Use this guide when you need to show someone an error, save a receipt, or record a short how-to. Have the device you want to capture from and decide whether you need a still image or a video.
Step by step
Take a screenshot on Windows
Press Windows key + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool and drag around the area you want. The image is copied to the clipboard, and a notification lets you open it to annotate and save. The Print Screen key also captures the whole screen on most keyboards.
Take a screenshot on a Mac
Press Shift + Command + 3 for the whole screen or Shift + Command + 4 to drag around an area. A thumbnail appears in the corner that you can click to mark up. Screenshots save to the desktop by default.
Capture on a phone or tablet
On most iPhones press the side button and volume up together, and on most Android phones press power and volume down together. Some Android phones also offer a scrolling or long screenshot to capture a whole page. The image goes into your photo gallery.
Record your screen as video
On a Mac press Shift + Command + 5 and choose a recording option. On Windows 11 the Snipping Tool has a record option, and many phones have a Screen Record control in the Control Centre or quick settings panel. Check whether the microphone is on before you start if you want to talk through it.
Hide private information
Before sharing, crop out anything not needed and cover names, account numbers, email addresses and notifications with the markup or blur tool. Turn on do not disturb before recording so messages do not pop up. Check the whole video, not just the start.
Share it in the right format
Send screenshots as images rather than pasting them into a document unless asked. Large screen recordings may be too big for email, so trim them first or share a link from your cloud storage. Add a sentence explaining what the person should look at.
Ready-to-use checklist
- Know the shortcut for your device
- Captured only the part of the screen needed
- Annotated or highlighted the key area
- Cropped or blurred personal details
- Do not disturb switched on before recording
- Microphone setting checked
- Recording trimmed to the useful part
- Shared with a short explanation
Practical tips
- When reporting a problem to support, include the full error message and the time it happened alongside the screenshot.
- Rename screenshots straight away with a short description so you can find them later.
- Some banking and streaming apps block screenshots, so write down the details instead if the capture comes out black.
Common problems
Nothing seems to happen when I press the screenshot keys.
On Windows the image may only be on the clipboard, so paste it into Paint or an email, or check the Screenshots folder in Pictures. On laptops you may need to hold the Fn key with Print Screen.
My screen recording has no sound.
The microphone or system audio was probably off. On a Mac check Options in the Shift + Command + 5 bar, and on phones long-press the screen record control to turn the microphone on before recording.
The recording file is too large to send.
Trim the start and end in your photos or video app, or upload it to cloud storage and share a view-only link instead of attaching it.
This guide gives general information, not personal legal, financial or medical advice. Rules and prices change, so check the current position with the official service before acting.
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