How to Capture Screenshots on Microsoft Surface

There are multiple ways to capture screenshots on Microsoft Surface, such as using keyboard shortcuts, Touch Cover, or Type Cover, ... .

What are the methods to save screenshots on Microsoft Surface?

Method 1: Using Keyboard Shortcuts
- On Surface Pro 3 and older devices:
Older Surface devices up to Surface Pro 3 are not equipped with a Print Screen key on Touch Cover or Type Cover accessories. So, capturing screenshots on these devices is a bit more complex.
Follow these steps:
Step 1: Press and hold the Windows icon button located at the top corner of the tablet screen.
Step 2: Then simultaneously press and hold the Volume Down button (-).

To locate the screenshot, follow these steps:
Step 1: Click on the Folder icon located at the top corner of the Taskbar to open File Explorer.

- On Surface Pro 4 and later:
Surface Pro 4 and newer devices do not have a Windows button, so the process of taking screenshots will be different. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Press and hold the Power button.
Step 2:

Method 2: Using Touch Cover or Type Cover

- On older Surfaces:
Although Touch Cover / Type Cover on Surface devices prior to Surface Pro 4 do not have a Print Screen key for taking screenshots, we can use the following shortcuts to perform the same task:
Fn + Windows + Spacebar

- On Surface Pro 4 and later:

Surface Pro 4 and newer devices lack a Windows button, but Type Covers are equipped with a Print Screen key. This key is located on the F8 key, so first, we will need to disable the Fn function key by pressing and holding it until the small LED light goes out completely.
- PrtScrn option: saves the image to the clipboard unless the user sets up OneDrive to save images on the cloud service.

Method 3: Utilizing Built-in Tools

In addition to the methods above, you can utilize the built-in tools on Surface devices to capture screenshots, including: Snipping Tool and Snip & Sketch.

Using the Snipping Tool
Step 1: Type 'snip' into the Search box on the Taskbar, from the search results list, click on the icon to open the application.

Step 2: The Snipping Tool provides various modes, screenshot options as follows:

- Freeform: use mouse, finger, or pen to capture a custom area.
- Rectangular: capture a manually selected rectangular area.
- Windows: capture a specific window, such as a browser window.
- Fullscreen: capture the entire screen.

Step 3: Click on New and choose the corresponding screenshot mode.
Step 4: Finally, save the screenshot in any JPEG, PNG, or GIF format. Annotations can be added using the Surface Pen.

Using the Snip & Sketch Tool

The Snip & Sketch tool is designed to replace the Snipping Tool in the future. Follow the steps below to capture Microsoft Surface screenshots using Snip & Sketch:

Step 1: Press and hold the Windows + Shift + S key combination simultaneously.
Step 2: At this point, the device screen will blur and display a small toolbar with 4 options:

- Freeform (capture freely): use mouse, finger, or touch pen to capture a custom area.
- Rectangular: capture a manually selected rectangular area.
- Window: capture a specific window, such as a browser window or application.
- Fullscreen: capture the entire screen.

Screenshots will automatically be saved to the clipboard.

To set up a delay of up to 10 seconds when capturing screenshots on Snip & Sketch, follow these steps:

Step 1: On the Start Menu, click on Start => Snip & Sketch.
Step 2: In the app window, find and click on the downward arrow icon next to the New option located in the top left corner of the screen.
Step 3: Here, select one of the 3 options:

- Snip Now
- Snip in 3 Seconds
- Snip in 10 Seconds

At this point, the device screen will gradually blur and display a toolbar with 4 options as above, but the screenshots will appear within the app.

Method 4: Using Surface Pen

The Surface Pen is designed for active digital screen interaction, including customizable buttons used for various functions such as erasing, writing, and opening apps. Additionally, the pen also features a screenshot capture capability, saving directly to OneNote.

To configure your Surface Pen button, follow these steps carefully:

Step 1: Open Action Center, then locate and click on All Settings.

Step 2: Select the device listed within the Settings app.

Step 3: Choose Pen & Windows Ink on the left panel.