utility, allowing you to save the image directly to a file. If the image was copied to the clipboard, it will need to be pasted into an image editor and saved.
2. Take a screenshot of the active window by pressing .Alt+⎙ PrtScr. Again, this will work with most Linux distributions, but not all of them. The screenshot of the active window will be copied to the clipboard, or the screen capture utility will open and prompt you to save the image. If the image is copied to the clipboard, it will need to be pasted into another program.
3. Use the terminal to take a screenshot. With the ImageMagick utility, you can take a variety of different screenshots. Install ImageMagick by typing sudo apt-get install imagemagick (Many distributions come with it already installed). Use the following commands to take different types of screenshots. The screenshots will be saved to your working directory:
   • import –window root -pause 5 Template:Var.png - Change the -pause timer to adjust how long it will wait before capturing the screenshot. This will take a screenshot of the entire desktop.
   • import Template:Var.png - This will turn your cursor into a crosshair. Click a window to capture just that window, or click and drag to capture everything inside the box.

iOS

1. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button.
2. Immediately press and release the Home button. You will see the screen flash momentarily
3. Find your screenshots in the Photos app. They'll be filed in the "Screenshots" folder.

Android

1. Press the screenshot buttons. Most Android devices running Android 4.0 or later have the ability to take screenshots. The buttons used to take screenshots vary depending on your Android device model. Below are some of the most common methods. If your device isn't listed, try one of the button combinations below anyway:
   • Samsung Galaxy devices - Press the Power + Home buttons.
   • HTC, Motorola, LG, Nexus devices - Press the Power + Volume Down buttons.
2. Find your screenshots. You'll be able to find your screenshots in your Gallery or Photos app. They'll be filed in the Screenshots album.
3. Use a screenshot app for older devices. If your Android device doesn't support screenshots, you may still be able to take screenshots using an app. Open the Google Play Store and search for "Screenshot". There are lots of different free screenshot apps you can try out.

Windows 8 Mobile/Tablet

1. Press and hold the Windows and Volume Down buttons on the device. You will see the screen dim for a moment to indicate that the screenshot was taken.
   • If the device doesn't have a Windows button, press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons instead.
2. Find the screenshots. Your screenshots will be saved to your Pictures library in a folder labeled "Screenshots". You can find your images by using the Pictures app or Explorer in Desktop mode.
3. Use the Snipping Tools if you'd like. You can use the Snipping Tool on Windows tablets, but it doesn't work too well with the touch interface.

Blackberry

1. Press the Volume Up and Volume Down keys at the same time. This will take screenshots on most Blackberry 10 phones, including the Q10, Z10, and Z30.
2. Find your saved screenshot. Open the File Manager app and navigate to the Camera folder. You'll find your screenshots here.
3. Install a screenshot app on older Blackberry devices. Most older Blackberry phones don't natively support screenshots. There are a few apps available on the Blackberry World market that will allow you to take screenshots on these devices, including:
   • Capture It
   • Screen Muncher

PlayStation 4

1. Setup a dummy Twitter account. The PS4 only allows you to upload screenshots to Twitter or Facebook, and constantly posting your screenshots here can tick off your friends. Creating a dummy account and setting it to Private will allow you to upload your screenshots and then download them to your computer without having to bother anyone.
   • Click here for instructions on creating a Twitter account.
2. Press and hold the Share button when you want to take a screenshot. Your game will pause, and the Share menu will open.
   • You can adjust your controller settings so that tapping the Share button opens the menu instead of having to hold it. Press the Options button while in the Share menu to change these settings.
   • Not all content supports screenshots. You may not be able to take screenshots when playing movies or during video game cutscenes.
3. Select "Upload Screenshot" and then select the screenshot you want. You can only upload a single screenshot at a time.
4. Select Twitter from the list of services. Sign in with your dummy Twitter account if you're not already.
5. Upload the image. You can add a post to it if you'd like.
6. Open your Twitter account on your computer. After posting the screenshot, you can download the full-quality version by opening your Twitter account.
7. Click the image to open it. The image will pop-out in a separate window.
8. Right-click on the image and select "Copy image URL". This will copy the address for the image to your clipboard.
9. Paste the address in your address bar. Change large to orig at the end of the URL and press ↵ Enter. This will load the full-size image in your browser.
10. Save the image to your computer. Press Ctrl+S or click "Save" in your browser's menu to save the image to your computer.

Xbox One

1. Update your Xbox One. The Xbox One didn't get the ability to take screenshots until the March 2015 system update. You'll need to have your Xbox One updated in order to take screenshots. You'll normally be prompted to update automatically.
   • If you aren't prompted to update, open the Settings menu, select "System", and then "Update Console".
2. Start up the game you want to take a screenshot of. You can't take screenshots of the Xbox One menu.
3. Tap the Xbox button twice to open the Snap menu.
4. Press .Template:Xboxbutton to take a screenshot. If you have a Kinect, you can say "Xbox, take a screenshot".
5. Find your screenshots. You can find all of your screenshots in the Upload Studio app, under "Manage Captures". You can then share them to various social networks or save it to your OneDrive.

Wii U

1. Make sure you are signed into Miiverse. You'll need to be connected to Miiverse in order to take and post screenshots. Post-on-Miiverse for details on creating a Nintendo Network ID and signing into Miiverse.
2. Play a game until you find a place you want to take a screenshot. You can't take screenshots of the menu.
3. Press the Home button on your Gamepad. This will open the Home menu and suspend the game.
4. Tap the Miiverse button. This will load the Miiverse community for the game you're playing.
5. Tap "Post". This will open the New Post screen.
6. Tap the "Screenshot" button. You'll find this in the upper-right corner.
7. Select the screenshot you want to use. You can choose either the TV's display or your game pads display.
8. Post the screenshot. You can type or draw on the post, and then save it to post it to the Miiverse community.
9. Visit the Miiverse on your computer. In order to save the screenshot, you'll need to open it on the Miiverse website and then download it to your computer. You can visit Miiverse at miiverse.nintendo.net.
10. Open the community page for the game you just posted. You'll see all the most recent posts. If you acted quickly, you'll likely see your post towards the top of the list.
11. Click the image to open the full version. This will let you see the screenshot at its full size.
12. Right-click on the image and select "Save image as". Name and save the image to your computer so that you can share it or archive it.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Take a Screenshot in Mac OS X
• Take a Screenshot on a Dell
• Take a Screenshot in Microsoft Windows
• Screenshot on a Galaxy Note 2
• Take Screenshots in Windows Phone 8
• Use the "Print Screen" Function on a Keyboard
• Take a Screenshot of the Entire Screen
• Take a Picture of Your Screen
• Take a Screenshot on a 4G LG Android Phone

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