How to crop a screenshot (Fast & Simple)

What You'll Need: A native screenshot of your device with basic edits in the form of markup on Mac, the Snipping Tool on Windows, or Photos on iPhone. No third-party software on all major platforms

Screenshots are one of those things you do out of habit — until it comes time to crop a screenshot, and you can't remember how. Maybe you captured too much of your screen and want to trim it back. Perhaps you want to filter a single window or mask private data. Whatever the reason, learning how to crop a screenshot is a skill you should master.

This guide contains everything, from how to take a screenshot on a Mac, Dell/HP laptop, and iPad and where your screenshots go after taking them, to the most important: how you can crop them quickly on each device. You'll also learn time-saving shortcuts for copy-paste, screen recording (great for video tutorials), force-quitting apps, and changing your wallpaper.

How to capture a screenshot on Mac

First, take a screenshot before you can crop. You have the 3 main keys on a Mac:

Command + Shift + 3—you capture your full screen

Command + Shift + 4: Allows you to take a specific area by dragging

Command + Shift + 5—Opens the screenshot toolbar where you can take a picture of windows or record your screen and/or set a timer

Thereafter note: Once that's pressed, a thumbnail appears at the bottom right of your screen. You can click it to open the screenshot in Markup, or you can leave it alone and look for it later.

So where does Mac OS X store screenshots?

As with Windows, screenshots are automatically saved to your desktop as PNG files and named with the date and time (Screenshot 2024-04-22 at 10.30.00 AM). To change where a snapshot is saved, press Command + Shift + 5 and tap "Options" to choose another directory.

How to crop a screenshot on Mac

After you save your screenshot, here are 2 quick ways to crop it:

Option 1—Use Markup directly—Click on the screenshot thumbnail later; it's captured immediately. The markup toolbox at the top. Choose the crop tool (a box with arrows on each corner), drag the icons where you want, and then click Done.

Option #2—Open in Preview: Double-click any screenshot you saved (the .png files) to open it in Preview. Select the rectangular selection tool (the rectangle) by clicking Show Markup Toolbar and then on Rectangular Selection, or simply click on the rectangle area you want to select. Select the area you want to keep, and then go to Tools > Crop (or use Command + K).

Both techniques are fast and require no downloads.

In Conclusion: How to Print a Screenshot on a Mac

After you crop and save the screenshot, printing is easy. When the file opens in Preview, press Command + P to open the print dialog. To alter paper size/orientation as needed, click Print.

How to record a video on Mac

Mac has a built-in screen recorder. Press Command + Shift + 5, and select Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion. Hit the record button, do what you need to do on your screen, then click Stop in the menu bar. By default, the video saves as a .mov file.

For more control, such as enabling a web webcam overlay or recording system audio, QuickTime Player also lets you record your screen using File > New Screen Recording.

How To Take Screenshot On Dell Laptop Or Computer

These shortcuts work on any Dell laptop or desktop running Windows.

PrtScn (Print Screen) – Copies to the clipboard an image of your full screen

Windows + PrtScn: Takes a full screenshot that saves automatically into Pictures > Screenshots

Windows + Shift + S: Launches the Snipping Tool overlay and selects the area

On Dell laptops with either Windows 10 or 11, 'Windows + Shift + S' is the most useful option for ordinary people, as it allows us to take exactly what we need without having to save entire full-screen shots.

Part 1: Screenshot HP Laptop (Except EliteBook and Notebook)

After all, HP laptops run Windows, so the shortcuts are the same. But on some HP laptop models, the PrtScn key may be labeled differently or combined with the Fn key, especially on EliteBook and notebook models. But if those basic shortcuts don't seem to do the trick, hit Fn + PrtScn for a full-screen picture and/or use Fn + Windows + PrtScn to save directly to your Screenshots folder.

Windows + Shift + S remains the go-to option on HP EliteBook laptops with Windows 10 because of its flexibility.

