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A computer screenshot is most commonly called a screenshot or screen capture. Screen grab or screengrab is an informal alternative. The result is one still image showing what appeared on a display at a particular moment.
The short answer: screenshot, screen capture or screen grab
If you need the clearest everyday term, say screenshot. It is the word people are most likely to understand when you mean a still image copied from a computer, tablet or phone display.
Screen capture is also correct. In consumer help, it can mean the still image itself; in technical documentation, it can describe the larger process or tool that acquires screen content. Microsoft uses “screenshot” and “screen capture” as common names for copying screen contents.
Screen grab (also written screengrab) means essentially the same thing in ordinary conversation. It is recognizable, but “screenshot” is usually the safest choice in documentation, support tickets and instructions.
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What the word screenshot describes
A screenshot is a single, still image. It records the visible state of a display at one point in time: an application window, a selected rectangle, the whole desktop or a phone screen. The image can then be saved, edited, attached to a message or shared.
The word describes the result as well as the action. “Take a screenshot” means perform the capture; “send me the screenshot” means send the resulting still image. That dual use is why the term appears in both user instructions and file-management conversations.
Screenshot versus screen capture
These terms overlap, but they are not always identical in technical writing.
| Term | Usually means | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot | One still image of displayed content | Everyday instructions, support and general writing |
| Screen grab / screengrab | Informal name for one screenshot | Casual conversation |
| Screen capture | Either a still screenshot or the broader act and tooling used to acquire screen content | Consumer help and technical documentation, with context |
| Screen recording | Moving video of screen activity over time | Demos, bug reproduction and training videos |
| Screencast | Usually a video presentation or recording of screen activity | Video-based demonstrations, not a single still image |
Microsoft’s screen-capture documentation illustrates the broader technical meaning: a capture system may acquire individual frames to create a video stream, or produce snapshots. In that context, “screen capture” names the process, while a screenshot is one still output.
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A screen recording continues capturing frames for a period of time and produces video. A screenshot stops at one moment and produces a still image. Google’s Android guidance treats taking a screenshot and recording the phone screen as separate actions.
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This distinction matters when you write a requirement. “Attach a screenshot” asks for a static picture. “Record your screen” asks for a time-based demonstration. Calling a recording a screenshot can lead to the wrong file, tool or troubleshooting evidence.
Some tools expose both functions under a heading such as “screen capture.” Read the mode name: a screenshot, snapshot or still option captures one image; a recording, screencast or video option captures activity over time.
How Windows names and performs the capture
Windows documentation uses both “screenshot” and “screen capture.” Two built-in approaches are especially relevant:
Print Screen
Microsoft documents the Print Screen key as a way to capture screen contents. The exact result depends on the Windows version and configuration, so an instruction should identify what the user should expect rather than assume the key behaves identically on every computer.
Snipping Tool
Microsoft’s Snipping Tool supports selecting a region, a window or the full screen. That makes “take a screenshot of the error window” more precise than “capture the screen”: the latter could imply the entire desktop, while a window snip limits the image to the relevant application.
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When documenting a Windows procedure, name the result and the scope separately. For example: “Use Snipping Tool to take a screenshot of the browser window,” or “Use a full-screen capture to include the taskbar and other visible windows.”
How mobile guidance uses the terms
Android help describes a screenshot as a digital image of what is displayed on the device. It also recognizes “screen grab” as an alternative expression. The same guidance separates taking a screenshot from recording a video of the screen.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchBecause button combinations and menus vary by device model, Android version and configuration, a platform-neutral instruction should say what to capture rather than prescribe a shortcut that may not apply everywhere. The terminology remains stable even when the procedure changes: a one-time image is a screenshot; a time-based video is a screen recording.
Choosing the right term in instructions and support
Use “screenshot” for general readers
Choose “screenshot” in user interfaces, help articles, tickets and messages unless there is a reason to be more technical. It is concise and unambiguous when the desired result is one still image.
