Take a screenshot

A screenshot is a picture of what is on your screen. It is the best way to show Claude a problem: an error message, a screen that looks different from this guide, a design you like. You will take hundreds.

The shortcut to learn

Hold Windows and Shift, then press S. The screen dims and a small strip of buttons appears at the top. From left to right: a rectangle (drag a box around part of the screen), a window (click one window), the whole screen, and a freehand shape. Drag a rectangle around what you want and let go. To cancel, press Esc.

Two things happen at once:

• The picture is copied to the clipboard, ready to paste.
• A small notification slides in at the bottom-right. Click it to crop the picture, draw on it, or save it.

On Windows 11 the picture is also saved as a file, by itself, in the Screenshots folder inside Pictures. On Windows 10 it is only copied: click the notification, then click the save icon (a floppy disk) or press Ctrl + S, and save it in Pictures.

Two more ways

• Whole screen to a file: hold Windows and press PrtScn (the key marked "PrtScn" or "Print Screen", top-right area; on some laptops you must hold Fn as well). The screen dims for a moment and the picture is saved in the Screenshots folder inside Pictures.
• The Snipping Tool app: press Windows, type snipping, press Enter. Click New for the same strip of buttons, with extra choices like a delay of a few seconds, which is useful for capturing a menu that closes when you move.

Pressing PrtScn on its own does one of two things, depending on a setting: it opens the same strip of buttons, or it silently copies the whole screen to the clipboard.

Where the picture goes

Open File Explorer, click Pictures in the sidebar, then open the Screenshots folder. Files are named "Screenshot" followed by the date and time.

Get it to Claude

In Part 2 you will have Claude open. The fastest way: press Windows + Shift + S, drag the box, click in Claude's message box, and press Ctrl + V. The picture appears in the message. You can also drag the file from the Screenshots folder into the message box.

Practice

1. Press Windows + Shift + S and drag a rectangle around this step's title.
2. Open File Explorer, click Pictures, then Screenshots. The new file is there. On Windows 10, click the notification first and save it there yourself.
3. Double-click the file. It opens in Photos.
4. Close Photos, then drag the file from Screenshots into your Binder folder on the Desktop.