How to Use Print Screen with Two Monitors

Print Screen captures both monitors because Windows treats your displays as one virtual screen. Press Print Screen to copy that combined desktop to the clipboard. To capture only one monitor, an active window, or a selected area, use Snipping Tool shortcuts instead.

Microsoft documents this behavior in its Windows graphics documentation: “PRINTSCRN takes a snapshot of the entire virtual screen; unless Use the Print screen to open screen capture is on in Windows Settings, in which case PRINTSCRN launches your installed snipping tool-type app.” See Microsoft Learn’s screen-capture documentation.

Choose the right shortcut

What you want	Shortcut	Result	Destination
Both monitors as one image	Print Screen	Captures the complete virtual desktop	Clipboard
Both monitors saved directly	Windows + Print Screen	Captures the complete virtual desktop	Saved image file
Active window only	Alt + Print Screen	Captures the focused window, wherever it is	Clipboard
One monitor or a custom region	Windows + Shift + S	Opens Snipping Tool selection controls	Clipboard, then Snipping Tool
Use Print Screen to open selection controls	Enable the setting in Windows	Print Screen opens Snipping Tool instead of the legacy full-virtual-screen capture	Snipping Tool

Capture both monitors with Print Screen

1. Open Settings > System > Display.
2. Drag the monitor diagrams so their positions match your physical desk arrangement. Apply the changes.
3. Press Print Screen. Windows copies the entire virtual desktop, including both displays, to the clipboard.
4. Open Paint, an email, a document editor, or another image-capable app and press Ctrl + V.
5. Save or edit the pasted image in the application you used.

The image follows the virtual desktop layout. If one monitor is above, below, or offset from the other, the resulting canvas can contain empty areas where no display exists.

Save both monitors directly

Press Windows + Print Screen. Windows saves a full-screen capture of the virtual desktop as an image file. This is useful when you do not want to open Paint or another editor first. The exact folder can vary with Windows configuration, so use File Explorer search for a recently created screenshot if you do not see it immediately.

Capture only one monitor

There is no legacy Print Screen shortcut that means “monitor 1 only” or “monitor 2 only.” Use Snipping Tool to draw the area you need.

1. Move the pointer to the monitor containing the content.
2. Press Windows + Shift + S.
3. Choose Rectangle.
4. Drag from one corner of the target monitor or content to the opposite corner. Keep both endpoints inside that monitor’s bounds.
5. Release the mouse. The snip is copied to the clipboard and appears in the Snipping Tool notification.
6. Select the notification to annotate, crop, save, or share the image.

For a complete single-monitor capture, start at that monitor’s top-left corner and drag to its bottom-right corner. On displays with different scaling, use the visible screen edges rather than estimating dimensions.

Use Window mode for an application

Press Windows + Shift + S, choose Window, and select the application window. This captures the window even when it is on the second monitor and avoids including the other display.

Capture the active window on either monitor

1. Click the window you want so it has focus.
2. Press Alt + Print Screen.
3. Paste the result with Ctrl + V into Paint, a document, chat, or another destination.

This shortcut captures the active window rather than the entire virtual desktop. It is the quickest option for a browser, terminal, dialog, or editor window on either display.

Configure the Print Screen key to open Snipping Tool

Recent Windows versions can assign the Print Screen key to the capture interface.

1. Open Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard.
2. Turn on Use the Print screen key to open screen capture.
3. Press Print Screen to open Snipping Tool controls.
4. Choose Rectangle, Window, Full-screen, or another available capture mode.

With this option enabled, pressing Print Screen no longer behaves like the legacy full-virtual-screen clipboard shortcut. Microsoft describes Snipping Tool as supporting freeform, rectangular, window, full-screen, and video snips in its Snipping Tool guidance.

