How to Capture One of Two Screens

Use a selection-based capture. Full-desktop shortcuts can include the combined desktop, so select the rectangle around the monitor you need or capture the application window displayed on it.

On Windows, press Windows + Shift + S, choose Rectangle, and drag around one monitor. On macOS, press Shift + Command + 4 and drag over one display, or use Shift + Command + 5 for the Screenshot app’s selected-area controls.

Choose the right capture scope

What you need	Windows	macOS
One complete monitor	Windows + Shift + S, Rectangle	Shift + Command + 4, drag across the display
One application window	Windows + Shift + S, Window	Shift + Command + 4, press Space, click the window
Both monitors together	Print Screen or a full-screen snip	Shift + Command + 3
Clipboard instead of a file	Use the Snipping Tool copy action	Hold Control with the shortcut
Menu or tooltip that disappears	Snipping Tool delay, 1–5 seconds	Screenshot app timer

Windows 10 and Windows 11

Microsoft’s Snipping Tool supports freeform, rectangular, window, full-screen, and video captures. The documented keyboard shortcut is Windows logo key + Shift + S. A full-screen command is less suitable when two displays are joined into one desktop because it may include both screens. See Microsoft’s Snipping Tool instructions for the built-in capture modes.

Capture exactly one monitor

1. Move the pointer onto the monitor you want to capture.
2. Press Windows + Shift + S.
3. Select Rectangle in the overlay.
4. Start at one edge of the target display and drag to the opposite edge. Keep the selection inside the monitor boundaries, especially at the seam between displays.
5. Release the mouse. Select the Snipping Tool notification to annotate, copy, save, or share the image.

Capture one application on that monitor

Press Windows + Shift + S, choose Window, and select the application. This excludes the rest of the monitor and is usually better for a single browser, editor, or terminal window.

Keep a menu open

Open Snipping Tool and set its delay before starting the capture. Microsoft documents delays from one to five seconds. Use the delay to open a context menu or hover a tooltip, then select the target rectangle when the timer expires.

macOS

Apple’s built-in tools capture the entire screen, a window, or a selected area. The Apple screenshot guide documents the shortcuts and timer controls.

Capture one monitor with a rectangle

1. Press Shift + Command + 4. The pointer becomes a crosshair.
2. Move the crosshair to a corner of the desired display.
3. Drag to the opposite corner and release.
4. Click the thumbnail to edit immediately, or wait for the file to save to the desktop.

Capture one application window

Press Shift + Command + 4, press Space, then click the window. Hold Option while clicking if you want to exclude the window shadow.

Use the Screenshot app

Press Shift + Command + 5. Choose full screen, a window, or a selected portion, then set a timer and save location if needed. To copy rather than save a file, add Control to the shortcut.

Boundaries, scaling, and placement

• Display seam: Begin and end the drag inside the target monitor. A one-pixel overlap can include part of the adjacent display.
• Different resolutions: The monitors may have different physical sizes in the desktop layout. Follow the on-screen rectangle, not the monitor’s apparent size in the room.
• Vertical layouts: If one display sits above another, start at the top-left and drag to the bottom-right corners shown by the operating system.
• Retina or display scaling: The saved image dimensions may differ from the logical coordinates you dragged. Check the output dimensions before using it in documentation or automated comparisons.
• Pointer location: Starting on the wrong display can make it easy to select the wrong area. Cancel and begin again with the pointer on the intended monitor.

Or skip the browser setup

If the thing you need is a webpage image rather than a physical monitor, ScreenshotNeo captures the URL directly through one GET request. Its API can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. The request below uses WebP, following the ScreenshotNeo API documentation.

cURL

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Python

import requests

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
    params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
    timeout=90,
)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Node.js

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot failed: ${res.status}`);
const fs = await import('node:fs/promises');
await fs.writeFile('shot.webp', Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer()));

ScreenshotNeo removes cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed; response headers identify the page verdict and whether the request was billed. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.

For automated jobs, you can choose full-page capture with lazy images loaded, an element CSS selector, dark mode, device presets or a custom viewport, retina scale, custom CSS and JavaScript, clicks, waits, blocked ads or resource types, headers, cookies, user agents, authorization, timezone, geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, caching with a chosen TTL, signed links, asynchronous webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, and usage reporting.

There is a free allowance of 1,000 shots per month with no card. Paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots; every feature is available on every plan. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account.

Troubleshooting

Both monitors appear in the image

You used a full-screen command or dragged past the display seam. Repeat with Rectangle or Selected Area and keep both endpoints inside the target display.

The wrong monitor was captured

Cancel the selection, move the pointer to the intended screen, and start again. For a single app, use Window capture instead of drawing a large rectangle.

A menu or tooltip disappeared

Use the Windows Snipping Tool delay or the macOS Screenshot timer. Open the menu during the countdown and select the area when capture begins.

The image is black or blank

Some applications restrict screenshots. Apple specifically notes that some apps, including Apple TV, may not allow window screenshots. Try capturing a selected area, capture the application content through its own export feature, or check the app’s security policy.

The saved file has unexpected dimensions

Display scaling and Retina density can make pixel dimensions differ from the drag coordinates. Inspect the image properties and resize it after capture if your documentation or pipeline requires fixed dimensions.

The ScreenshotNeo response is not an image

Check the HTTP status, API key, and URL encoding. Save response headers while diagnosing; X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed indicate how ScreenshotNeo classified the request. Increase the client timeout for slow pages and verify that the target URL is reachable.

Speed, reliability, and cost

• Fastest manual method: Windows + Shift + S or Shift + Command + 4 avoids opening another application.
• Most repeatable manual method: Window capture avoids inconsistent rectangle boundaries when the same application is captured repeatedly.
• Reliable menus: Use a timer or delay rather than trying to race a disappearing menu.
• Automation: A URL screenshot API is more repeatable than a physical monitor capture for web pages, because the viewport, device preset, waits, cookies, and headers can be configured.
• Cost: Built-in Windows and macOS captures have no per-capture service charge. ScreenshotNeo has 1,000 free shots per month with no card, then plans from $5 for 3,000 shots. Cache hits and failed or unusable page loads are not billed.

FAQ

What shortcut captures only the screen I am using?

There is no universal full-screen shortcut that safely isolates one of two displays. Use Windows + Shift + S with Rectangle on Windows, or Shift + Command + 4 with a dragged selection on macOS.

Can I capture one monitor without selecting it manually?

For a single application, use Window capture. Operating-system full-screen shortcuts generally target the desktop arrangement, so a rectangle is the dependable way to isolate an entire monitor.

Does Print Screen capture one monitor?

Print Screen is a full-screen clipboard capture and may include both displays. Use Snipping Tool’s Rectangle mode when only one monitor is wanted.

Can I capture a webpage on one monitor automatically?

Yes. Use ScreenshotNeo for a URL-based capture and configure the viewport, device, waits, cookies, headers, or full-page behavior instead of capturing the physical desktop.