The shortcut depends on your operating system. On Windows, press Windows + Shift + S for a selectable snip or Print Screen for a full-screen image copied to the clipboard. On a Mac, use Shift + Command + 3 for the whole display, Shift + Command + 4 for an area, or Shift + Command + 5 for Screenshot controls. On a Chromebook, press Ctrl + Show windows for the full screen or Shift + Ctrl + Show windows for a selected area.
This guide explains each shortcut, where the capture goes, how to annotate or record video, and what to do when a key or shortcut does not work.
Windows screenshot shortcuts
Windows 10 and Windows 11 include Snipping Tool for still images and video. The fastest choice depends on whether you need the entire display, a window, or a custom region.
Capture a selected region with Snipping Tool
- Press Windows + Shift + S.
- When the overlay appears, choose rectangular snip, freeform snip, window snip, or full-screen snip.
- Select the area or window. The image is copied to the clipboard, and a notification opens the Snipping Tool editor.
- Select the notification to annotate, save, or share the capture.
Microsoft documents this shortcut as the way to open the Snipping Tool overlay for an image snapshot. The overlay is usually the best option when you need to exclude private information or capture only one part of a page. See Microsoft’s Snipping Tool documentation for the current controls.
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Capture the entire screen to the clipboard
Press Print Screen, also labeled PrtSc or PrtScn. Windows places a static image of the entire screen on the clipboard. Open Paint, Word, an email, or another image-capable app and press Ctrl + V to paste it, then save the file from that app.
Capture a video of the screen
Press Windows + Shift + R to open the Snipping Tool video overlay. Select the region to record and start the recording. This is separate from a still screenshot and is useful for demonstrating a software problem or workflow.
Windows capture choices
| Shortcut | Scope | Initial destination | Editing or recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows + Shift + S | Region, freeform, window, or full screen | Clipboard and Snipping Tool notification | Annotate, save, share |
| Print Screen | Entire screen | Clipboard | Paste into another app and save |
| Windows + Shift + R | Selected video region | Snipping Tool recording workflow | Video capture |
Mac screenshot shortcuts
macOS provides separate shortcuts for the whole screen, a selected portion, and the Screenshot control panel. Apple calls these images screenshots and includes recording controls in the Screenshot app on macOS Mojave 10.14 and later.
Capture the entire screen
Press Shift + Command + 3. macOS captures every visible display. By default, the image is saved as a file on the desktop. If you hold Control with the shortcut, macOS copies the capture to the clipboard instead of saving it as a file, allowing you to paste it directly into another app.
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Capture part of the screen
- Press Shift + Command + 4.
- Drag the crosshair over the area you want.
- Release the pointer to take the screenshot.
While dragging, hold Space to move the selected area, or press Escape to cancel. Holding Control while completing the shortcut sends the result to the clipboard rather than the desktop.
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Capture a window or open Screenshot controls
Press Shift + Command + 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar. It offers full-screen, selected-window, and selected-portion still captures, plus full-screen or selected-portion recordings. The toolbar also lets you choose a destination, set a timer, show the pointer, and use other capture options without memorizing additional shortcuts.
For a window-only screenshot with the keyboard sequence, press Shift + Command + 4, then press Space and click the window. Some protected apps may block window screenshots. Apple lists the current combinations and clipboard options in its Mac screenshot support article.
Mac capture choices
| Shortcut | Scope | Typical destination | Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shift + Command + 3 | Entire screen | Desktop file, or clipboard with Control | No |
| Shift + Command + 4 | Selected area or window | Desktop file, or clipboard with Control | No |
| Shift + Command + 5 | Full screen, window, or selected area | Destination chosen in Screenshot controls | Yes |
Chromebook and ChromeOS shortcuts
ChromeOS uses the Show windows key, which looks like a rectangle with two vertical lines beside it. On most Chromebook keyboards it is in the top row where an F5 key would be.
Capture the full screen
Press Ctrl + Show windows. Google says the capture is copied to the clipboard and saved to the Downloads folder by default.
Capture part of the screen
Press Shift + Ctrl + Show windows. Drag over the required area and release. ChromeOS saves the image and copies it to the clipboard.
