How to screen capture on an Acer laptop
Press Windows + PrtSc to save the whole screen to Pictures › Screenshots, or Windows + Shift + S to drag over part of it. Most Aspire, Nitro and Predator laptops have PrtSc at the right end of the top row; where it shares the Ins key, hold Fn, and Swift laptops have no PrtSc key, so use Windows + Shift + S.
Step by step
Acer laptops run Windows 11 or Windows 10, except Acer Chromebooks, so the shortcuts are Windows ones. What changes from one Acer to the next is the key itself: it can be a key of its own, a blue label on Ins, or missing. The steps below work on every Acer running Windows.
Find PrtSc at the top right of the keyboard
Look just after F12. On an Aspire 3, Aspire 5 or Nitro V the order is a key with a crop icon (Snipping Tool), then prt sc, then insert. If PrtSc is printed in blue under Ins, hold Fn with it. If there is no PrtSc at all, as on a Swift, skip to step 3.
Shortcut: Print Screen
Top to bottom: Aspire 5 (A515-58M), Aspire 3 14″ (A314-35) and Aspire 3 (A325-42), where Prt Scr is the blue second label on Ins. Acer’s drawings from their user guides; the outlines are ours.Image: Acer Checked 24 October 2026 against global-download.acer.com
Save the whole screen as a file
Press Windows + PrtSc (on a shared key, Windows + Fn + Ins). The screen dims for a moment and a PNG is saved in Pictures › Screenshots. Nothing pops up, so open that folder to check it worked.
Shortcut: Windows + Print Screen
Checked 24 October 2026 against support.microsoft.com
Or drag over just the part you need
Press Windows + Shift + S. The screen greys over and a small bar offers rectangle, freeform, window and full screen. This shortcut needs no PrtSc key, so it is the one to learn on a Swift or an Aspire Lite.
Shortcut: Windows + Shift + S
Checked 24 October 2026 against support.microsoft.com
Copy one window to paste somewhere
Click the window, then press Alt + PrtSc. The picture goes to the clipboard only; paste it with Ctrl + V into an email, a chat or a document.
Shortcut: Alt + Print Screen
Checked 24 October 2026 against support.microsoft.com
Mark it up or save a copy in Snipping Tool
Select the notice that appears, or type snipping tool in Start. Snipping Tool has a pen, a highlighter, a crop and text copying. A snip is already in Screenshots; Ctrl + S saves another copy where you choose.
1 New. 2 Picture or video. 3 Snipping mode. 4 Delay. Snipping Tool on Windows 11.Image: Microsoft Checked 24 October 2026 against support.microsoft.com
Where is the Print Screen key on an Acer laptop?
On most Acer laptops it is in the top row, a little right of F12. Acer’s own user guides show three layouts, and which one you have depends on the range, not on the size of the laptop.
The Aspire 5, Aspire 3 and Nitro V 15 guides list a Snipping Tool key, prt sc and insert as separate keys. Pressed alone, the crop-icon key opens the capture bar and prt sc takes the screenshot. The 14-inch Aspire 3 puts Prt Sc between F12 and Pause Br.
The Nitro 16 and Predator Helios Neo 16 guides give PrtSc a key of its own and add a second job: Fn + PrtSc opens Snipping Tool.
If yours is not listed, read the model number on the sticker under the laptop (it looks like A515-58M), search for it on Acer’s support site and open the user guide. The page called Using the keyboard lists every key.
- Aspire 3 and Aspire 5: top row, after F12 and the Snipping Tool key.
- Aspire 3, 14-inch (A314-35): top row, between F12 and Pause Br.
- Aspire 3 A325-42: on the Ins key, in blue; hold Fn.
- Nitro V, Nitro 16, Predator Helios Neo 16: top right, a key of its own.
- Swift Go, Swift 14 AI, Aspire Lite: no PrtSc key.
