How to Screenshot on a Dell Laptop (2026)

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Quick Reference: All Screenshot Methods

Method 1: Print Screen Key (PrtScn)

The simplest method. Press the PrtScn key on your Dell laptop keyboard to capture the entire screen. On Dell laptops, this key is usually in the top-right area of the keyboard, sometimes labeled “PrtSc” or “Print Screen.” On some Dell models, you need to press Fn + PrtScn because the Print Screen function is shared with another key.

Pressing PrtScn copies the screenshot to your clipboard. It doesn’t save a file automatically. To use the screenshot, open any app that accepts images (Paint, Word, an email, a chat window) and press Ctrl + V to paste. In Paint, you can then save it as a PNG or JPEG file.

Method 2: Auto-Save Full Screen (Windows + PrtScn)

If you want the screenshot saved as a file automatically without pasting anywhere, press Windows + PrtScn. The screen dims briefly to confirm the capture. The screenshot saves as a PNG file in your Pictures folder under a subfolder called “Screenshots.” The file is named “Screenshot (1).png,” “Screenshot (2).png,” and so on.

1. Press the Windows key and PrtScn at the same time.
2. The screen flashes briefly.
3. Open File Explorer and navigate to This PC, then Pictures, then Screenshots.
4. Your screenshot is there as a PNG file.

This is the fastest method when you need screenshot files rather than clipboard copies. No pasting, no saving dialog – the file appears in the Screenshots folder immediately.

Method 3: Capture a Single Window (Alt + PrtScn)

When you only want to capture one window rather than the entire screen, click on the window you want to capture, then press Alt + PrtScn. This copies just that window to your clipboard, excluding the taskbar and any other open windows behind it.

Like the regular PrtScn method, this copies to your clipboard. Open Paint or any image editor, press Ctrl + V to paste, and save the file. This method is useful when you have multiple monitors or want a clean screenshot of a single application without the desktop background showing.

Method 4: Snipping Tool (Windows + Shift + S)

The Snipping Tool gives you the most control over what you capture. Press Windows + Shift + S and the screen dims with a toolbar at the top offering four capture modes.

Rectangular Snip: Click and drag to draw a rectangle around the area you want to capture. This is the default mode and the one you’ll use most often.

Freeform Snip: Draw any shape around the area you want. Useful for capturing irregular regions, though the result has transparent areas outside your drawn shape.

Window Snip: Click on any window to capture it. Similar to Alt + PrtScn but with a visual selection interface.

Full Screen Snip: Captures the entire screen, same as PrtScn but through the Snipping Tool interface.

After capturing, a notification appears in the bottom right corner. Click it to open the screenshot in the Snipping Tool editor, where you can annotate (draw, highlight, add text), crop, and save. If you ignore the notification, the screenshot stays on your clipboard for pasting.

How to Open the Full Snipping Tool App

The Windows + Shift + S shortcut gives you the quick capture overlay. For more features, open the full Snipping Tool app.

1. Press the Windows key and type “Snipping Tool.”
2. Click the app to open it.
3. Click “New” to start a capture, or set a delay (3, 5, or 10 seconds) to capture menus or tooltips that disappear when you click away.
4. Choose your capture mode (rectangle, freeform, window, full screen).
5. After capturing, the editor opens with annotation tools, crop, and save options.

The delay feature is what sets the full app apart from the shortcut. If you need to screenshot a dropdown menu, a right-click context menu, or a tooltip, set a 3-second delay, trigger the menu, and the tool captures it before it disappears.

Method 5: Xbox Game Bar

The Xbox Game Bar isn’t just for gaming – it works as a screenshot and screen recording tool for any app.

1. Press Windows + G to open the Game Bar overlay.
2. Click the camera icon in the “Capture” widget, or press Windows + Alt + PrtScn to take a screenshot immediately.
3. The screenshot saves to your Videos folder under “Captures.”

The Game Bar is most useful when you also want to record video of your screen. For static screenshots, the Snipping Tool or PrtScn methods are faster. The Game Bar captures only the active window, not the full screen, and doesn’t offer selection tools.

Where to Find Your Screenshots

Depending on which method you used, screenshots end up in different places.

What if the PrtScn key doesn’t work on my Dell laptop?

Some Dell laptops require the Fn key to activate Print Screen. Try pressing Fn + PrtScn instead. If that doesn’t work either, check if your Dell has a “Function Lock” (Fn Lock) feature – press Fn + Esc to toggle it. On Dell Latitude and Precision models, the BIOS settings may have the function keys configured differently. You can also use Windows + Shift + S as an alternative that doesn’t rely on the PrtScn key at all.

How do I screenshot on a Dell laptop with two monitors?

PrtScn and Windows + PrtScn capture all monitors combined into one wide image. To capture just one screen, use the Snipping Tool (Windows + Shift + S) and draw a rectangle around the monitor you want. Alternatively, click a window on the monitor you want to capture and use Alt + PrtScn to grab just that window.

Can I change where screenshots are saved?

Yes. Right-click the Screenshots folder in Pictures, select “Properties,” go to the “Location” tab, and click “Move” to choose a different folder (like your Desktop or a cloud-synced folder). All future Windows + PrtScn screenshots save to the new location. For Snipping Tool captures, you choose the save location each time through the Save dialog.

See also: How to Screenshot on MacBook Pro, Screenshot on Windows Desktop, How to Screenshot on iPad

Sources

Microsoft – Snipping Tool | Dell – Dell Support