How to Screenshot Only One Monitor in Windows 10

Press Windows+Shift+S, choose Rectangle, and drag across the monitor you want. Windows copies the selected area to the clipboard and shows a Snipping Tool or Snip & Sketch notification. Open it to annotate and save the image.

Capture one monitor with Windows+Shift+S

1. Move the content you need onto the target monitor.
2. Press Windows+Shift+S.
3. Select Rectangle.
4. Start at one corner of the target monitor and drag to the opposite corner. Keep both endpoints on that monitor.
5. Release the mouse. The snip is copied and a notification appears.
6. Open the notification to crop, annotate, or save. Press Ctrl+C if you only need to paste it elsewhere.

Windows 10 versions may label the editor Snip & Sketch or Snipping Tool. The workflow is the same. Use the editor’s explicit Save or Save as command when you need a predictable file location.

Why Print Screen captures both monitors

In a multi-monitor setup, Windows treats the displays as one virtual screen for several Print Screen shortcuts. PrtScn and Ctrl+PrtScn can therefore copy both monitors. They are not reliable shortcuts for isolating one display.

Choose the right capture mode

Method	Capture scope	Best use
Rectangle with Win+Shift+S	Any manually selected area	A complete monitor or precise crop
Window mode	One selected application window	An app without the surrounding desktop
Alt+PrtScn	Active foreground window	A single active window
PrtScn or Ctrl+PrtScn	Virtual screen	All connected displays

Alt+PrtScn does not capture a whole monitor. If a window spans two displays, it captures the window’s full bounds.

Save, copy, and find the image

• Clipboard: Paste with Ctrl+V into Paint, a document, email, or chat.
• File: Open the notification and choose Save or Save as. PNG is usually best for interface text; JPEG creates smaller photographic files.
• Automatic saving: Some Snipping Tool versions save captures in the Screenshots folder. Windows 10 builds differ, so confirm the path or use Save as.
• Editing: Crop selection edges and redact notifications, account names, or other private details before sharing.

Monitor boundaries, scaling, and layout

Mixed resolutions and scaling

Different resolutions or scaling percentages can make a monitor edge feel uneven. Start and end the drag well inside the target display, then crop precisely in the editor. The output contains the pixels you selected.

Taskbar and display arrangement

If the taskbar appears on every display, it is included when your rectangle covers it. Check Settings > System > Display if Windows’ virtual arrangement differs from the physical arrangement.

Whole monitor versus one app

Use Rectangle for every visible pixel on a display. Use Window mode for one application without desktop icons, neighboring windows, or the taskbar.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Fix
Both monitors appear	Print Screen was used or the rectangle crossed the boundary	Use Win+Shift+S, choose Rectangle, and keep both drag endpoints on one display.
Nothing happens	The shortcut is intercepted, the Windows key is locked, or the app is unavailable	Open Snipping Tool or Snip & Sketch from Start and select New. Check keyboard utility settings.
The wrong window appears	Alt+PrtScn captures the foreground window	Activate the intended window or use Rectangle mode.
No file is visible	The image is only on the clipboard or auto-save is unavailable	Open the notification and use Save as, or paste into Paint and save there.
The selection starts on the wrong display	The pointer was on another monitor when the overlay opened	Move the pointer to the target display, restart the snip, and drag entirely within it.
Menus or notifications are missing	The overlay captured a transient state	Dismiss notifications, wait for the menu, and start a new snip.

Quality, privacy, and repeatability

• Quality: A rectangular snip preserves selected on-screen pixels. High-DPI scaling can produce a larger image than expected.
• Repeatability: Keep display arrangement, scaling, and window position fixed. Window mode is often more repeatable than tracing a monitor edge.
• Privacy: Check notifications, browser tabs, account names, and taskbar icons before sharing.
• Performance: The built-in capture is immediate and requires no browser, network request, or upload. Large high-resolution images may take longer to open or save.

Or skip the browser setup

For a web page rather than a local desktop, ScreenshotNeo returns a clean PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF from one GET request. See the API documentation for options.

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}`);

Cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed; X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed identify the result. The MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000.

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FAQ

What shortcut captures only my second screen?

Use Windows+Shift+S, select Rectangle, and drag across the second monitor. There is no separate second-monitor hotkey.

Can Windows+PrtScn save one monitor automatically?

Do not rely on it for this task. Use Rectangle mode and save from the editor.

Does Alt+PrtScn capture a monitor?

No. It captures the active foreground window.

Can I capture without saving a file?

Yes. The snip is placed on the clipboard for immediate pasting.