Windows Screenshot Shortcut and Snipping Tool: Complete Guide for Windows 10 and 11
All Windows screenshot shortcuts and how to use Snipping Tool on Windows 10 and 11. Screen clipping shortcuts, annotate screenshots, capture windows and scrolling pages.
Windows has several built-in screenshot methods — each suited to different situations. Here's every option and when to use it.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | What it captures | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
PrtScn |
Full screen | Clipboard |
Win + PrtScn |
Full screen | Saved to Pictures\Screenshots |
Alt + PrtScn |
Active window only | Clipboard |
Win + Shift + S |
You select area | Clipboard + notification |
Win + G |
Game bar capture | Videos\Captures folder |
Win + Shift + S opens the Snipping Tool selector — the most versatile option.
Snipping Tool (Windows 11)
Win + Shift + S or search Snipping Tool in Start.
Capture modes:
- Rectangle — drag to select any area
- Window — click a specific window
- Full screen — entire screen
- Freeform — draw any shape
After capture, a notification appears in the bottom right. Click it to open the editor.
Snipping Tool Editor
After capture, the editor opens automatically (or click the notification):
- Pen, highlighter, eraser — annotate directly on the screenshot
- Crop — trim the image
- Ruler and protractor — draw straight lines at angles
- Text recognition (OCR) —
Ctrl + Shift + Textracts text from the screenshot
Save: Ctrl + S — saves as PNG, JPG, or GIF. Copy: Ctrl + C — copies to clipboard for pasting anywhere.
Delay Screenshot
For capturing tooltips, menus, or states that disappear when you press a key:
Open Snipping Tool app → click the clock icon → set 3 or 10 second delay → click New → switch to the window you want to capture → wait for the timer.
Capture Scrolling Content
Windows doesn't have a built-in scrolling screenshot. Options:
Browser scrolling screenshots:
- Edge: right-click page → Screenshot → Capture full page
- Firefox: right-click → Take screenshot → Save full page
- Chrome: install GoFullPage extension
Third-party tools: ShareX (free, open source) supports scrolling capture for any window.
ShareX: Most Powerful Free Option
ShareX is the gold standard for power users:
- Scrolling screenshots
- Screen recording
- Auto-upload to Imgur, Google Drive, etc.
- Built-in OCR, image editor, color picker
Download from getsharex.com — completely free and open source.
Screenshot Location
Win + PrtScn saves automatically to:
C:\Users\YourName\Pictures\Screenshots\
Change the default folder:
Right-click Screenshots folder → Properties → Location → Move → choose new path.
Screenshots via PowerShell
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms
$screen = [System.Windows.Forms.Screen]::PrimaryScreen.Bounds
$bitmap = New-Object System.Drawing.Bitmap($screen.Width, $screen.Height)
$graphics = [System.Drawing.Graphics]::FromImage($bitmap)
$graphics.CopyFromScreen($screen.Location, [System.Drawing.Point]::Empty, $screen.Size)
$bitmap.Save("C:\screenshot.png")
$graphics.Dispose()
$bitmap.Dispose()
Write-Host "Saved to C:\screenshot.png"
Summary
For quick capture: Win + Shift + S → select area → paste anywhere. For annotated screenshots: open Snipping Tool → capture → use the built-in editor. For scrolling pages: use browser's built-in tool or ShareX. For automated or scripted screenshots: use the PowerShell method above.