How to screen capture on hp laptop

How to screen capture on hp laptop

  • You can take a screenshot on your HP laptop or desktop computer by pressing the Print Screen key, often abbreviated as "prt sc." 
  • There are a number of ways to customize your screenshot using key combos.  
  • The Print Screen key is found in the top row of your keyboard.
  • To take a screenshot on an HP tablet, press and hold the Power button and Volume Down button at the same time. 
  • Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

Taking a screenshot is such a common task that it has been a standard feature built into computers since the early days of personal computing. No matter what kind of HP computer, laptop, or tablet you own, you can take a screenshot with just a few clicks or taps. 

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

HP Chromebook 14 G5 (From $385.60 at HP)

HP Envy Desktop (From $869.99 at Best Buy)

How to take a screenshot on an HP desktop or laptop computer

The easiest way to take a screenshot is to use the Print Screen key on your keyboard. HP generally labels this key "prt sc" (though it may vary somewhat from model to model) and is found along the top row of keys. 

  • On most HP laptops, you'll find the Print Screen key beside the Delete key. 
  • An HP desktop computer can be combined with any keyboard, so the Print Screen key could be anywhere, though you'll still find it in the top row either near or among the Function keys. 
The Print Screen key is found in the top row near the Delete key on this HP Envy laptop. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

You have a lot of options for how you use the Print Screen key, such as screenshotting specific windows or just a portion of the screen. For details on getting the most out of the function and saving your screenshot once you use the key, see our article on Windows screenshot methods. 

How to take a screenshot on an HP tablet

You can also take a screenshot on an HP tablet, but because there is no keyboard, the process is different. In fact, taking a screenshot on a tablet is very similar to the way you take a screenshot on your phone. 

1. Press and hold the Power button and the Volume Down button at the same time.

2. After about two seconds, the screen will flash and your screenshot will be captured.

3. The screenshot is automatically saved in the Photos folder on your tablet.

  • How to screenshot on a Chromebook in 2 different ways, and then open those screenshots later

  • How to take a screenshot on your Apple Watch, and find those screenshots in the Photos app on your iPhone

  • How to take a screenshot on Windows 10 computers in several different ways

  • How to take a screenshot on a Mac, and find that screenshot on your computer later 

  • How to take a screenshot on a Samsung Galaxy S10 in 5 different ways

Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.

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Use the Print Screen button, the Snipping tool, or Snip & Sketch

What to Know

  • On a laptop, press prt sc (Print Screen). Alternatively, open the Snipping tool or Snip & Sketch from the Start menu.
  • Screenshots go to This PC > Pictures > Screenshots when you use the keyboard.
  • On a tablet, press Power and Volume Down simultaneously. Screenshots go to your Photos app.

This article explains the main ways to take a screenshot on an HP laptop: using the keyboard or using different software, depending on your version of Windows.

Four Ways to Use the Keyboard to Take a Screenshot

There are four ways to use the keyboard to grab screenshots using Windows. With each, you need to paste the image into an editor like Paint (or similar) to see and manipulate the image further.

  1. Simultaneously press the Windows key + Shift + S. Drag your cursor over the area of the screen you want to capture.

  2. Use the "Print Screen" button. With the screen up that you want to capture, press Prt Sc. It's on the far right of the top row of your keyboard, near the Insert and Delete keys.

    Using this method, you probably won't see any indication that the screenshot "took."

    For a more visual cue, use the key combination Windows + Prt Sc. When you use this shortcut, your screen will flash black for an instant to confirm the capture happened. Blink and you might miss it.

  3. Finally, you can use Alt + Prt Sc to capture the active window. Again, you will see no indication that the capture actually happened.

From the image editor of your choice, you can save and manipulate the image.

By default, captures go to This PC > Photos > Screenshots.

How to Use Snip & Sketch in Windows 10

Windows 10 also has some software options to take a screenshot. One is Snip & Sketch app. Here's how to use it.

  1. With the window or screen you want to capture open, click the Start menu.

  2. Search for Snip & Sketch in the search bar and select it from the results.

    You can also open Snip & Sketch with the keyboard shortcut Windows + Shift + S.

  3. A menu will appear at the top of the screen. Click the fourth option to capture the whole image, which looks like a rectangle with marks in each corner.

    The other options let you draw a rectangle to capture, make a freeform shape, or grab the active window.

  4. However you take the screen, Windows will save it to the clipboard and save folder, and a notification will appear. Click the notification (which includes a thumbnail of the screen you just took) to open a customization window.

    To use the screenshot in a Word or other document, you don't have to click the thumbnail. Place the cursor where you want the image to be, and then press Ctrl + V to paste.

  5. In this window, you can mark up, highlight, and crop the image using the tools at the top of the screen.

  6. To save the screenshot, click the Save icon.

  7. In the next window, choose a file name, file type, and location for your saved screenshot.

How to Take a Screenshot with the Snipping Tool

Another software solution, which Microsoft is slowly phasing out in Windows updates, is the Snipping Tool. Here's how to use it.

  1. Navigate to the window you want to capture, and then click the Start menu.

  2. Use the search box to look for "Snipping tool" and select it from the results.

  3. Under the Mode menu, select the type of selection you want to use. To capture the entire screen, click Full-screen Snip, but you can also choose a rectangular section, a single window, or draw a custom shape.

  4. Snipping Tool will open the screenshot in a new window, where you can use the tools up top to make notes and highlights before you save the screenshot.

  5. To save, click the button that looks like a floppy disk.

  6. A save window will open, where you can name your image, select a file type, and choose where to save it.

How to Take a Screenshot on an HP Tablet

HP dropped out of the tablet market in 2011, but you can capture the screen by pressing Power + Volume Down if you still have one. You can find screenshots in the Photos app.

HP

How to Screenshot on HP Envy

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Can you screen capture on a laptop?

To capture the entire screen: Press the Windows logo key + PrntScrn key together. On tablets, press the Windows logo button + the volume down button together. (The screenshot is saved in the Screenshots folder in the Pictures folder.)

How do you take a partial screenshot on a HP laptop?

Press “Windows + Shift + S”. Your screen will appear grayed out and your mouse cursor will change. Click and drag on your screen to select the part of your screen you want to capture. A screenshot of the screen region you selected will be copied to your clipboard.

How do you screenshot on a HP laptop Windows 10?

The Windows key + Print Screen To take a screenshot on Windows 10 and automatically save the file, press the Windows key + PrtScn. Your screen will go dim and a screenshot of your entire screen will save to the Screenshots folder.