On standard full-sized mechanical and membrane layouts, the key resides in the control cluster above the arrow keys, immediately to the right of the function row ( F12 ) and to the left of the Scroll Lock key.
| Action | Key Combination | What it captures | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | PrtScn | Everything on all monitors (combined into one wide image) | | Active Window Only | Alt + PrtScn | Only the currently selected window (e.g., a browser, a folder) | | Snipping Tool / Snip & Sketch | Win + Shift + S (modern) or Win + PrtScn (classic) | Opens a selection tool for rectangular, freeform, window, or full-screen snips. Win+PrtScn saves a full-screen PNG directly to Pictures\Screenshots . |
Many laptops (especially 14-inch or smaller) combine the Print Screen function with another key, typically Insert , Delete , or End . print screen button on keyboard
Taking and Using Screenshots - Lane Community College Support
Required on compact laptop form factors where PrtScn shares hardware logic with another key. Matches default system settings (Clipboard or File save). ⚙️ Modern OS Behavior: The Windows 11 Shift On standard full-sized mechanical and membrane layouts, the
The "Print Screen" name is an anachronism from early computing.
While the print screen button is a useful tool, there are some alternative methods for capturing screenshots: | Many laptops (especially 14-inch or smaller) combine
The print screen button is usually located on the top row of your keyboard, often in one of the following locations:
The visual presentation and physical placement of the print screen button vary significantly depending on your hardware architecture:
If you take frequent screenshots, remap the Print Screen button to open the directly. In Windows Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, turn on "Print Screen shortcut" and set it to "Open Snipping Tool". Then, a single press of PrtScn lets you draw a custom area and saves it instantly – the best of both worlds.
Automatically exports a high-quality .png file to . Fn + PrtScn