Whether you want to capture friends and relatives making funny faces on Skype or need accessible photos of online resources or programs, screenshots benefit users in many ways. With a simple press of a keyboard’s print screen key, you essentially have the ability to capture anything and everything occurring on your desktop at any time.
But what if you want to take a screenshot on a tablet? Most feature methods for capturing an image via a button combination or tool. For Microsoft Surface users, there are several separate methods for capturing screenshots of your tablet’s display.
Whether you’re utilizing a Touch or Type Cover, use the tablet by itself, or rely on a Surface Pen, our comprehensive walk-through will have you taking screenshots on your Surface in no time.
Further reading
- How to take a screenshot on a Chromebook
- How to take a screenshot on an iPad
- How to record your computer screen
Method 1: Use buttons and keys
Surface to Surface 3
With these older models, Microsoft decided not to include a Print Screen key on either its official Touch or Type Cover accessories. That makes taking screenshots less straightforward than on a computer. Instead of using a designated key, owners need to perform a button combination to execute the command.
To take a screenshot, perform the following:
Step 1: Press and hold the Windows icon button located on the tablet’s screen.
Step 2: With the Windows button pressed, simultaneously push the Lower Volume rocker (minus) located on the side, as shown above.
At this point, the screen should dim, then brighten again, as if taking a snapshot with a camera. Once the screenshot is captured, use these steps to find it:
Step 1: Click or tap on the Folder icon located on the taskbar to open File Explorer.
Step 2: Click or tap on Pictures listed on the left, or select OneDrive instead if it’s configured to store screenshots in the cloud.
Step 3: Double-click or tap on the Screenshots folder to access the images.
Note that a compatible third-party keyboard cover may include the Print Screen key. This allows users to capture a screenshot with just one press. Otherwise, use the two-button instructions provided above.
Surface Pro 4 and newer
Because these units don’t have a Windows button, the process is a little different. Here’s how:
Step 1: Hold down the Power button.
Step 2: Press the Volume Up button.
Again, the screen will flicker, and the screenshot saves to the same location.
Surface Duo
Microsoft provides two ways to take a screenshot on its Surface-branded phone.
Step 1: Press and hold the Power button.
Step 2: Tap Screenshot.
Alternatively, press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously. The capture goes to the Albums > Screenshots folder in the Photos app.
Method 2: Use a Type or Touch Cover
Surface to Surface 3
Although the Type and Touch Covers before the Surface Pro 4 don’t feature a Print Screen key, they do have the ability to capture screenshots using a keyboard shortcut. Type the following on all keyboards without a Print Screen key: Fn + Windows + Spacebar
The screen will dim, then brighten again, signifying a successful screenshot.
Surface Pro 4 and newer
There’s no Windows button on the tablet itself, but the Type Covers do include a Print Screen feature. It’s located on the F8 key, meaning the Function key needs to be disabled first. Press it, and the tiny LED turns off, signifying that the Function keys are disabled.
- PrtScrn: Saves to the clipboard only, unless OneDrive stashes screenshots in the cloud.
- Windows + PrtScrn: Saves to the local Screenshots folder.
Method 3: Use built-in tools
For greater control over captured screens, there are two Windows-based tools worth considering: The Snipping Tool and the Snip & Sketch app. They’re somewhat similar in function, although the Snipping Tool is primarily offered in Windows 8.1, while Windows 10 will eventually replace it with the Snip & Sketch App in a feature update.
Snipping Tool
Step 1: Type “snip” in the taskbar’s search field and either left-click on the icon to open the application or right-click the icon to pin it to the Start Menu or taskbar.
The Snipping Tool provides a few options once it’s open: New, Mode, Delay, Cancel, or Options.
Step 2: Select one of four modes:
- Free-form Snip: Use your mouse, finger, or pen to capture a custom area.
- Rectangular Snip: Capture a precise, manually-selected rectangular area.
- Window Snip: Capture a specific window, like a browser.
- Full-screen Snip: Capture the entire screen.
Step 3: Click New, and respond accordingly.
For example, with Rectangular Snip, the cursor turns into a set of crosshairs that can then be used to create a capture field encompassing a specific portion of the display. Simply drag the resulting cursor over the target area before releasing it to capture the screenshot.
Step 4: Save the screenshot in any location as a JPEG, PNG, or GIF file. Annotate the clip using a Surface Pen, if available.
Snip & Sketch
While the Snipping Tool is still available to use, Microsoft warns that it’s retiring the tool in a future update. In its place is the current Snip & Sketch app, which is located on the Start Menu. However, it’s easier to access using a keyboard command.
Step 1: Press the Windows + Shift + S keys simultaneously.
Step 2: The screen dims, other than a small toolbar that appears at the top of the screen. Select one of four modes:
- Rectangular Snip: Capture a precise, manually-selected rectangular area.
- Freeform Snip: Use your mouse, finger, or pen to capture a custom area.
- Window Snip: Capture a specific window, like a browser.
- Fullscreen Snip: Capture the entire screen.
The captured image automatically goes to the clipboard.
Use a screen capture delay
Here we’ll use the Snip & Sketch app, not the on-screen toolbar, as it supports a delay of up to 10 seconds.
Step 1: Click Start and select Snip & Sketch on the Start Menu.
Step 2: With the app open, click the Down Arrow next to New in the top-left corner.
Step 3: Select one of three options on the drop-down menu:
- Snip Now
- Snip in 3 Seconds
- Snip in 10 Seconds
The screen will dim, and the toolbar appears with the same four options. This time, however, the screenshot appears within the app.
Method 4: Use a Surface Pen
The Surface Pen utilizes an active digitizer within the display, allowing for clear-cut precision and detailed pen input. This tool also offers buttons you can customize that give you the ability to perform tasks like erasing, writing, opening apps, and more. One of the Surface Pen’s best and most convenient features is saving screenshots to OneNote on either the app or a desktop.
We’ll go over a few steps below to show you how you can configure your Surface Pen button. It’s a straightforward process:
Step 1: Go to the Action Center and select the All Settings choice.
Step 2: From the Settings app, select Devices from the list.
Step 3: Look for the Pen & Windows Ink on the left and tap it.
Step 4: Scroll all the way down until you see Pen Shortcuts for personalizing the Click Once, Double-click, and Press and Hold assignments. It’s worth noting that the choices available will largely depend on what type of Surface Pen model you have access to.
For example, the 2017 Surface Pro came with a Surface Pen that has an eraser button that can take screenshots and send them to OneNote when operating under the double-click setting. Or you can use the pen to indicate the specific area you wish to capture if you prefer to take a full-screen capture. The screen capture will appear in the default OneNote notebook and section.
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