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[Skip to main content](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#main_content) [Atera home page](https://www.atera.com/) [Blog](https://www.atera.com/blog/) Request a demo - [IT Departments](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/it-departments/) - - [RMM](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/rmm/) - [Endpoint Security](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/endpoint-security/) - [Helpdesk](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/helpdesk/) - [IT Automations](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/it-automations/) - [Network](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/network/) - [Patching](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/patching/) - [AI](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/ai/) - [Industry]() - - [Deep Dives](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/reviews/) - [Top Picks](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/best-of/) - [Alternatives](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/alternatives/) - [Comparisons](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/comparisons/) - [Company News](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/) - - [What's New](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/whats-new/) - [Webinars](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/webinars/) - [Events](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/events/) - [Press center](https://www.atera.com/press-center/) - [Français](https://www.atera.com/fr/blog/comment-faire-une-capture-decran-sur-windows-et-mac/ "Switch to Français") - [Deutsch](https://www.atera.com/de/blog/wie-macht-man-einen-screenshot-auf-dem-pc/ "Switch to Deutsch") Request a demo [Start free trial](https://www.atera.com/signup/) [Atera home page](https://www.atera.com/) [Blog](https://www.atera.com/blog/) [Start free trial](https://www.atera.com/signup/) [Home](https://www.atera.com/) [Blog](https://www.atera.com/blog/) [How To](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/how-to/) How to screenshot on Windows and Mac  [How To](https://www.atera.com/blog/category/how-to/) # How to screenshot on Windows and Mac There’s plenty of reasons you may need to take a screenshot, here’s how you can do it on both a Windows and Mac computer, no matter what keyboard/OS you’re using. July 16, 2025 [Josiah Brown](https://www.atera.com/blog/author/jo/) Link Copied\! Table of contents - Table of contents - [How to take a screenshot on Windows](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-windows-0) - [How to take a screenshot on Mac](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-mac-1) - [How do I take a screenshot on Windows with a Mac keyboard?](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#how-do-i-take-a-screenshot-on-windows-with-a-mac-keyboard-2) - [How do I take a screenshot on Mac with a Windows keyboard?](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#how-do-i-take-a-screenshot-on-mac-with-a-windows-keyboard-3) - [Where do screenshots go on PC?](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#where-do-screenshots-go-on-pc-4) - [What is the shortcut key for screenshot in Windows 10?](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#what-is-the-shortcut-key-for-screenshot-in-windows-10-5) Generate summary with AI AI Summary   Whether you’re looking to share a bug you’ve found with a coworker, guide someone through a software install, send your hilarious [IT joke](https://www.atera.com/blog/a-compilation-of-best-it-puns/) you’ve hidden in your file manager, or anything in between, taking and sharing screenshots can be very useful. Luckily, both Windows and Mac Operating Systems (OS) make it easy to take a screenshot on your computer. While it can get a little bit more complicated if you use a keyboard that’s different from your Operating System, we’ll show you that it’s still not too challenging. So get ready as we take you step-by-step, with pictures, through how to take a screenshot on Windows and Mac computers. ## How to take a screenshot on Windows Taking a screenshot of the entire screen on a Windows computer is actually really easy, as the keyboard of the laptop or computer should have a button that says either **PrtScn,** **Print Screen,** or something similar. This button will likely be on the right side of the keyboard, but not always, depending on what computer model or keyboard you’re using. It may be on the top of the keyboard, like in the picture below.   Or, it may be on the bottom of the keyboard like in the picture below that. There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to where your print screen button will be on your keyboard, it may take a bit of searching.   To take and the save a screenshot directly in your files, just press the **Windows button (⊞)** + **PrtScn** button at the same time. For some Windows devices, you’ll be able to select the area that you’d like to take a screenshot of. For others, it will automatically take a picture of the active window. The image will be saved under the **Screenshots** folder. If you’d rather copy your screen to paste elsewhere (like in Word or Paint), then just press the **PrtScn** button on it’s own. Then you can simply press **Ctrl** + **V** to paste the image or right click your mouse and select **Paste** in the software where you’d like to paste the image. If you’re looking to take a picture of only the active window – then you can press **Alt** + **PrtScn**, which will copy the active window to your clipboard ## How to take a screenshot on Mac Taking a screenshot on Mac is as easy as pressing **command (⌘)** + **shift** + **3, command (⌘)** + **shift** + **4, or command (⌘)** + **shift** + **4 + space bar,** depending on whether you’re looking to capture the entire screen, a specific area, or a specific window. ### How to screenshot the full screen on a Mac If you want to take a screenshot of your whole screen, you just need to press **command (⌘)** + **shift** + **3** all at the same time, as seen below.   