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On Windows, press Windows+Shift+S, choose Rectangular snip, and drag exactly from one corner of the monitor to the opposite corner. That produces a screenshot of one display while leaving the other out. If you need only an application, click its window and press Alt+Print Screen instead. On macOS, press Shift-Command-4 and drag around one display, or use Shift-Command-5 and choose a selected portion or window.
Choose the capture boundary first
Two monitors create one extended desktop, so a whole-screen shortcut can include both displays. The reliable method depends on what you mean by “one monitor.”
| What you need | Windows | macOS | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every pixel of one physical display | Windows+Shift+S, then rectangular snip around that display | Shift-Command-4, then drag around that display | A selected rectangle matching one monitor |
| One application window on that display | Click the window, then Alt+Print Screen | Shift-Command-5, choose Window | Only the active window, not the desktop around it |
| Both displays or the complete desktop | Use a full-screen capture mode | Shift-Command-3 | The combined or full display capture, not a single-monitor image |
A monitor-sized rectangle and a window capture are not interchangeable. The rectangle includes the taskbar, wallpaper, desktop icons and empty space on that display. A window capture excludes those areas.
Windows 10 and Windows 11: capture one entire monitor
- Move the pointer to the monitor you want to capture and identify its top-left and bottom-right corners.
- Press Windows+Shift+S. Windows opens the Snipping Tool overlay.
- Select Rectangular snip if another mode is selected.
- Press and hold the mouse button (or trackpad button) at one corner of the target display.
- Drag to the opposite corner. Keep the rectangle inside the target monitor; do not cross the seam into the other display.
- Release to capture. The snip is copied to the clipboard and appears in Snipping Tool, where you can annotate, edit and save it.
This works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Because you draw the bounds yourself, it remains dependable when monitors have different resolutions, scaling percentages or orientations.
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When the monitors have different sizes or scaling
Windows represents the displays as one desktop, but their physical edges may not line up. Start at the visible corner of the chosen monitor and finish at its opposite visible corner rather than dragging a guessed number of pixels. At 125% or 150% display scaling, the pointer still selects the visible screen area; the saved image’s pixel dimensions follow the display and Snipping Tool’s selection.
Capture only an application window
- Click the application window on the desired monitor so it is active.
- Press Alt+Print Screen.
- Paste the clipboard image into Paint, an editor, a document or another destination, or open the Snipping Tool notification to edit and save it.
Alt+Print Screen captures the active window only. It does not capture the entire monitor, the taskbar or other windows behind it. If the app is maximized across a display, the result may fill most or all of that monitor, but it is still a window capture.
Why ordinary Print Screen is usually wrong here
A whole-screen Print Screen shortcut is intended for the complete screen image and can include the combined desktop. It is therefore a poor choice when the boundary must be exactly one monitor. On keyboards without a Print Screen key, Microsoft lists Fn+Windows+Space as an alternative screenshot shortcut, but that shortcut is not established as a single-monitor capture. Use Windows+Shift+S when the monitor boundary matters.
Other Snipping Tool modes
- Rectangular: best for the complete area of one display.
- Freeform: useful for an irregular shape, but it will not produce a monitor-shaped rectangle.
- Window: selects one application window.
- Full-screen: captures the full screen arrangement and can include both monitors.
macOS: capture one entire monitor
Selected-area method
- Press Shift-Command-4. The pointer changes to a crosshair.
- Move to one corner of the monitor you want.
- Drag to the opposite corner and release. The selected rectangle becomes the screenshot.
- Press Escape before releasing if you need to cancel.
To reposition the selection without changing its size, hold Space while dragging. This helps when the rectangle is the right size but is slightly offset from the monitor.
Use Screenshot controls
- Press Shift-Command-5.
- Choose the selected-portion control for a monitor-sized rectangle, or choose the window control for one application.
- Place and resize the selection over the desired display, then capture.
Shift-Command-5 provides on-screen controls instead of requiring you to remember which selection mode is active. Shift-Command-3 captures an entire screen; avoid it when you need exactly one display and the Mac’s arrangement makes “entire screen” ambiguous.
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Apps that restrict screenshots
Apple notes that some applications may prevent screenshots of their windows; Apple gives Apple TV as an example. If a window capture is blocked, a selected-region capture may work when the app permits it, but it does not bypass an application’s restriction. Respect the app’s access controls and do not assume a different shortcut defeats them.
How to keep the other monitor out
- Use a drawn rectangle: begin and end on the same display. Do not start in the gap or on the neighboring monitor.
- Hide distracting overlays: close notifications, menus and transient tooltips before dragging.
