When you're using a Microsoft 365 program with Windows, there are two ways to copy the contents of what you see on your screen (commonly referred to as a "screenshot" or "screen capture"). You can use the Snipping Tool or the PRINT SCREEN key.
Use the Snipping Tool
The Windows Snipping Tool captures all or part of your PC screen. After you capture a snip, it's automatically copied to the Snipping Tool window. From there you can edit, save, or share the snip.
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Set up your screen so you can clearly see what you want to capture.
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Press Windows logo key+Shift+S.
The desktop darkens so you can select an area for your screenshot.
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On the mini toolbar that appears, select the snipping mode you want: rectangular mode, free-form mode, window mode, or full-screen mode:
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If you select rectangular or free-form mode, you must then click and drag to highlight the area you want to capture. If you select window or full-screen mode, the capture takes place immediately.
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The screenshot is automatically copied to your clipboard. A notification also appears once you're finished taking a screenshot. Select the notification to open the image in the Snipping Tool editor.
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Edit the image as needed with the ink pen, highlighter, eraser, ruler, and cropping tool.
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Near the upper right, select Save, or select Copy if you want to immediately paste the edited image somewhere else.
For more details and instructions, see Use Snipping Tool to capture screenshots.
Use the PRINT SCREEN key
Pressing PRINT SCREEN captures an image of your entire screen and copies it to the Clipboard in your computer's memory. You can then paste (CTRL+V) the image into a document, email message, or other file.
Where is the PRINT SCREEN button?
The PRINT SCREEN key is usually located in the upper right corner of your keyboard. The key looks similar to the following:
The text you see on your keyboard might be PrtSc, PrtScn, or PrntScrn. The other text on the Print Screen key is usually SysRq.
Copy only the image of the active window
The active window is the window that you are currently working in. Only one window can be active at a time.
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Click the window that you want to copy.
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Press ALT+PRINT SCREEN.
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Paste (CTRL+V) the image into an Office program or other application.
Copy the entire image on the screen
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Open everything you want to copy and position it the way you want.
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Press PRINT SCREEN.
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Paste (CTRL+V) the image into an Office program or other application.
Modify the image
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Paste (CTRL+V) the image into a drawing application, such as Microsoft Paint, and by using the tools available in your drawing application, you can add circles around text or images you want to highlight or crop anything that you don't want to appear in the image.
For more complex modifications, we recommend that you use the Snipping Tool to capture your screen shot.
