How do I capture a screen shot in Microsoft Windows?

A screen shot (or screen capture) is an image of a window or screen that is usually stored in the clipboard for later pasting into a document. To capture a screen shot, perform the following:

1. Navigate to the window you would like to take a screen shot
2. Press the Print Screen key. This may be abbreviated to something similar to Prt Sc.
   Notes:
   • Some keyboards (primarily laptops) may have Print Screen as a secondary function (if the words have a "box" around them or are in a different color) and require holding the Function (Fn) key, normally located in the lower left of the keyboard, while pressing Print Screen
   • Holding Alt while pressing Print Screen will only take a screen shot of the active window

Note: On a keyboard where Print Screen is a secondary function, you will need to press Fn+ALT+PrtScn​ to capture a screenshot of the active window

To paste a screen shot, perform the following:

1. Open a new Microsoft Office Word document and click in to the blank space
2. Press the Ctrl + V keys OR Right Click in the blank space and select Paste (you should see a picture of your screen)
3. Save your screenshot as a Word Document

For additional information on taking a screen shot, please see the Related Articles and Related Links section to the right.