How to Screenshot on Any Laptop [Easy]

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Edited by Ben Jacklin
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Whether you’re writing a technical guide, taking an online course, or you just noticed something strange online, screenshots can be incredibly helpful. So, let’s talk about how to screenshot on your laptop – the quick and easy way.

Quick summary

  1. Editor’s choice for easy, high-quality laptop screenshots: Movavi Screen Recorder

  2. On-the-fly screenshots without opening an application: hotkey combinations

  3. Customizable screenshots with no third-party applications: Snipping Tool

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Our goal is to provide you with only verified information. To ensure this, Movavi Content Team does the following:

  • The team tests all the products mentioned in this article.

  • When testing, we compare the key characteristics of the products, which include selecting capture area, schedule recording, showing keystrokes and mouse, and other significant features.

How to take a screenshot on a laptop using hotkeys

First, let’s talk about how to take a screenshot on a laptop running Windows the quick and easy way: with hotkeys. If you can remember a simple hotkey combination, you can take a laptop screenshot and save it in seconds, without opening any additional applications.

Capture the whole screen

To take a screenshot of your whole screen on a Windows laptop (e.g., Lenovo, HP, Asus, etc.):

  1. Hold Win + Shift + S.

  2. When the screen fades and your cursor changes shape, left-click at one corner of the screen and drag your mouse over the entire screen before releasing the left button.

  3. Open your preferred image-editing program, Microsoft Word, or Microsoft Excel.

  4. Paste your full-screen screenshot into the program by holding Ctrl + V.

Capture a part of the screen

To take a partial screenshot, follow the same instructions, but instead of dragging your mouse over the entire screen, only select the part of the screen that you want to capture.

Hotkeys
4.8/5
Bestseller
Snipping Tool
4.6/5

How to print screen on a laptop

When it comes to how to print screen on a laptop, you have a few options. You can simply hit the Print Screen (PrtScn) key to take a whole-screen screenshot, but there are easier ways to capture part of your screen or a specific window or application. Let’s walk through all of these methods and how to use them to achieve your goals.

How to take a screenshot of the whole screen with the PrtScn button

If you’re wondering, “How do I take a screenshot on my laptop with just one click?” you can do this with the PrtScn key. 

  1. Press PrtScn. A full-screen screenshot will be copied to your clipboard. 

  2. Open your preferred image-editing program and press Ctrl + V to paste the image into the program.

  3. Make any edits you need and save your image as a JPG, PNG, or GIF file.

How to take a screenshot of an active window

But how do you screenshot on a laptop of a single window? This is quick and easy with a hotkey combination using PrtScn. 

  1. Click on the window you want to capture. 

  2. Press Alt + PrtScn. A screenshot of your active window will be sent to the clipboard.

  3. Paste the screenshot into a photo-editing program to edit and save it as an image file, or you can paste it into Microsoft Word or Excel to use it in a document or spreadsheet.

How to save a screenshot without copying and pasting 

Now, let’s talk about how to make a screenshot on a laptop using PrtScn if you want to directly save the image instead of copying it into another program.

  1. Press Win + PrtScn.

  2. The image will automatically save to the Screenshots subfolder found in the Pictures folder.

How to take a laptop screenshot with Snipping Tool

Snipping Tool is another good option for taking screenshots, especially if you run Windows 7, 8, or 10. So, how can you take a screenshot on a laptop using Snipping Tool? Follow these steps:

Step 1. Open the program

Open Snipping Tool by typing Snipping Tool into the search bar and opening the application there. 

Step 2. Select the type of the screenshot

Click the New button from the toolbar or press Ctrl + N to start a new screenshot. Go to the toolbar and choose the type of screenshot you want to take: Rectangular, Free-form, or Full-screen.

For a Rectangular snip, click and drag the crosshair cursor from one corner of the rectangle you want to capture to the opposite corner. For a Free-form snip, click and drag the crosshair cursor around the area you want to capture. A Full-screen snip will automatically take a screenshot of your full screen for you.

Step 3. Save your screenshot

Click the disk icon on the Snipping Tool toolbar to save your screenshot.

How to make a screenshot on a laptop with Movavi Screen Recorder

Movavi Screen Recorder is a robust screen-recording program that makes it easy to take a picture of your screen on the fly, even while recording a video of your screen. With high-quality export resolutions, the program is a go-to choice for users who want to take screenshots on a PC or laptop. Plus, unlike a lot of other screenshot tools, Movavi Screen Recorder lets you edit your screenshots directly in the program – without pasting it into another image-editing application. You can crop and resize screenshots, as well as enhancing them with arrows, annotations, and highlighting. Whether you’re using an Intel laptop or you have a Dell, Acer, or any other Windows laptop or MacBook, Movavi Screen Recorder makes it easy to capture fast, professional images of part or all of your screen whenever you need them. Here’s how to screenshot a laptop screen with Movavi Screen Recorder:

Step 1. Download and install Movavi Screen Recorder

Download the installation file and follow the installation prompts. Once you’ve installed the software, launch it.

Step 2. Capture your screenshot

On the recording panel, you’ll see several options. Click on the camera icon to take a screenshot. From here, you’ll choose what type of screenshot you want to take with a simple click:

  • To capture a full-screen screenshot, click on any open space on your screen.

  • For a screenshot of part of your screen, click and drag the cursor (which will look like a crosshair) over the rectangular area you want to capture.

  • To grab a screenshot of a window, click and hold on the window you want to capture until a frame appears around it.

Step 3. Edit your screenshot

If you want to make your screenshot look more professional and/or you want to call out a specific detail, you can use the tools and features to crop your screenshot and add arrows, text, highlighting, lines, shapes, and other enhancements. To access these tools, click the Editor button.

Step 4. Save or share your screenshot

After you’re done editing your screenshot, you can easily copy, save, and/or share it directly from Movavi Screen Recorder. If you don’t need to save your screenshot as an image file and you just want to add it to a document, spreadsheet, or other project, click on the Copy button. To save your file, click the Save screenshot button.

Hotkeys
4.8/5
Bestseller
Snipping Tool
4.6/5

How to screenshot a laptop screen on a MacBook

What if you need to take a screenshot on a MacBook? Fortunately, like Windows computers, Macs also have hotkey combinations to let you take screen captures in just a few seconds.

To capture your whole screen on a Mac with hotkeys:

  1. Hold Command + Shift + 3

  2. A preview of your full-screen screenshot will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen. Click on it to edit your screenshot.

  3. Don’t worry if you miss the preview. Your screenshot will automatically save to your desktop as a PNG file.

To capture a portion of your MacBook screen with hotkeys:

  1. Hold Command + Shift + 4. Your cursor will change from an arrow to a crosshair. 

  2. Click on one corner of the area you want to capture.

  3. Drag your cursor to draw a rectangle around your screen capture area.

  4. Release the mouse (or trackpad) button.

  5. Your screenshot will automatically save to your desktop the same way it does with a screenshot of your full screen.

Summary

With the information in this article, you should have all the answers to the question “How do I print screen on my laptop?” While there are built-in ways to capture part or all of your screen, they’re not always the most convenient. Why not try out Movavi Screen Recorder for high-quality screenshots and video recordings today?

Movavi Screen Recorder

The perfect way to record anything from your screen

Disclaimer: Please be aware that Movavi Screen Recorder does not allow capture of copy-protected video and audio streams.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I take a screenshot without the Print Screen or Windows key?

What are the 5 ways to take a screenshot on a laptop?

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