- Check the preview: verify that no pixels from the second display appear before saving or sharing.
- Use window mode for app-only evidence: it avoids accidental desktop content, but removes context outside the app.
Troubleshooting
The shortcut captures both monitors
You probably used a full-screen Print Screen or full-screen capture mode. Repeat with Windows+Shift+S and rectangular snip on Windows, or Shift-Command-4 on Mac. Draw the bounds manually around only the desired display.
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The selection crosses the monitor seam
Cancel and retry from a clearly visible corner. If the displays are arranged at different heights, their shared edge may not be a straight horizontal line. Follow the actual visible edges, not the monitor stands or the arrangement you expected from display settings.
Alt+Print Screen captures the wrong application
The shortcut follows focus, not pointer location. Click the intended window first, confirm its title bar is active, and press Alt+Print Screen again. For a full monitor image, use a rectangular snip instead.
Nothing appears to have been saved
On Windows, Snipping Tool copies the result and opens an editing notification; open that notification to save it. Pasting the clipboard into Paint or another editor is another route. On Mac, use the Screenshot controls and their configured destination; the exact save location depends on your macOS settings.
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The image dimensions look unexpected
Different monitor resolutions, Retina density and display scaling change pixel dimensions. A correctly bounded screenshot can therefore have different dimensions from the monitor next to it. If you need a fixed output size, resize a copy after capture rather than dragging outside the display.
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The application may prohibit window screenshots. Try a selected-region capture only if that is appropriate and permitted. There is no operating-system shortcut that should be presented as a way to defeat the application’s restriction.
Quality and workflow considerations
Region versus window
Choose a region when documentation needs the desktop, browser chrome or multiple windows on one display. Choose a window when privacy, compact dimensions or a clean app-only illustration matters. A region can include sensitive notifications or wallpaper; inspect it before publishing.
Clipboard versus file workflow
Windows’ documented keyboard paths emphasize a clipboard-and-edit flow: capture, open the Snipping Tool notification or paste into an editor, then save. macOS’s Screenshot controls provide capture modes and use the Mac’s configured screenshot destination. Plan the destination before a batch of captures so files do not become mixed with clipboard-only results.
Portrait and rotated displays
A rectangle works for a portrait monitor just as it does for a landscape monitor. Drag along the display’s long and short edges; do not assume both screens share the same orientation.
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Or skip the browser setup
If what you really need is a screenshot of a web page rather than the physical desktop, ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API and MCP server. It is not a replacement for the Windows or Mac shortcuts above and cannot capture arbitrary desktop applications. It is useful when the target is a URL and you want a repeatable, headless capture.
One GET request returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF. The service accepts the site’s cookie or consent banner before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and response headers report the page verdict and whether the request was billed.
cURL
See the complete parameter list in the ScreenshotNeo documentation.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython
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
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 repeatable web captures
ScreenshotNeo includes full-page capture with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, 12 device presets plus custom viewports, retina scale, PDF paper and margin controls, HTML/CSS-to-image, custom CSS and JavaScript, pre-capture clicks, hidden selectors, waits for a selector, delay or network idle, request and resource blocking, custom headers, cookies, user agent and Authorization, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, configurable-TTL caching, signed public image links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, a usage API and an OpenAPI specification. Parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work, which can simplify migration.
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Cost and reliability notes
The Free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card. Paid plans are Starter $5 for 3,000 shots, Growth $15 for 15,000, Pro $39 for 60,000, Scale $99 for 250,000 and Business $249 for 1,000,000. Yearly billing provides two months free. Every feature is included on every plan. Only clean shots are billed, while failed or cached cases described above are not.
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Quick decision guide
- Need the exact pixels of a physical monitor: use Windows+Shift+S or Shift-Command-4 and draw the monitor’s full bounds.
- Need one app on that monitor: use Alt+Print Screen on Windows or the Window option in Shift-Command-5 on Mac.
- Need a URL captured repeatedly: use ScreenshotNeo’s API or MCP server rather than a desktop shortcut.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I screenshot one monitor without disconnecting the other?
Yes. Leave both displays connected and select only the target display’s rectangle; disconnecting a monitor is unnecessary.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Does Alt+Print Screen capture the whole monitor?
No. It captures the active application window. Use a rectangular snip for the entire Windows display.
Can a screenshot include the taskbar or menu bar?
Yes, when you draw a monitor-sized region that includes it. Window capture normally excludes surrounding desktop areas.
Why do two monitor screenshots have different pixel sizes?
Different resolutions, orientations, Retina density and scaling settings can produce different dimensions even when each selection covers one complete display.
Quick Recap
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