How to Screenshot and Screen Record on Windows

You want to save something on your screen or show someone how to do something on your computer.

You don’t need to take a photo of your laptop with your phone. Windows has tools for taking clear screenshots and recording your screen.

Here is how to use the shortcuts, edit what you capture and save it in the right format.

This guide mainly covers Windows 11. Windows 10 can take screenshots too, but its older Snipping Tool does not have the same screen-recording features. We have included the Game Bar option below.

What Is the Shortcut for Taking a Screenshot?

Hold down the Windows key and Shift, then press S: Windows + Shift + S.

Choose a capture mode and select what you want to save. Click the notification to open your screenshot for editing, or press Ctrl + V to paste it into an email, document or chat.

These are the other useful shortcuts:

• Windows + PrtScn: saves a full-screen screenshot in Pictures → Screenshots.
• Fn + S: Will open the snipping toolbar or copy the whole screen,
• Alt + PrtScn: copies only the active window. Open Paint and press Ctrl + V, then save it.
• PrtScn: may open the snipping toolbar or copy the whole screen, depending on your Windows settings.

PrtScn means Print Screen. Some laptop keyboards need you to hold Fn as well. See Microsoft’s Windows shortcut guide.

How Do I Use the Snipping Tool App?

Click Start, type Snipping Tool and open it. Choose screenshot mode, select a capture shape and click New.

• Rectangle: drag a box around the part you need.
• Window: select one app window.
• Full screen: capture the whole screen.
• Freeform: draw your own outline.

Use the Delay option when you need time to open a menu before capturing it. You can pin the app to your taskbar if you use it often. Microsoft explains the capture modes here.

How Do I Edit My Screenshot?

Open the capture in Snipping Tool. Crop out anything you don’t need, use the pen or highlighter to mark a point, or add an arrow or rectangle with the shapes tool.

For typed labels, resizing and more image editing, choose Edit in Paint. You can also right-click a saved image in File Explorer and choose Open with → Paint.

Save an edited copy with a clear name such as payment-error-edited.png. Keep the original if you may need it later. Copying an image to the clipboard is not the same as saving a file.

Which Image Format Should I Save In?

Use the save button or Ctrl + S, choose a folder and check the file-type list. PNG and JPG are the main options in the current Windows 11 Snipping Tool.

• PNG: a good choice for screenshots with text, menus or diagrams. It keeps edges clear.
• JPG/JPEG: useful for photo-heavy images where a smaller file matters. Compression can make small text less sharp.
• GIF: some older versions offer it for still images. Animated GIF export from a recording is a separate feature.

Older Snipping Tool versions may also show an HTML/MHT web-archive option. That is not a normal image format. Check your own Save as list rather than expecting every Windows version to have identical options.

How Do I Screen Record on Windows 11?

Press Windows + Shift + R. Or open Snipping Tool, select Record and click New.

1. Drag around the area you want to record.
2. Check the microphone and system-audio controls. Turn on the microphone if you want to explain what you are doing.
3. Click Start and carry out your demonstration.
4. Click Stop, play it back and save the recording as an MP4.

Make a short test first so you can check the sound. Close private messages and unnecessary tabs before recording. Microsoft’s Snipping Tool guide covers recording and editing.

What If I Am Using Windows 10?

For recording a supported app or game, use Xbox Game Bar:

1. Open the app you want to record.
2. Press Windows + G to open Game Bar and check its capture and audio settings.
3. Press Windows + Alt + R to start recording.
4. Press the same shortcut again to stop.

Your MP4 normally goes into Videos → Captures. Game Bar also works on Windows 11, but it is intended for app and game capture, not recording the Windows desktop or File Explorer. See Microsoft’s Game Bar instructions.

How Do I Edit My Screen Recording?

Select Edit in Clipchamp from the recording preview. Or open Microsoft Clipchamp, create a video project and import your saved MP4.

1. Drag the recording onto the timeline.
2. Drag the clip’s ends inward to remove unwanted time at the beginning or end.
3. To remove a mistake in the middle, split before and after it, then delete that section.
4. Add a title, captions or a voiceover if your viewer needs an explanation.
5. Play the video through, then select Export and choose a resolution.

Export creates the finished MP4 you can share. Saving your editing project alone does not create that finished video. See Microsoft’s guides to trimming a video and exporting your finished file.

Clipchamp’s personal free plan supports exports up to 1080p when you use free features. Sign-in is required; premium assets and features may need a paid plan. Check the current Clipchamp plans before selecting paid extras.

Can I Save a Recording as a GIF?

If your Snipping Tool has Export GIF, open a recording preview, select it and choose the quality. Microsoft’s documented feature supports up to 30 seconds; longer clips are offered as the first 30 seconds.

A GIF is useful for a short looping demonstration, but it has no sound. Use MP4 when the explanation needs audio. This feature depends on your installed version; Microsoft introduced it in its Snipping Tool GIF update.

What Other Features Can I Use?

• Copy text from an image: Text Actions can recognise text in a screenshot so you don’t have to type it again.
• Hide sensitive text: use the redaction option where available, then inspect the saved copy before sharing.
• Pick a colour: newer versions include a colour picker for copying an on-screen colour value.
• Perfect Screenshot: supported Copilot+ PCs can automatically adjust the capture boundary around content.

Feature availability varies with your device and app version. Microsoft describes text actions and audio recording and the newer colour-picker and screenshot features.

Where Do My Files Go?

With automatic saving enabled, look in Pictures → Screenshots for images and Videos → Screen Recordings for Snipping Tool videos. Game Bar uses Videos → Captures.

Check Snipping Tool’s … → Settings for your actual save location and automatic-save settings. Your folders may differ if you have changed them or use OneDrive. Save the final edited version deliberately so you don’t accidentally share the unedited capture.

If Record or another feature is missing on Windows 11, update Snipping Tool through the Microsoft Store and reopen it. You don’t need a paid screenshot app for these everyday tasks.