Where screenshots go

Shortcut	Initial location	How to finish
Print Screen	Clipboard	Paste into an image editor, document, message, or file
Alt + Print Screen	Clipboard	Paste into the destination of your choice
Windows + Shift + S	Clipboard and Snipping Tool notification	Open the notification to edit and save
Windows + Print Screen	Image file	Open the screenshot folder or search for the newest image

Monitor arrangement, scaling, and resolution details

• Arrangement: Windows builds one coordinate space from the display layout. An offset or vertically stacked monitor can produce blank canvas regions in a full-desktop capture.
• Different resolutions: The combined image uses each monitor’s configured pixel dimensions. A 4K display beside a 1080p display therefore creates a nonuniform desktop.
• Display scaling: Text and controls may appear at different physical sizes because each monitor can use a different scale percentage. Snipping Tool captures what is rendered on screen.
• Primary display: Changing the primary monitor does not make Print Screen capture only that display; full-screen capture still covers the virtual screen.
• Disconnected displays: If a monitor is turned off or disconnected, verify the active display layout in Settings before capturing.
• Remote Desktop and virtual machines: Keyboard shortcuts may be intercepted by the host or remote session. Use the remote environment’s capture controls or Snipping Tool inside the session.

Keyboard variations

Compact keyboards and laptops may hide Print Screen behind an Fn layer or label it PrtSc, PrtScn, or similar. Try the documented Fn combination for your keyboard. If the key is unavailable, Windows + Shift + S does not require a dedicated Print Screen key.

Do-it-yourself workflow checklist

• Decide whether you need both monitors, one monitor, a window, or a region.
• Use Print Screen only for the complete virtual desktop.
• Use Alt + Print Screen for the focused window.
• Use Windows + Shift + S for one monitor or a custom rectangle.
• Paste clipboard captures before copying something else.
• Use Windows + Print Screen when you want a file immediately.

Troubleshooting

Print Screen captures both monitors when I want one

That is the expected full-virtual-screen behavior. Use Windows + Shift + S and draw a rectangle within one display, or use Window mode.

Print Screen opens an overlay instead of copying the desktop

The setting to use Print Screen for screen capture is enabled. Choose a mode in Snipping Tool, or turn the setting off under Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard if you prefer the legacy clipboard behavior.

Nothing appears after pressing Print Screen

Print Screen normally copies to the clipboard without opening a window. Paste with Ctrl + V. If that fails, check the keyboard’s Fn layer, try Fn + Print Screen, and verify that another application is not replacing the clipboard.

The screenshot has blank space between or around monitors

Check the monitor arrangement in Settings > System > Display. Blank areas reflect gaps or offsets in the virtual desktop layout. Align the display diagrams to match the physical arrangement, then capture again.

Alt + Print Screen captures the wrong window

The shortcut captures the window that currently has focus. Click the target window first, then press the shortcut. Some full-screen or protected applications may restrict capture.

Windows + Print Screen does not save a file

Confirm that the key combination was received, then look for the newest image in your configured screenshots location. On keyboards with a function layer, hold Fn as required. You can always use Snipping Tool and save manually.

The laptop has no visible Print Screen key

Use Windows + Shift + S, or consult the keyboard documentation for the function-layer shortcut. An external keyboard with a clearly labeled Print Screen key is another option.

Performance, reliability, and privacy notes

Local shortcuts are immediate and do not require a network connection. Capture time depends mainly on the desktop resolution and the application used to save or edit the image. Clipboard captures can be overwritten by the next copy operation, so paste or save them promptly. Before sharing, inspect both monitors for passwords, private messages, notifications, or other sensitive content.

Or skip the browser setup

If what you need is a screenshot of a web page rather than your physical desktop, ScreenshotNeo returns a clean PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF from one request. Its browser handles the page before capture: cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed. Bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed, and the response identifies the result with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers.

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for all options. A minimal request is:

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

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

const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);

ScreenshotNeo also provides an MCP server so Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients can take screenshots, inspect pages, and capture PDFs. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots each month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account.

FAQ

Can Print Screen capture just the monitor with the mouse pointer?

Print Screen captures the virtual desktop, not a pointer-selected monitor. Use a rectangular snip or Window mode to select the display content you need.

Does Windows + Print Screen save each monitor separately?

No. It saves one image containing the virtual desktop. Capture each monitor separately with Snipping Tool if you need separate files.

Which shortcut is best for a window on monitor two?

Click the window and press Alt + Print Screen, or use Snipping Tool’s Window mode.

Can I capture a web page without including browser chrome?

Snipping Tool can capture the browser window or a selected region. For an automated page-only capture, use a browser screenshot API such as ScreenshotNeo.