This will automatically take a screenshot, which will be saved to your files, generally with the file name “**Screen Shot** *\[date\]* **at** *\[time\]***.png**” ### How to screenshot a specific area on a Mac To take a screenshot of a specific section of your Mac, just press **command (⌘)** + **shift** + **4** all at the same time, as seen below.   This will turn your cursor into a crosshair, which you can then use to highlight the area that you’d like to take a picture of by dragging from corner to corner. If you want to cancel the screenshot, you can simply press the escape (*esc*) button. ### How to screenshot a specific window or menu on a Mac To take a screenshot of a specific window or menu on your Mac, just press **command (⌘)** + **shift** + **4** all at the same time, and then click the space bar. You should see your cursor first turn into a crosshair, and then a camera icon after clicking the space bar. This indicates that you’re ready to choose which window you’d like to screenshot. Now you’ll just need to click the window that you’d like to take a screenshot of and it will automatically be saved to your files. If you’d like to remove the window shadow from the screenshot, just hold in the option (or alt ⌥) button while clicking on the window. To cancel the screenshot, simply press the escape (*esc*) button. ## How do I take a screenshot on Windows with a Mac keyboard? If you’re using a Windows computer with a Mac keyboard, or even a Mac computer running a Windows OS, you can still use keyboard shortcuts to take a screenshot. To take a screenshot of the entire screen, just press and hold the **fn**, **Shift**, and **F11** (generally the default **PrtScn**) buttons at the same time. If you’d only like to take a screenshot of the window you’re currently using, then just press the **Option**, **fn**, **Shift**, and **F11** buttons. Depending on your Mac keyboard/model, the **PrtScn** button can be automatically assigned to the F13 button instead. ## How do I take a screenshot on Mac with a Windows keyboard? You can also use keyboard shortcuts from a Windows keyboard to take screenshots on a computer running a Mac OS. You’ll just need to press the **Windows button** (which in this case acts as the Mac’s **command button**, **Shift**, and **3** to capture the screen shot. This will take a picture of the entire screen and save the screenshot as a .png file on the desktop of your computer or laptop. If you’d like, you can also right-click on the saved screenshot file, and rename the file to anything you’d like\! ## Where do screenshots go on PC? When you take a screenshot on a Windows computer, it’s usually saved automatically on your computer under **This PC** \> **Pictures** \> **Screenshots**. ## What is the shortcut key for screenshot in Windows 10? When answering the question, keep in mind that there are a LOT of different hardware options—like different computers, laptops, and tablets—that can run Windows 10 on them, and therefore there may be different options for shortcut keys to take screenshots on. But, the following function keys should work in creating your screenshots. To take a screenshot on Windows 10 or 11, press the **Windows Logo Key (⊞)** + **PrtScn** button at the same time, which will also automatically save it to your files. If the keyboard that you’re using doesn’t have the PrtScn button, which you can see in the image in the above sections, you can also click the **Shift** + **Windows logo key (⊞)** \+ **S** to use the **Snipping Tool** to save a screenshot. Was this helpful? Yes\! Not really Thanks for letting us know\! TABLE OF CONTENTS - [How to take a screenshot on Windows](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-windows-0) - [How to take a screenshot on Mac](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-mac-1) - [How do I take a screenshot on Windows with a Mac keyboard?](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#how-do-i-take-a-screenshot-on-windows-with-a-mac-keyboard-2) - [How do I take a screenshot on Mac with a Windows keyboard?](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#how-do-i-take-a-screenshot-on-mac-with-a-windows-keyboard-3) - [Where do screenshots go on PC?](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#where-do-screenshots-go-on-pc-4) - [What is the shortcut key for screenshot in Windows 10?](https://www.atera.com/blog/how-to-screenshot-on-windows-and-mac/#what-is-the-shortcut-key-for-screenshot-in-windows-10-5) ### Endless IT possibilities Boost your productivity with Atera’s intuitive, centralized all-in-one platform Request a demo [Start free trial](https://www.atera.com/signup/) 30-day free trial. 