How to Capture Gaming Screenshots on a PC: 5 Easy Ways

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Everything to know about taking screenshots in-game

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: November 19, 2025 Fact Checked

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Using Steam

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Using Print Screen

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Using Snipping Tool

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Using Xbox Game Bar

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Using MSI Afterburner

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Video

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Q&A

Want to take a screenshot while playing a game on your PC? If you're using Steam, you can easily use Steam's built-in menu to capture your screen. If you don't use Steam, you can use Windows' built-in Snipping Tool, the Xbox Game Bar, or MSI Afterburner. Here's how to capture gaming screenshots on your computer.

Take an In-Game Screenshot

To capture a gaming screenshot while using Steam, press the F12 key. You can find screenshots in the View > Recordings & Screenshots. You can also press Win + PrtSc to take a screenshot, or press Win + Shift + S to open and use the Snipping Tool.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Using Steam

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1
Start Steam. Using Steam to take screenshots is the easiest way if you're already playing the game on Steam. Steam has a built-in screenshot function that you can use for any Steam game. If you don't use Steam to play games, you can use the PrtSc key, the Snipping Tool, the Xbox Game Bar, or MSI Afterburner.
- When you play a game on Steam, you can easily press F12 on your keyboard to capture your screenshot. These can be found by clicking View on the Steam toolbar and then clicking Recordings & Screenshots.
- If you want to change the default screenshot settings on Steam, continue with the next step.
This will display the Steam settings menu.

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This will display settings for the Steam overlay.
This is underneath the Screenshots header. By default, it is set to F12.
You can press a single key, or hold Ctrl/⌘ Command, Alt/⌥ Opt, or ⇧ Shift and then press a key to create a combination.
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Click the "Screenshot Folder" button and select a save location. If you don't see this option, toggle on Save an external copy of my screenshots first.
- You can also have Steam show a notification, play a sound, and save an uncompressed copy. The uncompressed copy will be an exact replica of your screen in the game, but the file size will be much larger. Just toggle on the option for each one you want to enable.
- Your changes will be saved automatically. You'll be able to take screenshots with your new settings.
If you enabled notifications, you'll hear or see it immediately.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Using PrtSc

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Press the ⊞ Win+⎙ PrtScr keys at the same time. The PrtSc key is usually in the top row of keys. This captures the entire screen and saves the screenshot as a PNG image.
- On some devices, this key may look like "PrScr" or "PrtScrn" instead.
- If your PrtSc key shares a key with a function key like F10, you may have to hold down Fn while you press that function key.^{[1]
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Find the screenshot. Your screenshot is now saved to the Screenshots folder, which is inside your Pictures folder. To find it, do the following:
- Open the File Explorer.
- Click Pictures on the left pane.
- Double-click the Screenshots folder in the right panel.
- Double-click the latest screenshot to view your screenshot.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Using Windows Snipping Tool

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Press ⊞ Win+⇧ Shift+S to open the Snipping Tool. This built-in tool allows you to take screenshots or even record your screen.^{[2]
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- You can also type "snipping" in the Start menu and select Snipping Tool in the search results.
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Select Full-screen snip. Click the drop-down arrow next to the "Mode" button and select this option. This will capture your entire game.
- You can also select the following modes:
  - Free-form snip: Lets you capture any part of the screen in any shape by tracing freehand.
  - Rectangular snip: Lets you capture a section of the screen by drawing a rectangle around it.
  - Window snip: Use this if you want to capture a single window. After clicking the button, you'll be shown a list of windows you can capture at the bottom of the screen. Click a window to take the photo and see a preview.
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Find your screenshot. Do the following:
- Open the File Explorer.
- Click Pictures on the left pane.
- Double-click the Screenshots folder in the right panel.
- Double-click the latest screenshot to view your screenshot.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Using the Xbox Game Bar

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Press ⊞ Win+G to open the Game Bar. This will open an overlay with a row of icons at the top.^{[3]
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- If you want to take a screenshot quickly, click the Camera icon at the top and then click it again, or navigate back to your game and press Win + Alt + PrtSc.
- If you want to change your default screenshot settings on the Xbox Game Bar, continue to the next steps.
This will open a new selection.
You should see your default settings for screenshots and recordings under Keyboard.
You must have Ctrl, Alt, or Shift + one other key.
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Click Save. This will save your settings.
- Now, when you're in a game, you can press this keyboard shortcut to capture a screenshot quickly.
- To find your screenshots, click the Camera icon in the Xbox Game Bar. Then, click See my captures.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Using MSI Afterburner

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Download the MSI Afterburner installer. MSI Afterburner is a graphics card utility that, among other things, can take screenshots of your games. You can download it for free from gaming.msi.com/features/afterburner.^{[4]
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- The file will download in ZIP format. Double-click it to open it, then click "Extract" to extract the installer file.
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Run the installer. Double-click the extracted installer to start the installation process. Keep the settings at their default and proceed through the prompts to install.
- A second installation for RivaTuner will start after the initial install. Follow the prompts for this as well.
This will open the main interface. There's a lot here, but don't worry about everything you see. Taking screenshots will be very straightforward.
This will allow you to configure some of your settings before taking screenshots.
This will display the screenshot settings.
The next key you press will become your screenshot key.
You can use any key on your keyboard, but make sure you don't pick a key you use in your games. If you hold Ctrl, Alt, or ⇧ Shift you can create a combination shortcut.
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Select your screenshot format. The "bmp" format will be the most accurate, but will take up the most space and likely need to be converted before you upload or share it. The "PNG" format offers the best compression-to-quality ratio. The "jpg" format will offer the smallest size, but at noticeably reduced quality.
- The "jpg" format offers a "Quality" slider, but the other two do not.
- The "png" format is the most commonly used format for publishing and posting screenshots.
You can change the folder you want your screenshots to be saved in. Click the "Browse" button to open the file browser and navigate to the folder you want to use.
Click the "OK" button at the bottom of the Settings window to save your settings.
You can minimize it if you'd like. MSI Afterburner is very lightweight, and you shouldn't notice a performance decrease when it's running.
Your screenshot will be saved immediately to the folder you specified.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I take a screenshot on an Android phone?

CamelHey73

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On most Android phones, you can hold the power button and the volume down button simultaneously to take a screenshot. If it's a Samsung phone, hold the power button and home button simultaneously.

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Question

How do I take a screenshot on a game on an Apple iPad?

Community Answer

Press the home button at the bottom of your screen, and the close button at the top of your screen at the same time.

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