When you’re trying to explain something, there’s nothing quite like including an image to help bring your message to life. They say a picture’s worth a thousand words—the same could be said for screenshots, which can be especially helpful when you need to show something you’re doing on your computer.
But how do you capture a screenshot?
In this guide, we’ll explain how to capture a screenshot using built-in tools on your Windows PC or Mac. We’ll also highlight how a purpose-built application like Dropbox Capture can take your screenshots to new heights.
Jump to section
- What is a screenshot?
- What are screenshots used for?
- How to take a screenshot with built-in tools
- Limitations of built-in screenshot tools
- How to take a screenshot with Dropbox Capture
What is a screenshot?
A screenshot, sometimes referred to as a screengrab or snip, is an image that captures the contents of the screen on a computer, phone, or any capable device with a display. Screenshots will often include either the entire screen, multiple screens, an individual window, or a selected portion of the screen.
The ability to capture what you see on screen as an image has been around in some shape or form since the early days of computing, with a “print screen” key being a common feature on most keyboards.
Today, the number of options and methods for capturing a screenshot are vast and can vary, depending on the device you’re using and what you want to do with your screenshot.
What are screenshots used for?
Screenshots are generally used to share—or store a record of—anything that might be on a computer screen.
This could be something as simple as taking a screenshot of a conversation in a messaging app to share with a friend or colleague, to capturing a detailed workflow with multiple windows open on the screen.
Depending on the type of information visible on your screen, you might want to edit—or omit entirely—specific elements. Say you’re capturing a screenshot of your online banking account, for example—you’d likely want to edit the screenshot to remove any personal information for security.
How to capture a screenshot using basic, built-in tools
If you just need the absolute basics, you can use functionality built into your computer without the need for additional tools.
Capture a screenshot on Windows
To capture a screenshot on a Windows 10 or 11 device, simply press Windows Key + Shift + S to open the screenshot tool.
Once open, you can choose from the following capture methods at the top of the screen:
- Rectangular snip
- Freeform snip
- Window snip
- Fullscreen snip
With your option selected, click—and drag, if required—the desired area of the screen to capture your screenshot. The image will then be automatically added to your clipboard, ready for you to then hit Ctrl + V to paste into the app of your choosing.
If you want to save your screenshot as an image, either paste it into an image editing app like Paint3D or MS Paint and save it. You can also use a built-in legacy tool like the Snipping Tool, or the newer Snip & Sketch app.
Capture a screenshot on Mac
To capture a screenshot on a Mac, the keyboard shortcut will depend on the type of screenshot you want to capture:
- Capture the entire screen—press Command + Shift + 3
- Capture a section of the screen—press Command + Shift + 4
- Capture a window or menu—press Command + Shift + 4, followed by the space bar
- Record your screen—press Command + Shift + 5
After completing this step, your screenshot will either be captured automatically or you’ll be able to click—or click and drag—the desired portion of the screen.
Your screenshot will then pop up as a thumbnail in the corner of your screen, which you can click to edit or leave, after which it will automatically be saved to your desktop by default.
The limitations of built-in screenshot tools
While both Windows and Mac devices come with built-in screenshot functionality, these come with some limitations.
For instance, your options are limited to a few basic screen capture methods—what happens when you need to capture multiple steps in quick succession? You’ll also have to use multiple apps, or jump into a less user-friendly workflow, if you want to edit or share your screenshots.
Thankfully, there’s a better way to capture screenshots, along with screen recordings, GIFs, and more—Dropbox Capture.
Introducing Dropbox Capture—the better way to capture your screen
With Dropbox Capture, it’s easy to make your point however you like, with the ability to take screenshots, record your screen, or record GIFs and instantly share them with a link.
Feature-rich editing tools built into Dropbox Capture make it easy to quickly annotate your screenshot by drawing on it, adding shapes, blurring sections, or even adding text.
If a screenshot isn’t making your point clearly enough, you can record your screen or create an animated GIF. You can even record audio from your microphone and video from your webcam if you want to add a voiceover or your smiling face.
