Using the Print Screen Key and pasting the captured screenshot still works in Windows 11, but you have other options that are easier and more convenient.
Microsoft Windows has long had numerous options for taking screenshots, also known as screencaps or screen grabs—perhaps too many. Windows 11 simplifies the situation. Recent updates to the OS have added nifty new tools that let you take screenshots more easily, record video of your screen activity, and run optical character recognition (OCR) on images. Here are seven ways to take a screenshot in Windows 11. 1. Press PrtScn (Print Screen Key) and Paste
Here’s the longstanding traditional method. Press the Print Screen key (PrtScn), and an image of the entire screen copies to the clipboard. You then must paste the image into an app such as Microsoft Paint or Adobe Photoshop, either by pressing Ctrl-V or choosing Paste from a menu or right-click option.
An advantage of this method (and the next) is that it doesn’t affect the app displaying on your screen the way using a keyboard-combination shortcut sometimes does. For example, sometimes a menu dropdown disappears if you use a shortcut instead.
If you want to capture only the active window and not the full desktop image, add the Alt key for Alt-PrtScn. Using this keyboard shortcut saves the current window to the clipboard, and from there, you can paste it into an image editing application. In Windows 11, the result can be a little strange because the rounded window corners are extended to squared-off corners (image files are always rectangular).
In Windows 11, the Print Screen key now opens the Snipping Tool (see below) by default. To return to the behavior described above, go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and switch off the setting «Use the Print screen key to open screen capture.»2. Set Up PrtScn to Automatically Save to OneDrive
Combined with OneDrive, the Print Screen (PrtSc) key can automatically create an image file of your screenshot. I include this method separately from the standard PrtScn option because the result is so different and saves you the extra steps of opening an app, pasting from the clipboard, and saving an image file.
To set up this method, click OneDrive’s cloud icon on the right side of the taskbar. Choose Settings and then check ‘Save Screenshots I capture to OneDrive’ in the Backup tab of the dialog box. That one simple checkbox changes everything about PrtScn. When you tap the key, your PC automatically creates a PNG image file in the OneDrive/username/Pictures/Screenshots folder. The filename uses the current date and time.
Right after you take the screenshot, a notification appears in the lower right corner of the screen; clicking on this takes you directly to the folder with the file highlighted. You can then access it from any device with OneDrive (there are clients for every major platform, as well as a web version). This applies to any screenshot you snap on any PC (or even on a Mac!) signed into the same OneDrive account (i.e., your Microsoft account). It’s handy when I don’t have time to save an image file in a separate step, such as during a live presentation. 3. Press Windows Key-PrtScn
Here’s yet another way to use the PrtScn key: Use the keyboard shortcut Windows Key-PrtScn.
Use this option if you want to take screenshots and automatically save them to the local drive. This method causes the screen to dim briefly and places a PNG file in the Pictures > Screenshots folder by default.
