Most Windows users take screenshots the same way: press PrintScreen, paste into Paint, crop, save. It works—but it takes five steps for something that should take one.
Win + Shift + S is a built-in Windows shortcut that captures exactly what you need in a single action. No cropping, no Paint, no extra steps.
How to use it
Press Win + Shift + S. The screen dims slightly, and a small toolbar appears at the top with four capture modes:
- Rectangular — drag to select any area of the screen. This is the most commonly used mode.
- Freeform — draw any shape with your mouse to capture an irregular area.
- Window — click any open window to capture just that application.
- Full screen — captures the entire screen instantly, identical to PrintScreen, but with the workflow advantages below.
After you make your selection, the screenshot copies to your clipboard automatically. Paste it directly into any chat, email, document, or image editor.
Snipping Tool integration
A notification appears in the bottom right corner of your screen after each capture. Click it to open the screenshot in Snipping Tool, where you can add annotations, draw arrows, highlight text, crop more precisely, and save as a PNG or other format.
When it’s most useful
Win + Shift + S is particularly valuable when you need to share a specific section of your screen—a specific error message, a section of a document, a portion of a webpage—without capturing everything around it. The rectangular mode handles this instantly.
System requirements
Built into Windows 10 (version 1703 and later) and Windows 11. No downloads or installations required.