How to take a screenshot with Dropbox Capture
To get started, simply download the Dropbox Capture application to your Windows or Mac computer.
With the app installed and ready to go, let’s walk through what Dropbox Capture has to offer.
How to capture a screenshot on Windows or Mac
To capture a screenshot, open the Dropbox Capture app on your computer.
If you’re on Windows, you can do this by clicking the Dropbox Capture icon in your system tray—usually found in the bottom-right corner of your taskbar—or by opening the application from your Start menu.
On a Mac, you can open Dropbox Capture from your Dock, via the Launchpad icon in the Dock, or by opening Finder and navigating to the Applications folder to find the icon for Dropbox Capture.
With the app open, click Screenshot from the list of options and the screenshot dialogue will open.
You can then follow the on-screen instructions to capture the entire screen, a section of the screen, or a specific window.
After you’ve taken your screenshot, you’ll see a thumbnail of your screenshot popup in the corner of your screen. You can then click the thumbnail or pencil icon to edit your screenshot, or click the link icon to copy a link to your clipboard for sharing.
How to take a screenshot of your entire screen
To take a screenshot of your entire screen, open Dropbox Capture and select Screenshot from the menu.
Once the screenshot dialogue appears, you can either click anywhere on the screen or press Enter to capture a screenshot of your entire screen.
How to take a screenshot of a window
To take a screenshot of a specific window, open Dropbox Capture and select Screenshot from the menu.
Once the screenshot dialogue appears, press Space and click the window you’d like to capture.
How to take a screenshot of a part of your screen
To take a screenshot of your entire screen, open Dropbox Capture and select Screenshot from the menu.
Once the screenshot dialogue appears, click and drag to select an area of your screen, then release your click to capture a screenshot of the chosen area.
How to edit a screenshot
Once you’ve captured your screenshot, click the pencil icon in the popup that appears to enter the editing screen.
Here, you can edit your screenshot in a number of ways using the options at the top of the window:
- Text: add text annotations to your screenshot
- Draw: draw on top of your screenshot
- Highlight: draw transparent coloring on your screenshot
- Line: add a line shape to your screenshot
- Arrow: add an arrow shape to your screenshot
- Circle: add a circle shape to your screenshot
- Square: add a square shape to your screenshot
- Blur: cover a section of the image with a blurred filter, perfect for hiding sensitive information
- Crop: remove any unwanted areas from the edges
- Emoji: add a resizable emoji to give your screenshot a little personality
- Color: select a color for the current editing tool
- Stroke width: where applicable, adjust the line width for the current tool
If you’d like to change something at any point, you can click on anything you’ve added to resize it, move it, rotate it, change its color, or stroke width, or delete it entirely.
Once you’re happy with your edits, click Save.
Need to use the image right away? You can select Save and copy image or Save and copy link from the dropdown options.
How to copy a screenshot
Once you’ve taken a screenshot using Dropbox Capture, it will be automatically saved to the cloud in a dedicated folder.
To access this folder, head to capture.dropbox.com.
From here, you can find your screenshot and hover over the thumbnail to select a copy option from the icons displayed:
- Copy image—copy the image itself to your clipboard, perfect for pasting into a presentation
- Copy link—copy a link to the image, ideal for scenarios where you want to send someone the image file
How to send a screenshot from a computer
If you need to send a screenshot taken with Dropbox Capture on your computer, you have a number of simple options available to you:
- Download the image from capture.dropbox.com and share the file itself
- Copy the image from capture.dropbox.com and paste it into a compatible app that supports image pasting
- Copy a link to the image from capture.dropbox.com and share it
If you’ve chosen to record a video or GIF, instead of capturing a screenshot, you can see how many times it’s been viewed when sharing with a link.
Capture it better, with Dropbox Capture
Whether you’re looking for advanced customization features, easy sharing, or simply a way to save yourself time, there’s no better way to capture screenshots than with Dropbox Capture.