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Use the Screen Capture toolbar
Press Shift + Ctrl + Show windows and choose the screenshot icon in the toolbar. The toolbar can capture the full screen, a selected area, or a window. It also includes screen recording. Open the toolbar’s settings to change the save destination from Downloads. Google’s instructions are in Chromebook Help and Screen Capture Help.
External keyboards without Show windows
On an external keyboard that lacks the Show windows key, Google documents Ctrl + Shift + F5 as the alternative. If that combination does not respond, open the Screen Capture tool from the system shelf or quick settings and use its on-screen buttons.
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The same shortcut can behave differently across systems because some captures start in the clipboard while others create a file immediately.
- Windows Print Screen: clipboard only until you paste and save it.
- Windows Snipping Tool: the result is available from the notification and can be saved from the editor.
- Mac: screenshots normally appear as files on the desktop; Screenshot controls let you select another destination, and Control-key variants copy to the clipboard.
- Chromebook: captures are copied to the clipboard and saved in Downloads by default; Screen Capture settings can change the folder.
If you cannot find an image, paste from the clipboard first. Clipboard contents can be replaced by the next copy operation, so save an important capture before copying something else.
How to annotate, share, and protect information
Annotate before sending
Use Snipping Tool on Windows or the Mac screenshot thumbnail and Markup tools to draw arrows, highlight text, or crop. Chromebook captures can be opened from the Files app or the notification and edited in an installed image editor.
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Hide sensitive data
Crop account numbers, addresses, access tokens, and private messages before sharing. A visual blur or solid covering is safer than leaving text underneath a translucent highlight. Check the final exported image by zooming in before attaching it to a ticket or posting it publicly.
Capture the right display
With multiple monitors, a full-screen shortcut may capture all visible displays or the display containing the active window, depending on the operating-system tool and settings. Use the region or window mode when the screenshot must contain only one application.
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Only clean shots are billed. Bot checks and CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and the response identifies the result with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. It also provides an MCP server for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients, with take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools.
One-call cURL example
See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for authentication and all options.
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython example
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js example
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);Options for production captures
ScreenshotNeo supports full-page capture with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, 12 device presets or a custom viewport, retina scale, PDF paper size and margins, landscape mode and page ranges. You can supply custom CSS or JavaScript, click an element, hide selectors, wait for a selector, delay, or network idle, and block ads, trackers, requests, or resource types.
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For authenticated or regional pages, send custom headers, cookies, a user agent, an Authorization value, timezone, or geolocation. Other controls include transparent backgrounds, image resizing, a chosen cache TTL, signed links for public image tags, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, up to 100 URLs per bulk call, a usage API, and an OpenAPI specification. Parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work, which can simplify a migration.
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Troubleshooting shortcuts
The shortcut does nothing
- Confirm the operating system and use its exact key names; Command on Mac is not the same as Windows or Ctrl.
- On a laptop, hold Fn if the screenshot key shares an F-row function.
- On Chromebook, verify that you are pressing the rectangle-shaped Show windows key, or use Ctrl + Shift + F5 with an external keyboard.
- Try the on-screen Snipping Tool or Screen Capture control to determine whether the keyboard or the capture service is at fault.
The image is not where expected
Check the clipboard by pasting into an editor. On Mac, look at the desktop or the destination configured in Shift + Command + 5. On Chromebook, check Downloads and the Screen Capture destination setting. Windows Print Screen does not create a file until you paste and save it.
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Some protected apps prevent window screenshots. Capture a permitted region instead, or use the application’s own export function. For a browser page that fails to load, verify the URL, wait for the page to finish rendering, and remove extensions that alter the page before retrying.
The capture is too large or incomplete
Use a selected region or element instead of the entire page. For long web pages, a browser capture service can wait for lazy-loaded images and produce a full-page image or PDF; configure a selector wait or network-idle wait when content appears late.
Quick Recap
Choosing the right shortcut
- Choose a full-screen shortcut for a complete error state or presentation.
- Choose a window capture when other applications contain private information.
- Choose a region capture for a control, chart, or message.
- Choose video when a still image cannot explain the sequence of actions.
- Use the clipboard when you will paste immediately; use a saved file when you need a durable attachment.
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