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Whether you’re looking to share a bug you’ve found with a coworker, guide someone through a software install, send your hilarious [IT joke](https://www.atera.com/blog/a-compilation-of-best-it-puns/) you’ve hidden in your file manager, or anything in between, taking and sharing screenshots can be very useful. Luckily, both Windows and Mac Operating Systems (OS) make it easy to take a screenshot on your computer. While it can get a little bit more complicated if you use a keyboard that’s different from your Operating System, we’ll show you that it’s still not too challenging. So get ready as we take you step-by-step, with pictures, through how to take a screenshot on Windows and Mac computers. ## How to take a screenshot on Windows Taking a screenshot of the entire screen on a Windows computer is actually really easy, as the keyboard of the laptop or computer should have a button that says either **PrtScn,** **Print Screen,** or something similar. This button will likely be on the right side of the keyboard, but not always, depending on what computer model or keyboard you’re using. It may be on the top of the keyboard, like in the picture below.  Or, it may be on the bottom of the keyboard like in the picture below that. There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to where your print screen button will be on your keyboard, it may take a bit of searching.  To take and the save a screenshot directly in your files, just press the **Windows button (⊞)** + **PrtScn** button at the same time. For some Windows devices, you’ll be able to select the area that you’d like to take a screenshot of. For others, it will automatically take a picture of the active window. The image will be saved under the **Screenshots** folder. If you’d rather copy your screen to paste elsewhere (like in Word or Paint), then just press the **PrtScn** button on it’s own. Then you can simply press **Ctrl** + **V** to paste the image or right click your mouse and select **Paste** in the software where you’d like to paste the image. If you’re looking to take a picture of only the active window – then you can press **Alt** + **PrtScn**, which will copy the active window to your clipboard ## How to take a screenshot on Mac Taking a screenshot on Mac is as easy as pressing **command (⌘)** + **shift** + **3, command (⌘)** + **shift** + **4, or command (⌘)** + **shift** + **4 + space bar,** depending on whether you’re looking to capture the entire screen, a specific area, or a specific window. ### How to screenshot the full screen on a Mac If you want to take a screenshot of your whole screen, you just need to press **command (⌘)** + **shift** + **3** all at the same time, as seen below.  This will automatically take a screenshot, which will be saved to your files, generally with the file name “**Screen Shot** *\[date\]* **at** *\[time\]***.png**” ### How to screenshot a specific area on a Mac To take a screenshot of a specific section of your Mac, just press **command (⌘)** + **shift** + **4** all at the same time, as seen below.  This will turn your cursor into a crosshair, which you can then use to highlight the area that you’d like to take a picture of by dragging from corner to corner. If you want to cancel the screenshot, you can simply press the escape (*esc*) button. ### How to screenshot a specific window or menu on a Mac To take a screenshot of a specific window or menu on your Mac, just press **command (⌘)** + **shift** + **4** all at the same time, and then click the space bar. You should see your cursor first turn into a crosshair, and then a camera icon after clicking the space bar. This indicates that you’re ready to choose which window you’d like to screenshot. Now you’ll just need to click the window that you’d like to take a screenshot of and it will automatically be saved to your files. If you’d like to remove the window shadow from the screenshot, just hold in the option (or alt ⌥) button while clicking on the window. To cancel the screenshot, simply press the escape (*esc*) button. ## How do I take a screenshot on Windows with a Mac keyboard? If you’re using a Windows computer with a Mac keyboard, or even a Mac computer running a Windows OS, you can still use keyboard shortcuts to take a screenshot. To take a screenshot of the entire screen, just press and hold the **fn**, **Shift**, and **F11** (generally the default **PrtScn**) buttons at the same time. If you’d only like to take a screenshot of the window you’re currently using, then just press the **Option**, **fn**, **Shift**, and **F11** buttons. Depending on your Mac keyboard/model, the **PrtScn** button can be automatically assigned to the F13 button instead. ## How do I take a screenshot on Mac with a Windows keyboard? You can also use keyboard shortcuts from a Windows keyboard to take screenshots on a computer running a Mac OS. You’ll just need to press the **Windows button** (which in this case acts as the Mac’s **command button**, **Shift**, and **3** to capture the screen shot. This will take a picture of the entire screen and save the screenshot as a .png file on the desktop of your computer or laptop. If you’d like, you can also right-click on the saved screenshot file, and rename the file to anything you’d like\! ## Where do screenshots go on PC? When you take a screenshot on a Windows computer, it’s usually saved automatically on your computer under **This PC** \> **Pictures** \> **Screenshots**. ## What is the shortcut key for screenshot in Windows 10? When answering the question, keep in mind that there are a LOT of different hardware options—like different computers, laptops, and tablets—that can run Windows 10 on them, and therefore there may be different options for shortcut keys to take screenshots on. But, the following function keys should work in creating your screenshots. To take a screenshot on Windows 10 or 11, press the **Windows Logo Key (⊞)** + **PrtScn** button at the same time, which will also automatically save it to your files. If the keyboard that you’re using doesn’t have the PrtScn button, which you can see in the image in the above sections, you can also click the **Shift** + **Windows logo key (⊞)** \+ **S** to use the **Snipping Tool** to save a screenshot.