Using the Ins / PrtSc key
Shortcut: Fn + Ins
On some Acers, such as the Aspire 3 A325-42, one key carries two labels: Ins in white on top and Prt Scr in blue underneath. The A325-42 guide explains the colour: blue functions work while Fn is held down. So Fn + Ins is Print Screen, and Windows + Fn + Ins saves the file.
The same keyboard has an Fn Lock key a little to the left. It changes which label the top-row keys use by default, so if Fn + Ins stops working, Fn Lock has probably been pressed. Press it once and try again, or skip the key with Windows + Shift + S.
Acer laptops without a Print Screen key
Shortcut: Windows + Shift + S
The Swift range and the Aspire Lite range leave it out. The Swift Go 14 and Swift 14 AI guides list a Snipping Tool key in the top row instead, which opens the same capture bar as Windows + Shift + S. The Aspire Lite 15 and Aspire Lite 14 guides list neither key.
On those laptops use Windows + Shift + S and choose full screen on the bar for the whole display. Typing snipping tool in Start and choosing Pin to taskbar keeps it one click away. A USB keyboard with a PrtSc key also works, the same as a built-in one.
When do you need Fn on an Acer?
Shortcut: Fn + Print Screen
Only for a label printed in a second colour or for a top-row key whose job you want to swap. Every Acer guide gives the same rule: hold Fn, then press the other key.
If the top row keeps doing the wrong thing, Acer puts the switch in the BIOS: restart, press F2 as the laptop starts, open Main and change Function key behavior; Function keys makes F1 to F12 the default. Leave everything else in the BIOS alone.
Why PrtSc opens a capture bar instead of copying
On Windows 11, Microsoft has changed PrtSc so that it opens the Snipping Tool bar. Older Acer laptops on Windows 10 still copy the whole screen to the clipboard in silence, so the same key can behave differently on two Acers in one office.
To choose, open Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard and switch Use the Print screen key to open screen capture on or off. Windows + PrtSc saves a file either way.
How to screen record on an Acer laptop
Shortcut: Windows + Shift + R
Acer adds no recorder of its own; its guides list none. On Windows 11, Snipping Tool records: press Windows + Shift + R, drag over the area, select Start, then Stop. The video is an MP4 you can save or open in Clipchamp to trim. The Windows 11 guide covers turning on the microphone and PC sound.
On Windows 10, or for a game on either, Xbox Game Bar records the app in front with Windows + Alt + R. It does not record the desktop or File Explorer. The Windows 10 guide has the details, and the Windows overview compares the recorders.
Why is Windows + Alt + R not working?
Shortcut: Windows + Alt + R
Usually because Game Bar is switched off, or because the desktop is in front. Open Settings, search for Game Bar and turn it on; on a work laptop the switch may be locked by IT. Then click inside an app first, because Game Bar records one app and never the desktop or File Explorer.
If Windows + Alt + R still does nothing, open Game Bar with Windows + G and use its record button, or use Windows + Shift + R on Windows 11. Xbox’s Game Bar help lists the shortcuts.
Record an Acer’s screen, camera and voice with Rescreen
Rescreen works in Chrome or Edge on an Acer, so there is nothing to install. Choose your microphone and camera, then what to share. On Windows, Entire screen with Share system audio turned on records the laptop’s sound as well; a tab records that tab’s sound; a single window records your voice but not the computer’s sound.
Your camera sits in a small circle in the corner. When you stop, the video is already uploaded, pauses and false starts are cut out, and you get a link to send. Check the built-in camera and microphone first with the webcam test and microphone test; the Chrome guide explains the sharing box.
Screenshots on an Acer Chromebook
Shortcut: Control + Show windows
Acer sells many Chromebooks, and they run ChromeOS, where none of the Windows keys above apply. Google’s help gives Ctrl + Show windows for the whole screen, and Shift + Ctrl + Show windows for part of it, saved in the Files app. The same tool records video. The Chromebook guide walks through it.
