How do you screenshot on a surface pro

How to Take Screenshots on Microsoft Surface Tablet

Have no idea to take screenshots on a Surface tablet? Actually, capturing screenshots on a Surface is easier than you think. This tutorial describes 3 ways to take screenshots on Window 10 Microsoft Tablet.

Table of Contents Show

How to Take Screenshots on Microsoft Surface Tablet
Option 1: Using Windows logo/Power + Volume Down button
Option 2: Take Screenshots via Printscreen key
Option 3: Capture Screenshots via Snipping Tool
Microsoft's Surface Pro 8 has many ways to capture screenshots
What to Know
How Do I Take a Screenshot on My Surface Pro 8?
Screenshot Method 1: Using the Snipping Tool
Screenshot Method 2: Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts
Screenshot Method 3: The Power and Volume Buttons
Screenshot Method 4: Screenshot Apps and Tools

Option 1: Use Windows logo/Power + Volume Down button
Option 2: Use Print Screen key
Option 3: Use Snipping tool

Option 1: Using Windows logo/Power + Volume Down button

This is the fastest way to take a screenshot on your Surface devices. Here is how:

On Surface 3 device

Hold down the Windows logo in the front of the device and then push the volume-down button. The screen will dim briefly as the screen is recorded and saved to the Screenshots folder of your Pictures library under This PC.

On Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book

Hold down power button and then press the volume-down button to take a screenshot. The screenshot will be saved in the Screenshots folder under This PC.

Option 2: Take Screenshots via Printscreen key

If your type cover has a PrtScn key, you can take a screenshot by holding down the Windows key on your keyboard and pressing PrtScn. The screen will be saved to the Screenshots folder of your Pictures library under This PC.

You can also just press the PrtScn by itself. But your screenshots will be saved in the Screenshots folder of your Pictures library on OneDrive.

Option 3: Capture Screenshots via Snipping Tool

There's a built-in screenshot program in Windows called Snipping Tool that offers more functionality than the above methods. With this tool, you can take screenshots of the full desktop, an active window, or just the part you select. You can save your screen to a place of your choosing as a PNG, GIF, JPEG, or HTML file. Here is how:

Step 1: Open Snipping tool.

On Windows 10 tablet, select the Start button, type snipping tool in the Search box on the taskbar, and then select Snipping Tool from the list of results.

Step 2: Capture a snip.

In the Snipping tool, click New to start.

Step 3: Click and drag the cursor when it turns into a crosshair, which allows you to draw a rectangle around the area of the screen you want to capture.

Step 4: After you capture a snip, select the Save Snip button.

In the Save As box, type a file name, location, and then select Save.

Microsoft's Surface Pro 8 has many ways to capture screenshots

Updated on March 25, 2022

What to Know

Press PrtScn to take a screenshot and save it to the Surface Pro 8 clipboard.
Press PrtScn + Windows to take a screenshot on your Surface Pro 8 saves it as an image to This PC > Pictures > Screenshots.
Press Windows + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool app for more precise screenshots and image editing.

There are many ways to take a screenshot on a Surface Pro 8 by using Windows’ built-in Snipping Tool app, third-party software, or a keyboard shortcut. This guide will break down each screenshot method and explain how to use each one to capture screen content, save it as an image, and use it in another application.

How Do I Take a Screenshot on My Surface Pro 8?

There are several effective ways for taking screenshots on a Microsoft Surface Pro 8.

Screenshot Method 1: Using the Snipping Tool

The Snipping Tool app is a free tool pre-installed with the Windows operating system. You can use it to take screenshots of the entire display, select parts of the screen, or an open window.

Snip & Sketch is another free tool with more features than the Snipping Tool.

Select Start.

If you have a Surface Pen stylus, you can quickly press its top button twice to open the Snipping Tool app.
Select All apps.
Select Snipping Tool.
Select New.
Drag the cursor over the area you want to take a screenshot of.
Select a tool from the Snipping Tool toolbar under your screenshot to edit the image.
When you’re ready, select the ellipsis icon.
Select Save to save your screenshot or Share to send the file to someone directly from the Snipping Tool app.
To customize the content selected in your Surface Pro 8 screenshot, select the Rectangle mode menu within Snipping Tool.
Select Window mode to take a screenshot of a single app, Full-screen mode to screenshot everything on your Surface Pro 8’s screen, or Free-form mode to draw an area to screenshot with your mouse or stylus.
Select the Timer menu to create a countdown before your screenshot is taken.

Screenshot Method 2: Windows 11 Keyboard Shortcuts

There are several keyboard shortcuts used to take screenshots on a Surface Pro 8.

PrtScn: Press the Print Screen key to immediately take a screenshot of the entire display and copy it to your clipboard. You can then paste the screenshot into another app using the Ctrl + V keyboard shortcut or an in-app Paste command.
PrtScn + Windows: Takes a screenshot of the entire display and saves it to the This PC > Pictures > Screenshots folder. You can then open this image file in another app as you would with any other photo or graphic.
PrtScn + Alt: Takes a screenshot of the top app and saves it to the clipboard.
PrtScn + Alt + Windows: Same as the above but saves the screenshot to This PC > Pictures > Screenshots.
Windows + Shift + S: This keyboard shortcut opens the Snipping Tool app.

Screenshot Method 3: The Power and Volume Buttons

This method is a great way to take a screenshot with your Surface Pro 8 and is particularly useful for when you don’t have your Type Cover or keyboard attached.

All you need to do is press the physical Power and Volume Up buttons on the top of your Surface Pro 8 at the same time. A screenshot of your entire screen will be taken and saved to the This PC > Pictures > Screenshots folder.

Screenshot Method 4: Screenshot Apps and Tools

Other pre-installed apps also feature built-in tools to take screenshots on your Surface Pro 8.

Xbox Game Bar: The Xbox Game Bar app comes pre-installed as part of the Windows operating system. It’s primarily for recording video games, but it also has a capture tool for screenshots.
Microsoft Edge: Microsoft’s web browser app has a built-in screenshot tool you can use to take photos of website content. Select Web capture from the app’s ellipsis menu or press Ctrl + Shift + S while Edge is open.

In addition to the above apps, you can also use many third-party apps and services for screenshotting content.

FAQ

How do I screenshot on a Surface Pro 3?
Press and hold the Windows button below the display and the Volume Down button on the side of the device. This button combination also works on earlier Surface Pro models and the first Microsoft Surface.
How do I take a screenshot on a Surface laptop?
You can use the PrtScn keyboard shortcut to take a screenshot on a Surface laptop. Another option is to open the Snip & Sketch tool by pressing Windows+Shift+S. You can also launch this tool using the touchscreen on your laptop; tap the Notification Center > Expand > Screen Snip.