A Complete Guide to Using Print Screen in Windows 10

Have you been told to take a screenshot using the Print Screen key on your Windows 10 computer? And now you’re wondering where the Print Screen button is? Even if you found the button and pressed it, nothing would have happened. So you are more confused now. Do not worry. We are here to help. By the end of the article, you will be a champion using the Print Screen button to take screenshots on Windows 10.

Questions like where is the Print Screen button, how to activate the Print screen, and how to use the Print Screen button are answered in this article. We also explained how to take a screenshot in Windows 10 without the print screenshot button.

Let’s start by learning about the Print Screen button superpowers in Windows 10.

Where is the print screen button

The Print Screen button is usually present in the upper right corner of your keyboard. You will see one of the text labels on the key:

• Prt sc
• PrtSc
• PrtScn
• PrntScrn

If anything else is mentioned with the print screen button, you will need to trigger it with the function (fn) key on your keyboard. That is, hold the fn key and the print screenshot buttons together to take a screenshot.

Point: If your keyboard does not have the Print Screen button, use function (fn) + Windows key + space bar to take a screenshot. If the print screen does not work, learn different ways to fix it.

How to use the print screenshot button to take a screenshot in Windows

There are several ways to take a screenshot using the Print screen button in Windows 10. Let’s check them.

Method 1: Capture the entire screen with the print screen

This is the easiest way to take a screenshot in Windows 10. Press the Print Screen key on your keyboard to copy the entire (active) screen to your clipboard. Even though a screenshot is technically captured, it is not saved anywhere on your computer.

The screenshot is on your computer’s clipboard for a temporary period until you copy something else. You need to paste the copied content (the screenshot) into a supported application like MS Paint, Paint 3D, etc. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V to paste the image. Once pasted, save the image using the app’s Save button. There is no need to paste the screenshot into photo editing apps, you can even paste it into Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

Note: Use the fn + Print screen combination if nothing is copied to the clipboard.

Usually, when you take a screenshot on your mobile phone, the screen darkens for one second, which indicates that a screenshot is taken. However, nothing will happen to the screen using this method. The screen does not go dark when you just press the Print Screen button. So have no fear, just open any supported app and paste the copied screenshot.

Point: If you’re using OneDrive, your captured screenshots will automatically be saved to your OneDrive folder. If you’re notified that screenshots are saved in OneDrive, learn how to turn off this notification and how to turn off the storage of screenshots in OneDrive.

Method 2: Capture and Record Whole Screen Using Print Screen

The above method does not save the screenshot directly to your computer. To save screenshots to your PC without pasting them first, simultaneously press Windows key + Print screen button. The screen will go dark for a second, indicating that a screenshot has been taken. In this method, the entire screen is captured.

You can find the captured screenshots in the Pictures> Screenshots folder. If you can’t find this, follow this path C: Users username Pictures Screenshots.

Method 3: Capture the active window with the print screen

Instead of capturing the entire screen, this method will help you take a screenshot of an active window. Suppose you want to take a screenshot of the minimized Word screen. You can do this using the Alt + Print keyboard shortcut. Press both buttons simultaneously to take a screenshot of your active window.

Similar to Method 1, the screenshot will not be saved directly. You will need to paste it into a supported application like MS Paint and then save it.

Method 4: Assign the capture tool to the print screen key

If the above methods do not meet your requirements, you can assign the Windows 10 capture tool to the Print screen key. When you do this, the Snipping tool will be activated when you press the Print soft key on your keyboard.

With the Screenshot tool, you can take personalized screenshots. You can choose the area you want to take a screenshot of, capture the selected window, and perform other advanced tricks. The screenshots will open in the capture tool where you can annotate and draw on them. Finally, save the screenshot. Check out various tips and tricks related to Windows 10 capture tool.

To assign the Snipping tool to the Print screen key, do the following:

Step 1: Open Settings on your Windows 10 PC from the Start menu. You can also use the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open Settings. Navigate to Ease of Access.

2nd step: In the left sidebar in Ease of Access, scroll down and click Keyboard. On the right side you will find the keyboard settings. Scroll down and turn on the toggle for the print screen shortcut.

Bonus: How To Take A Screenshot Without A Print Screen In Windows 10

If you don’t want to remap the Print soft key on the Screen Capture tool or use the Print screen to take a screenshot, you can still open the Screen Capture tool using the keyboard shortcut Windows + Shift + S. You can also open the Snipping Tool from the Start menu. You can also use the Windows Snapshot & Sketch tool to take a screenshot without the Print screen button. Find out what is the difference between Snipping Tool and Snapping & Sketching in Windows 10.

The best method

Methods 2 and 4 are convenient for taking and saving screenshots. I mostly settle for method 4 on my computer where I use the capture tool using the Print screen button. This allows me to take a screenshot with the option to draw on it.