As a design agency testing and designing websites on a daily basis, screenshot keyboard shortcuts are muscle-memory. But, we are often asked by clients how to take a screenshot. Here's a quick list of different devices and how to take a screenshot with them.
On a Mac desktop computer:
How to take a screenshot of your entire screen
- Press Shift-Command (⌘)-3.
- Find the screenshot as a .png file on your desktop.
How to take a screenshot of a selected portion of your screen
- Press Shift-Command-4. The pointer changes to a crosshair.
- Move the crosshair to where you want to start the screenshot, then drag to select an area.While dragging, you can hold Shift, Option, or Space bar to change the way the selection moves.
- When you've selected the area you want, release your mouse or trackpad button. To cancel, press the Esc (Escape) key before you release the button.
- Find the screenshot as a .png file on your desktop.
How to take a screenshot of a window
- Press Shift-Command-4. The pointer changes to a crosshair.
- Press the Space bar. The pointer changes to a camera.
- Move the camera over a window to highlight it.
- Click your mouse or trackpad. To cancel, press the Esc (Escape) key before you click.
- Find the screenshot as a .png file on your desktop.
On a PC desktop computer:
on the keyboard: PrtScn (Print Screen) or CTRL+ PrtScnUse your keyboard and press the PrtScn (Print Screen) key or CTRL + PrtScn keys. Your computer will take a screenshot of the entire screen and save it to your clipboard. Next you'll need to open an image editing program like Adobe Photoshop or Paint and paste the image.
On an iPad:
- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on the top or side of your device.
- Immediately press and release the Home button.
- To find your screenshot, go to the Photos app > Albums and tap Camera Roll.
On an iPhone:
- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on the top or side of your device.
- Immediately press and release the Home button.
- To find your screenshot, go to the Photos app > Albums and tap Camera Roll.
On an Android:
Android devices vary on how to take screenshots. Greenbot.com has an extensive list of device types and how to take a screenshot on them.Unless you're part of a design company and screenshots are in your nature, bookmark this page for future reference!
