Print screen

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A 102-key PC US English keyboard layout with print screen circled

Print screen (often abbreviated Prt Scr, Print Scrn, Prt Scn, Prt Sc, Prt Scrn, or Prnt Scrn) is a key present on most PC keyboards. It is typically situated in the same section as the break key and scroll lock key. Print screen is shared with system request.

Original use

Under command-line based operating systems such as MS-DOS, this key causes the contents of the current text mode screen memory buffer to be copied to the standard printer port, usually LPT1. In essence, whatever is currently on the screen when the key was pressed (as long as it is text) was printed. There is also a Unicode character “Print Screen Symbol”, U+2399:

⎙

Use today

Newer-generation operating systems using a graphical interface tend to copy a bitmap image of the current screen to their clipboard or comparable storage area, which can be inserted into documents as a screenshot. Some shells allow modification of the exact behavior using modifier keys such as the control key.

In Microsoft Windows, pressing print screen will capture the entire screen, while pressing the alt key in combination with print screen will capture the currently selected window. The captured image can then be pasted into an editing program such as a word processor, email, or graphics software. On keyboards that have an F Lock key, you may have to press F Lock first. Pressing print screen, with both the alt key and shift key pressed, turns on a high contrast mode for people with visual impairments.

In GNOME and KDE desktop environments, print screen behavior is similar to that of Microsoft Windows by default. However, a window will additionally pop up, prompting to save the screenshot to a file (in the PNG format by default).

Macintosh computers do not use a print screen key. Instead, the key sequence command-shift-3 provides a similar functionality, saving the image to a file on disk. To capture only a selected area of the screen, use command-shift-4 to display a cross-hair cursor which can be dragged over the required area (while the cross-hair is showing, a press of the space-bar brings up the further option to select a window to copy). Any of these key sequences save a file to the user's desktop, additionally pressing the control key will modify the behavior to copy the image to the system clipboard instead.

See also

• System request (SysRq)
• Mac OS X: Shortcuts for taking pictures of the screen

IBM/Windows keyboard (US layout) v • d • e
Esc		F1	F2	F3	F4		F5	F6	F7	F8		F9	F10	F11	F12		PrtSc/ SysRq	ScrLk	Pause/ Break
																	Ins	Home	PgUp		NumLk	/	*	-
																	Del	End	PgDn		7	8	9	+
																					4	5	6
																		↑			1	2	3	Ent
																	←	↓	→		0		.