How to screen capture on a Dell

Where is the Print Screen key on a Dell?

On current Inspiron, Vostro and Latitude laptops, Print Screen is printed on F10, and it is the key’s main job, so F10 alone takes the screenshot. Dell’s manuals say so for the Inspiron 15 3530, Vostro 15 3530 and Latitude 5450. On older and thinner models it sits on the Fn layer instead: the XPS 13 9315 manual lists Fn + F10 for screen capture.

The XPS 13 9340, 9345 and 9350 replace the function keys with a touch-sensitive strip. Their manuals, such as the XPS 13 9350’s, list Pause, Scroll Lock and System Request but no Print Screen, and Dell’s article says touch rows may need the function layer switched on first. On those models, Windows + Shift + S is the reliable way.

Model names are on the sticker under the laptop, or in Settings › System › About. If your keyboard looks different from the drawing, the keyboard-shortcuts page of your model’s manual on dell.com has the table.

• Inspiron, Vostro, Latitude (current): F10.
• XPS 13 with physical F keys (9315): Fn + F10.
• XPS 13 with a touch row (9340, 9345, 9350): no Print Screen listed; use Windows + Shift + S.
• Dell desktop keyboards: a separate key to the right of F12.

Do I need to press Fn on a Dell?

Shortcut: Fn + EscapeFn+Esc

Only when Fn lock is on. Most Dell laptops ship with the top row set to media controls, such as volume and brightness, with Print Screen among them on F10. Pressing Fn + Esc flips the row so the keys send plain F1 to F12 instead, and then Print Screen needs Fn + F10.

If a screenshot key used to work and has stopped, press Fn + Esc once and try again. On Latitude models the same choice lives in the BIOS as Function Key Behavior, which IT departments sometimes set for the whole fleet.

Dell desktop keyboards and docks

OptiPlex and Inspiron desktops, and any Dell laptop on a dock with a full-size keyboard, have Print Screen as its own key above Insert, so no Fn is needed. Keyboards without the key, such as the Dell KM3322W, use Fn + Insert instead, according to Dell.

When a laptop is plugged into an external keyboard, the shortcut follows whichever keyboard you press it on. The laptop’s own F10 still works too.

Make Print Screen open the Snipping Tool on Windows 11

On an up-to-date Windows 11 Dell, Print Screen on its own opens the same capture bar as Windows + Shift + S, so you choose the area before anything is taken. On Windows 10, it copies the whole screen to the clipboard without a sound or a flash, which is why it can seem to do nothing.

To change it, open Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard and find the switch for the Print Screen key. Microsoft has worded it as Use the Print screen key to open screen capture and as Use the Print Screen button to open screen snipping; it is the same switch. Turn it off to get the old copy-the-whole-screen behaviour back, or on to pick an area every time.

How to take a screenshot on a Dell without the Print Screen key

Shortcut: Windows + Shift + S⊞+Shift+S

Press Windows + Shift + S. It works on every Dell running Windows 10 or 11, needs no Print Screen key, and gives you the area, window or full-screen choice. It is the answer for XPS models with a touch row and for any keyboard where the key is worn or missing.

Without a keyboard shortcut at all, open Start, type Snipping Tool and select New. Or turn on the On-Screen Keyboard under Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard (Microsoft’s On-Screen Keyboard help has the steps) and select its PrtScn key with the mouse.

Dell tablets and 2-in-1s folded into tablet mode take a full-screen picture with the Windows button + Volume down, pressed together, according to Dell.

How to screen record on a Dell laptop

Shortcut: Windows + Shift + R⊞+Shift+R

A Dell records video with the tools in Windows, as no Dell app adds a recorder. On Windows 11, press Windows + Shift + R, drag over the area and select Start; Snipping Tool saves an MP4 to Videos › Screen Recordings when you stop. The Windows 11 guide covers microphone and PC sound.

On Windows 10, Xbox Game Bar records one app at a time with Windows + Alt + R, but not the desktop or File Explorer. The Windows 10 guide explains the limits and two ways round them, and the all-Windows guide compares every built-in recorder.

Record your Dell’s screen and camera with Rescreen

Rescreen records in Chrome or Edge, so it is the same on an Inspiron at home and a locked-down Latitude at work, as long as the browser can share the screen. Choose your microphone and camera, then pick what to share. On Windows, Entire screen with Share with system audio on carries the computer’s sound; a single tab carries that tab’s sound; a single window carries your voice only.

Your camera sits in a round bubble in a corner, which suits a walkthrough for a colleague or a support ticket. When you stop, the video is already uploaded, the long pauses and false starts are cut, and you send one link. Check the devices first with the microphone test and the webcam test, and the Chrome guide explains the sharing box option by option.

Screenshots on a Dell Chromebook

Dell Chromebooks run ChromeOS, not Windows, so none of the keys above apply. Press Ctrl + Show windows for the whole screen, or Shift + Ctrl + Show windows to open Screen capture, which also records video. The Chromebook guide has the steps and pictures.

Send a screenshot or recording from a Dell

Screenshots are PNG files and are usually small enough to email. A recording is not: a few minutes of full-screen MP4 can pass most email limits. The video compressor shrinks it in the browser before you attach it.

If you take screenshots for bug reports, our guide to recording bug reports explains when a short video tells the developer more than a still picture. For a Lenovo or an Acer in the same office, the Lenovo guide and the Acer guide show where the Print Screen key is.

What Snipping Tool can't do

• Print Screen alone, and Alt + Print Screen, copy to the clipboard only; nothing is saved until you paste.
• Windows + Print Screen always takes every monitor; for one screen or one area use Windows + Shift + S.
• Snipping Tool records video on Windows 11 only. On Windows 10, Game Bar records one app and never the desktop.
• Neither tool adds a webcam, cuts pauses or gives you a link to send.
• XPS models with a touch function row have no documented Print Screen key.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask