What’s actually slowing this PC down?

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Use the capture controls already built into your device. On Windows, press Windows + Shift + S; on a Mac, press Shift-Command-3 or Shift-Command-4; on iPhone and most Android phones, press the documented hardware-button combination; and on Chromebook, use the Screenshot key or Screen Capture menu. Your capture then appears in the device’s normal screenshots folder, desktop, Downloads folder, Photos app, or Gallery.

The exact shortcut varies by operating-system version, phone button layout, keyboard, and manufacturer. The procedures below cover Windows, macOS, iPhone, Android, and Chromebook, with a separate note about Linux.

Quick reference by device

Device Whole-screen method Selected area or window Typical destination
Windows 10/11 Print Screen copies the full screen; Windows + Shift + S opens Snipping Tool Snipping Tool offers rectangular, freeform, window, and full-screen modes Screenshots folder or the clipboard, depending on the method
Mac Shift-Command-3 Shift-Command-4, then drag; press Space for a window or menu Desktop by default
iPhone Side + Volume Up on Face ID models; button combinations differ on Home-button models Capture the screen, then crop or mark it in the preview/editor Photos
Android phone Power + Volume Down, or Power menu > Screenshot Use the post-capture controls; Android 12 and later often offer Capture more for scrolling screens Photos or Gallery
Chromebook Screenshot key, Screen Capture in quick settings, or Shift + Ctrl + Show windows Screen Capture offers full-screen, partial-screen, and window modes Downloads by default

Windows: use Snipping Tool or Print Screen

Capture a region, window, or the entire display

  1. Press Windows logo key + Shift + S. A Snipping Tool overlay appears at the top of the screen.
  2. Choose Rectangular, Freeform, Window, or Full-screen snip.
  3. For a rectangular or freeform snip, drag over the area you want. For a window snip, select the window. Full-screen snip captures the display immediately.
  4. Select the notification or open Snipping Tool to annotate, crop, or mark the image.
  5. Use Save or Save as to choose the filename and folder. Windows also automatically saves captured snips in the Screenshots folder on current versions.

Copy a full screen without opening the overlay

Press Print Screen (PrtSc) for a static image of the entire screen copied to the clipboard. Open Paint, Word, an image editor, or another app and press Ctrl + V to paste it. This method may not create a file until you paste and save the image.

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Choose the right Windows mode

  • Rectangular: best for a precise box around a dialog, image, or section of a page.
  • Freeform: useful when the subject has an irregular outline.
  • Window: avoids capturing neighboring windows and the taskbar.
  • Full-screen: records everything visible on the selected display.

Mac: keyboard shortcuts and Screenshot controls

Take the standard captures

  1. Press Shift-Command-3 to capture the entire screen.
  2. Press Shift-Command-4, then drag to select a region.
  3. After pressing Shift-Command-4, press Space to switch to a window or menu capture, then select the target.

macOS normally saves these captures to the desktop. Hold Control while using a shortcut to place the image on the clipboard instead of saving it as a file. You can then paste it into another app.

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Use the Screenshot control panel

On macOS Mojave 10.14 and later, press Shift-Command-5 to open the Screenshot controls. The panel provides full-screen, window, and selected-area capture, along with a timer and save-location settings. Use the options menu before capturing if you want a destination other than the desktop.

Some applications can block screenshots of their windows. If a particular app produces a blank or restricted image, check that app’s own export or sharing command rather than repeatedly changing the keyboard shortcut.

iPhone: match the buttons on your model

Face ID iPhones

Press and quickly release the side button and volume-up button together. Do not hold them for several seconds, because that can open power or emergency controls instead of taking a screenshot.

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Touch ID with a side button

Press and quickly release the side button and Home button at the same time.

Touch ID with a top button

Press and quickly release the top button and Home button together.

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Find and edit the image

Open Photos > Collections > Media Types > Screenshots. From there you can crop, mark up, share, or delete the image. Apple’s immediate review and save interface differs between iOS 26 and iOS 18 and earlier, so the thumbnail behavior is not identical on every iPhone software version.

Android: start with the standard buttons, then use the manufacturer fallback

Try Power plus Volume Down

Press Power + Volume down at the same time. Release both buttons quickly. A preview or toolbar usually appears, allowing you to edit, share, or capture more of the page.

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Use the Power menu if the shortcut fails

  1. Press and hold the Power button for a few seconds.
  2. Tap Screenshot in the power menu.
  3. If neither method works, follow the support instructions for your phone’s manufacturer. Button behavior is not guaranteed to be identical across Android brands and models.

Capture a scrolling screen

On Android 12 and later, most scrollable screens support an expanded capture. Take the initial screenshot, tap Capture more, and adjust the crop guides to include additional content. The option appears only when the current app and screen support scrolling capture.

Locate the file

In Google Photos, go to Photos > Collections > On this device > Screenshots. Phones using an older setup without Photos may place captures in the Gallery app instead.