Using The Snipping Tool In Windows

Snipping Tool is a built-in screenshot and annotation app in Windows. Here's how to use it:

To invoke the snipping overlay, press Windows + Shift + S, or search "Snipping Tool" in the Start menu to launch the full app.

Select the capture mode you want—Rectangular, Freeform, Window, or Full Screen

Choose your area—the snip is copied to your clipboard by default

Paste it in, or open it directly from the snippet to annotate, crop, and save in the full Snipping Tool app

Snipping Tool also includes delayed captures (for dropdown menus or hover states) through the "Delay" button in the app.

Tablet keyboard: how to screenshot

Hit Command + Shift + 3 (to capture the entire screen) or Command + Shift + 4 (to capture a window, for example) on an iPad with a keyboard attached. These shortcuts replicate Mac behavior, making switching devices seamless.

Press the top button + volume up (Face ID iPads) or the home button + Top Button (older iPads with a home button).

How to Cut and Paste on iPad

Copy—Select text or an image and then tap Copy or Command + C

Trim: Choose Edit > Cut or press Command + X

Paste: Tap and hold on the area you want to paste it, then tap Paste or type ⌘ + ⇧ + V

How to Enable Screen Recording on iPhone

To use screen recording, go to Control Center on an iPhone. To enable it:

Head to Settings > Control Center

Now, under "Screen Recording," tap the "+" icon.

You invoke Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of your screen

Press the screen record button (circle inside a circle) to begin capturing

The recording begins after a three-second countdown. Once you're finished, tap on the red status bar at the top and choose Stop. This recording will save to your Photos app.

Mac Shortcuts You Need to Know

How to Undo on Mac

In just about any app, you can press Command + Z to undo your last action. Press it multiple times to go back several steps. To redo, Command + Shift + Z

How to Copy and Paste on Mac

Copy: Command + C

Cut: Command + X

Paste: Command + V

Copying something with the keyboard (any device)

Highlight the text or object, and then press Ctrl + C on Windows or Command + C on Mac. To paste, use Ctrl + V (Windows) or Command + V (Mac). Most browsers, documents, and apps support these shortcuts.

How to perform a Right-Click on a laptop

On a Windows laptop: Use the right side of your trackpad as a right-click, or type Shift + F10 on your keyboard. On a Mac, hold Control and click or two-finger click on the trackpad. macOS—Most of the distros will have two-finger right-click enabled by default, but you can also find this under System Settings -> Trackpad.

Guide for Mac: How To Force Quit An App On Your Mac

When an app freezes: Press Command + Option + Esc to open the Force Quit Applications window. Choose the unresponsive app and select "Force Quit." Alternatively, if the app is in your Dock, right-click it, then hold Option to choose Force Quit.

How to Restart a Mac

Click on the Apple Menu (at the very top left corner of your screen) and click Restart. If your Mac is frozen, press and hold the power button for a few seconds to force-restart it (when the screen goes black, you can release your finger, then press again).

Whether you have a Mac or an iMac, macOS lets you choose your wallpaper with a few simple steps.

Open System Settings > Wallpaper (on macOS Ventura and later) or System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver on older versions. Next, either scroll through Apple wallpapers or tap the + button to add a custom image.

How to Save Time Cropping Screenshots

Here are a few habits that expedite the entire process:

On Mac: Command + Shift + 4 so your screenshot is already cropped by the time you take it—no editing after

On Windows, use Snipping Tool instead of pasting into Paint and cropping with PrtScn.

For iPhone and iPad users, tap the screenshot thumbnail right after taking it—the Markup editor automatically loads up for cropping

If you take a lot of screenshots, name them first before saving; it saves a huge amount of time searching later.

How to Screenshot on a Dell (Every Way Possible)

In short: To take a screenshot on a Dell PC or laptop, hit Print Screen (PrtScn) to capture the entire screen or Windows + Shift + S to open Snipping Tool for custom selection. This saves to your clipboard or the Screenshots folder in File Explorer!

Since Dell computers run Windows, every screenshot method available from Windows works on Dell devices. So whether you're using a Dell laptop or perhaps a Dell desktop, there are dozens of the quickest methods to take screenshots of your display.