Send a screenshot or recording from an Acer
A screenshot is small enough for any email or chat. A recording is often not: a few minutes of MP4 can run to hundreds of megabytes. Shrink it with the video compressor before you attach it, or send a link instead.
For other brands in the same office, the Dell, HP and Lenovo guides show where their keys are.
Snipping Tool or Rescreen
| Snipping Tool | Rescreen | |
|---|---|---|
| Audio | Recordings can include the microphone and PC sound on Windows 11. Screenshots have none. | Your microphone, plus the sound of a browser tab, or of the whole computer where your browser offers it. |
| Webcam | None. | Your camera in a round bubble over the screen, or the camera on its own. |
| Editing | Pen, highlighter, crop and text copying for screenshots; video trimming in Clipchamp. | Done when you stop recording: cuts mistakes, retakes, filler words and silences, zooms into what you do, reduces noise and levels your voice, speeds up still screens. |
| Length | No limit stated by Microsoft. | Up to five hours per recording, on the free plan. |
| Sharing | Files in Pictures › Screenshots and Videos › Screen Recordings, sent by you. | A link anyone can watch without an account. |
| File format | PNG for screenshots, MP4 for recordings. | MP4 download in 4K, 2K or HD on Pro. |
| Cost | Free, part of Windows. | Free. Pro is $10 / month billed $120 yearly, or $20 monthly. |
What Snipping Tool can't do
- PrtSc on its own and Alt + PrtSc only copy; nothing is saved until you paste.
- Windows + PrtSc captures every connected screen in one picture.
- Swift and Aspire Lite keyboards have no PrtSc key; Windows + Shift + S is the way in.
- Acer adds no recorder: Snipping Tool records on Windows 11, and Game Bar records one app, never the desktop.
- Neither Windows tool records your webcam, cuts pauses or gives you a link to share.
If it doesn't work
PrtSc does nothing on my Acer
If PrtSc is printed in blue or on the Ins key, hold Fn with it. If Fn Lock is on, press it once. Then check that no other app, such as a cloud drive, has taken the key.
I pressed PrtSc but cannot find the picture
PrtSc alone copies to the clipboard. Paste with Ctrl + V, or press Windows + PrtSc next time to save a file in Pictures › Screenshots. If Pictures syncs with OneDrive, look in OneDrive › Pictures › Screenshots.
My Acer has no Print Screen key
Swift and Aspire Lite laptops leave it out. Use Windows + Shift + S, or the Snipping Tool key in the top row if your Swift has one.
The top row changes volume instead of doing what is printed
Hold Fn for the other label. To change the default, press F2 at start-up and set Function key behavior in the BIOS Main menu.
Game Bar will not record the desktop or File Explorer
It records one app only. On Windows 11 use Windows + Shift + R; on Windows 10 use a browser recorder such as Rescreen for the whole screen.
Questions people ask
Is it Ctrl + Shift + S to screenshot?
No, on an Acer running Windows it is Windows + Shift + S. Ctrl + Shift + S is Save as in many apps. On an Acer Chromebook, Shift + Ctrl + Show windows takes part of the screen.
How do I capture a screenshot on a laptop?
On a Windows laptop, Windows + PrtSc saves the whole screen and Windows + Shift + S lets you pick an area. On a Chromebook, Ctrl + Show windows.
How do I take a picture with my Acer laptop?
For a photo with the webcam, open the Camera app from Start and select the photo button. For a picture of the screen, press Windows + PrtSc.
How do I screen record on an Acer computer?
On Windows 11, press Windows + Shift + R, drag over the area and select Start. On Windows 10, Windows + Alt + R records one app with Game Bar.
How do I record my PC screen?
Use Snipping Tool on Windows 11 (Windows + Shift + R), Game Bar for one app (Windows + Alt + R), or a browser recorder for the whole screen with your camera.
Why is Windows + Alt + R not working?
Game Bar is switched off, or the desktop or File Explorer is in front, which it cannot record. Turn Game Bar on in Settings and click inside an app first.