How to Use the 'Print Screen' Function on a Keyboard

This wikiHow teaches you how to locate and use a Windows computer's 'Print Screen' key to take a screenshot of items on your computer's screen. Once you've taken a screenshot, you can paste it into a program like Paint or Microsoft Word....

Part 1 of 2:

Taking a Screenshot

How to Use the 'Print Screen' Function on a Keyboard Picture 1
Find the ⎙ Print Screen key. It's typically on the far-right side of the row of "Function" keys (e.g., F5) that are at the top of the keyboard.
1. The "Print Screen" key typically has "Sys Req" written below it.
2. The "Print Screen" key may also say "prt scr", "prnt scrn", or "prt sc".
3. If the "Print Screen" key has "Print Screen" listed below another line of text (such as "Sys Req"), you'll have to hold down your computer's Fn key to enable the Print Screen function.
How to Use the 'Print Screen' Function on a Keyboard Picture 2
Open an item you wish to screenshot. When you take a screenshot using the "Print Screen" key, everything on your screen (except your mouse cursor) is included in the shot by default.
1. Be careful when taking a screenshot, since it's easy to forget you have personal information on-screen.
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Press ⎙ Print Screen. This will take a screenshot of anything on your computer's monitor and save it to your computer's clipboard.
1. You can also hold down the Alt key while pressing ⎙ Print Screen in order to screenshot only the top window.
2. On Windows 8 and 10, you can press ⊞ Win+⎙ Print Screen to take a screenshot and add it to your computer's "Screenshots" folder, which is in the "Pictures" folder.
3. You may need to switch off the Function Lock before pressing ⎙ Print Screen.

Part 2 of 2:

Pasting a Screenshot

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Open a program with which you wish to use your screenshot. This might be Microsoft Paint, Word, PowerPoint, an email, or a social media post.
1. If you're opening Word, PowerPoint, or any other Microsoft Office program, you'll need to select a new, blank document before proceeding.
2. You can also paste your screenshot into an existing document.
How to Use the 'Print Screen' Function on a Keyboard Picture 5

Click in the area where you want your screenshot. If you're posting your screenshot on Twitter, for example, you would open a new tweet box. For Microsoft PowerPoint, you would click a blank slide.
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Press Ctrl+V. This will immediately paste your screenshot into your selected program.
1. If you're using social media or some email clients, this will automatically add your picture as an attachment.