How to Screenshot on a Dell Laptop & Desktop?

How can you do this in different ways/references? Method 1: Print Screen (PrtScn) Key

The fastest option is to use the PrtScn key. Here's how each variation works:

PrtScn — This copies whatever is currently on your screen to your clipboard. Open Paint or Word and use Ctrl + V to paste and save it.

Windows + PrtScn — Captures the full screen and saves it under This PC > Pictures > Screenshots

Alt + PrtScn — Takes a screenshot of just the current window (not full screen).

Strategy 2: Windows Snipping Tool (Windows + Shift + S)

This method is the most flexible. When you press Windows + Shift + S, your screen will darken. You can then:

Mouse Drag (Rectangular Selection)

Draw a freeform shape

Capture a specific window

Capture the full screen

It will copy that screenshot to your clipboard automatically. If you want to, press Ctrl + V to paste it anywhere or click the notification that popped up to open and save the file.

Method 3: Snipping Tool App

Works – Open the full app by searching for Snipping Tool in the Windows Start menu. Here, you can also set a timer before the screenshot is taken—helpful for capturing dropdown menus or tooltips that vanish as you click off.

How Do I Take A Screenshot (Of Typing) On My HP Laptop

The above methods also apply to HP laptops. Hit PrtScn for a quick capture or hit Windows + Shift + S to make a custom selection. Windows + PrtScn automatically captures the file and saves it to your Screenshots folder.

Your Guide to Screenshots on Windows from Any Device

The above three methods—using PrtScn, the Snipping Tool shortcut, and directly launching the app—work on all Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices. The Windows + Shift + S keyboard shortcut is the most popular, and rightfully so, as this allows you to take a screenshot without having to use third-party software.

Dell screenshots are typically saved to the Windows Clipboard.

Print Screen → Send to clipboard only (use Ctrl + V to paste)

Windows + PrtScn → automatically save in C:\Users[YourName]\Pictures\Screenshots

Windows + Shift + S clipboard (it will be shown to you as a pop-up notification to save or list)

Frequently Asked Questions

Related: How to Crop a Screenshot on Mac Without Third-Party Software

Take the screenshot, open it in Preview, tap on the Markup toolbar icon, draw a rectangle around what you want to keep, and finally press Command + K to crop. No downloads required.

Regardless of how I take screenshots, they might instantly save to a location on my Mac and create files.

By default, Mac screenshots save a timestamped file on the Desktop. You can change where it saves through Command + Shift + 5 > Options > Save To.

Now let's get to it: How do I take a screenshot on my Dell computer?

Press Windows + Shift + S to use the Snipping Tool overlay (Capture selected area or any of the other options), and press Windows + PrtScn if you want the whole screenshot saved directly in your Pictures > Screenshots folder.

Capture Screenshot on Windows 10 HP EliteBook or Notebook

Use Windows + Shift + S to capture a full-screen screenshot, or Fn + Windows + PrtScn if the accepted shortcut doesn't work on your HP model.

How do I record the screen on an iPhone?

Head over to Settings –> Control Center, tap the + icon next to Screen Recording, and access it via Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of your screen.

To aptly answer your question, my current data is from October 2023.

Press Command + Option + Esc to open the Force Quit window, choose the frozen app, and hit "Force Quit."

How do I right-click on a Mac without using the mouse?

Press Control and click or two-finger tap on the trackpad. If it is not enabled, enable two-finger right-click in System Settings > Trackpad

Forget Searching through Menus—Use These Hotkey Methods!

Once you understand it, cropping a screenshot takes literally ten seconds. For screen recording, force quit, undo, and right-click. But these aren't hidden power-user tricks; they are fundamental things you can do that make every device run faster and feel less frustrating.

Save this guide for when your screen freezes, your app hangs and becomes unresponsive, or you simply want to take a quick screenshot and trim it at the same time. After your fingers get used to these key strokes, you'll ask yourself how you ever completed work without them.

Disclaimer