Screen capture on a Windows PC
Short answer: On a Windows desktop, bind one hotkey for region capture and one for active-monitor capture. Windows + Shift + S covers the first; ShareX or PicPick can bind the second, which matters on multi-monitor setups.
Last verified: 2026-08-01
Multi-monitor and high-DPI considerations
- Mixed-DPI setups can produce blurry captures; set capture software to be DPI aware in its settings.
- A 4K capture pasted into a document may appear oversized — capture the window, not the screen.
- Give each monitor a predictable hotkey rather than dragging a region every time.
Where Windows saves your screenshots
- Windows + Print Screen saves PNG files to This PC \ Pictures \ Screenshots.
- Windows + Alt + Print Screen saves to This PC \ Videos \ Captures via Xbox Game Bar.
- Windows + Shift + S copies to the clipboard first; the file only exists once you save it from the Snipping Tool editor.
- Print Screen and Alt + Print Screen copy to the clipboard only — paste into an editor or document with Ctrl + V.
You can move the Screenshots folder: right-click it, open Properties, then the Location tab, and choose a new path.
Recommended Windows software
ShareX
ShareX Team
Free, open-source Windows screenshot and screen capture software with scrolling capture, OCR, screen recording and scriptable after-capture workflows.
- Screenshot
- Region capture
- Window capture
- Full screen capture
- Scrolling capture
PicPick
NGWIN
Windows screenshot software combining region, window and scrolling capture with an image editor, colour picker, ruler, protractor and whiteboard.
- Screenshot
- Region capture
- Window capture
- Full screen capture
- Scrolling capture
Snagit
TechSmith
Commercial Windows screenshot and screen capture software with scrolling capture, a polished annotation editor, templates, OCR and screen recording.
- Screenshot
- Region capture
- Window capture
- Full screen capture
- Scrolling capture
OBS Studio
OBS Project
Free, open-source Windows screen recording and streaming software with scenes, sources and a screenshot output for the current frame.
- Screen recording
- Full screen capture
- Window capture
- Screenshot