Windows has several built-in screenshot shortcuts, and the right one depends on whether you want the whole screen, one window, or a region. Here’s the full list.
Win + Shift + S — snip a region (best)
This opens the Snipping toolbar at the top of the screen. Choose rectangular, freeform, window or full-screen, then drag. The shot is copied to the clipboard and a notification lets you annotate and save it. This is the most flexible option for everyday use.
PrtScn — copy the whole screen
Pressing Print Screen copies the entire screen to the clipboard. Paste it (Ctrl+V) into any app — a document, chat or image editor. Nothing is saved to disk automatically.
Win + PrtScn — save the whole screen
This captures the full screen and saves a PNG to Pictures → Screenshots right away. The screen dims briefly to confirm.
Alt + PrtScn — capture the active window
Copies only the window you’re currently using to the clipboard — handy when you don’t want the whole desktop.
Snipping Tool — capture with a delay
Open the Snipping Tool app for extra options, including a timer delay (useful for capturing menus that close when they lose focus) and built-in markup.
For web pages specifically
If you mostly screenshot websites, a Chrome extension is faster than the OS shortcuts: it can capture the visible area, the full scrolling page, or a region, then let you add a note and share a link. Screeniti does all three.
Next: screenshot just part of the screen or share a screenshot with a link.