Add “screen capture” when matching platform wording
If a menu, API or vendor document calls the feature “screen capture,” use that label and clarify the output: “Select Screen capture, then choose the still-image option.” This preserves the product’s wording without suggesting that a video is required.
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Use “screen grab” only when an informal tone fits
“Screen grab” is understandable, but it is less common in formal specifications. If you use it, introduce the standard term first: “Send a screenshot (screen grab) of the message.”
Say “screen recording” for moving content
Use “screen recording” or “screencast” when the reader must show a sequence of actions, animation or a bug that unfolds over time. Do not use those terms for a single still image.
What developers mean by screen capture
In software documentation, screen capture can refer to an acquisition pipeline rather than a saved picture. A pipeline may select a display or window, obtain frames, apply permissions and privacy rules, and then deliver snapshots or a stream. A screenshot is the still-image outcome that users normally want to inspect or share.
This broader meaning explains why an API named “screen capture” may offer both snapshots and video. Check whether its response is an image, a sequence of frames or a stream before integrating it. The W3C Screen Capture Working Draft dated July 16, 2026, also uses screen capture in the context of capture streams, which is different from a single screenshot file.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Automating website screenshots with ScreenshotNeo
If your question is about the name of the image, the answer remains “screenshot.” If you are a developer who needs screenshots of web pages repeatedly, an API avoids opening a browser manually. ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server from Yorker Media.
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Its request accepts a URL and can return a PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF. Before capture, it can accept cookie or consent banners and remove more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled. Only clean shots are billed. Bot checks, CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits cost nothing, and the response identifies the page verdict and billing status with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers.
For an image of a page, send one GET request. The complete examples below use the documented endpoint and are ready to adapt by changing the target URL and key. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for all parameters.
cURL
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}`);The service also supports full-page captures with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element captures, dark mode, device presets, arbitrary viewports, retina scale, PDF paper and page-range controls, custom CSS and JavaScript, pre-capture clicks, selector hiding, selector or network-idle waits, request and resource blocking, custom headers and cookies, user-agent and authorization values, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, selectable cache TTLs, signed 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 to ease migration.
An MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients. Plans include 1,000 screenshots per month free with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Higher listed plans are Growth ($15 for 15,000), Pro ($39 for 60,000), Scale ($99 for 250,000) and Business ($249 for 1,000,000). Yearly billing gives two months free, and every feature is included on every plan.
Or skip the browser setup
Use the one-call API when you do not need to configure a local browser. Cookie banners, popups and chat widgets are removed before the shot; bot checks, blank pages and failed loads are never billed; and an MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. You get 1,000 screenshots a month free with no card, while paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account.
Common terminology mistakes
- Calling a video a screenshot: ask for a screen recording when a sequence of actions is required.
- Assuming screen capture always means a still: in APIs and standards, it can include frame streams.
- Using “full-screen screenshot” for a window snip: specify region, window or full display.
- Assuming one shortcut works everywhere: operating-system version, device model and configuration can change the capture procedure.
- Confusing a web-page screenshot with a camera photo: a screenshot records rendered display content; it does not photograph the physical monitor.
Bottom line
Call a computer screenshot a screenshot. “Screen capture” is also correct and may describe either the still image or the wider capture process. “Screen grab” is an informal synonym. Reserve “screen recording” and “screencast” for video captured over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is “screenshot” one word or two?
Use the one-word form “screenshot.” “Screen shot” may appear informally, but it is not the clearest modern spelling.
Can a screenshot include only part of a display?
Yes. A screenshot can show a selected region or window instead of the entire screen; Windows Snipping Tool documents those capture scopes.
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No. A screenshot copies displayed digital content, while a scan normally creates a digital image from a physical page or object.
What should I request when diagnosing an animated bug?
Request a screen recording if timing or movement matters. Ask for a screenshot only when one visible state is enough.
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