Chromebook: Screenshot key, quick settings, or keyboard shortcut

Open Screen Capture

  1. Press the dedicated Screenshot key if your Chromebook keyboard has one.
  2. If it does not, open the quick-settings area and select Screen Capture.
  3. On a standard Chromebook keyboard, press Shift + Ctrl + Show windows to open the capture controls.
  4. If an external keyboard has no Show windows key, Google specifies Ctrl + Shift + F5 as the alternative.

Select the capture scope and destination

Screen Capture lets you choose Full screen, Partial screen, or Window. Screenshots are saved to Downloads by default. Open the capture settings if you want to select another folder before taking the image.

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Where screenshots are saved

Platform Default or common location Important exception
Windows Screenshots folder for Snipping Tool captures Print Screen alone places the image on the clipboard until you paste and save it
Mac Desktop Shift-Command-5 can change the save location; Control sends the capture to the clipboard
iPhone Photos > Collections > Media Types > Screenshots The immediate preview interface varies by iOS release
Android Photos > Collections > On this device > Screenshots, or Gallery on some older setups Manufacturer software can rename menus or use a different gallery app
Chromebook Downloads Screen Capture settings can select another folder

Choose the capture method by what you need to show

Whole screen

Use a whole-screen shortcut when the surrounding context matters, such as a system error, multi-window layout, or full presentation. Before saving or sharing, close unrelated windows and remove private notifications from view.

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A single window

Window capture is cleaner for documenting one application. macOS uses Shift-Command-4 followed by Space; Windows and Chromebook expose a Window option in their capture menus.

A selected area

Use a region when you need only a control, chart, message, or part of a webpage. It reduces later cropping and keeps unrelated information out of the file.

A long or scrolling page

Android 12 and later commonly provide Capture more for supported scrollable screens. The desktop procedures above are primarily still-image captures of the visible display; a webpage’s full length may require that site’s print/export feature or a dedicated capture tool.

Troubleshooting common screenshot problems

Nothing happens when you press the shortcut

  • Press and release the keys together rather than holding them for several seconds.
  • On Windows, verify that you are using the Windows logo key and Shift, not Ctrl.
  • On Chromebooks, use Screen Capture from quick settings if the keyboard layout lacks the expected key.
  • On Android, try the Power menu method and then consult the phone manufacturer’s instructions.

The image is in the clipboard, not a folder

Print Screen on Windows and Control-modified Mac shortcuts intentionally copy the image. Paste it into an image editor and save it, or repeat the capture without the clipboard modifier.

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You cannot find the saved file

Check the platform’s default location first: Windows Screenshots, Mac desktop, Chromebook Downloads, or the Screenshots album in Photos/Gallery. If you changed a destination in Screenshot controls, use that selected folder instead.

The wrong screen or window was captured

Use a window or selected-area mode instead of a whole-screen shortcut. On multi-display computers, confirm which display is active before dragging or selecting a window.

The capture is blank or restricted

Some applications block screenshots of their windows. Look for an in-app export, download, or sharing command. Do not assume that changing the shortcut will bypass an application’s capture restriction.

The screenshot contains sensitive information

Open the image before sharing it. Crop out account numbers, private messages, notifications, browser tabs, and unrelated windows; then save a separate redacted copy so the original remains intact.

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What about Linux?

There is no single Linux shortcut that applies to every installation. The procedure depends on the distribution and desktop environment, and the support material covered here does not establish one universal key combination. Identify the distribution and desktop environment first, then follow that project’s documented screenshot command or utility.

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Or skip the browser setup

If your goal is to capture a public webpage rather than your local screen, ScreenshotNeo returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF from one request. It is useful for scripts and services where opening a browser manually would be inconvenient. The API accepts full-page capture, lazy-image loading, CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, device presets or custom viewports, retina scale, PDF paper and margin settings, custom CSS or JavaScript, click and wait actions, hidden selectors, blocked ads or resource types, custom headers, cookies, user agents, authorization, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, TTL-based caching, signed image links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, and a usage API. Its parameter names also match those used by many other screenshot APIs, which can simplify a switch.

Before capture, ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and the response reports the page verdict and billing status in X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers.

One-call cURL example

See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for request options.

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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Python

import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Node.js

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);

ScreenshotNeo also provides an MCP server with take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I take a screenshot with an external keyboard?

Yes, if the keyboard provides the expected system keys. Chromebook documents Ctrl + Shift + F5 when Show windows is unavailable; on other systems, use the on-screen capture menu if the key labels or layout differ.

Can every device capture a complete scrolling webpage?

No. Android 12 and later commonly offer Capture more for supported scrollable screens, while desktop built-in shortcuts generally capture the visible display. For a complete webpage, use the site’s export feature or a web-capture service.

Should I overwrite the original after redacting a screenshot?

Keep the original and save a separate redacted copy. This preserves an unedited record while giving you a safer file to share.

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