I just spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out how to take screen shots in Windows XP on my MacBook Pro (using Boot Camp). I thought I would write up the simplest answer of how to do this, in the sense that you don’t have to install anything or remap your keyboard. Here’s all you have to do:
Under the Start menu, select All Programs, then Accessories, then Accessibility, and then On-Screen Keyboard. When you do this the Windows XP on-screen keyboard will appear on your screen. This on-screen utility includes the PrintScreen button (labelled psc in the same position as where the F13 key should be located. That’s it.
If you want to take a screen shot of only the active window (using the Alt+psc command), make sure that the on-screen keyboard isn’t in the area of the active window, otherwise it will be included in the screen shot.
Anyway, I searched around for far too long to find that little piece of information, so hopefully someone in the same predicament will easily be able to find this post (and the answer)! Since the Apple external keyboards actually include the F13 key (while the MacBook and MacBook Pro built-in keyboards do not), you can use PrintScreen slightly easier with the plugged-in keyboard.
UPDATE: As pointed out by Stuart in the comments below, if you’re using Boot Camp v. 1.3, Fn + F11 now maps to print screen. You can print only the active window with Option + Fn + F11. Thanks for the tip!
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Tags: Boot Camp, Macbook Pro, Print Screen
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June 9, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Pingback from Mac Blog - Apple Macintosh Computers in Business & Home » Blog Archive » How to PrintScreen Windows XP from within Boot Camp on a MacBook Pro
July 21, 2007 at 11:58 am
Pingback from The Sean Blog : Taking Screenshots in Boot Camp
April 4, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Trevor F. Smith
Thanks for posting this. I’m nowhere near an external keyboard and hadn’t run across the On-Screen Keyboard app.
April 13, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Taya Seidler
Just so you know, you absolutely did not waste your time posting this. Thanks! After a few minutes of trying to find out how on my own I typed in “macbook pro print screen shot” into google and your post was the first entry. I wish my website was search engine optimized as well as that!
May 13, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Dow
Excellent. Thanks so much. I’ve been frustrated wondering about this for some time now…
May 19, 2007 at 9:54 am
Doreen
Thank you Soooooooo much for this info. I have been trying to find out how to do this for some time now. The instructions that yo have here were very helpful to me. Thanks again
May 27, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Bjarne
Very fine workaround. Thank you:-)
June 8, 2007 at 10:49 am
jeff smith
Thanks.
June 27, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Ben
Just found your post via Google. Thanks for posting this!
June 29, 2007 at 5:53 am
Stuart
Alternatively with the Bootcamp 1.3 (and possibly earlier) you can just hit Fn+F11 and that maps to print screen :o)
June 29, 2007 at 8:02 am
thinkx
Ohhhh.. thank you for the Fn+F11 hint. It works… thanks for the original post too.
To add to this mix, I recommend installing a freebie “PrintKey 2000″ http://www.webtree.ca/newlife/printkey_info.htm. You can know edit and print and customize your Prn-Scr function in umpteen different ways.
June 29, 2007 at 8:03 am
thinkx
hmm.. I meant, you can NOW edit and print.. (a bit too early in the morning to be giving out tech advice
July 17, 2007 at 1:20 pm
B9
Thanks for the post!
August 2, 2007 at 3:44 pm
a220
Help- I only have accessibility>accessibility wizard with no option to view the on screen keyboard. Has anyone else experience this problem? Thanks for the help.
October 11, 2007 at 4:14 am
Steve
Excellent at least people are still out there thinking of others with a fast answer rather than 50 posts in macforum and still no answer
October 13, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Chris
Hi I am using Macbook for windows. I have tried Fn+F11, but i didn’t work.
Whats the problem.
October 13, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Ian Luke Kane
Chris, this might be a dumb question, but what version of Boot Camp do you currently have installed on your Macbook?
October 13, 2007 at 11:26 pm
Jason
Hello all! Thanks for the printscreen tip. I purchased snagit to overcome the obstacle. Should have googled this months ago!
I am running XP on my MacBook Pro through Bootcamp. Does anyone know of a way to launch a PowerPoint presentation to an external projector from the MacBook Pro? I love my laptop, but will be forced to replace it due to my need to present in meetings. I have yet to try the onscreen keyboard, but I tried an external keyboard and it still didn’t work. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
October 17, 2007 at 1:05 am
usman
Hi Chris
Just try to use “alt Option+F11″. it will work.
Many thanks to Logic Nest for this useful tip :). its really helpful
October 27, 2007 at 1:30 pm
apple
none of above methods work here, on Windows XP under bootcamp.
weird
October 29, 2007 at 2:20 pm
kris
alt - F13 does not always work. I am running bootcamp 1.2 on a macbook pro with mac external keyboard and second monitor attached. this worked at times in the past, but it is failing me now for some reason.
kris
November 6, 2007 at 12:59 am
Chris
usman - Thanks!
The onscreen keyboard is a good idea, but how do you take a screen shot without also capturing the onscreen keyboard??
Anyway, after about 20 minutes the “alt Option+F11″ did the trick.
THANKs
November 6, 2007 at 1:06 am
Chris
OOPs - No it didn’t. I’m using a brand new macbook pro with Leopard and the alt Option+F11 does NOT work.
November 15, 2007 at 7:16 am
John
Hi. Thanks a lot. This was a big help. really had problems looking for the Print on screen button. And luckily your blog was there to the rescue. Thanks man!
November 17, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Jon
Hi, great site. I’m runing Vista on a MacBook Pro via Bootcamp and still can’t seem to acheive a ScreenShot [printscreen]. Tried your on-screen keyboard solution though could not find a saved file anywhere [so not sure if it has worked]. Maybe you or some of your viewers know how to make it work on Vista - all the best…
November 21, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Dickey SIngh
Can’t do print screen on a macbook running bootcamped vista. BootCamp version 2.0 / Leopard / Vista
December 28, 2007 at 1:08 am
evil ryan
thank you very much.
January 10, 2008 at 4:37 pm
aravinthan
i am using mac book
in order to print screen use the ‘alt option’and ‘F11′ only these two keys and no Fn key
January 16, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Jasper
Fn+F11 (and Option+Fn+F11) doesn’t work for me. They list that as the key combo in the Bootcamp manual, but it just doesn’t work for me!
I’ve always had to plug in an external keyboard.
Your method of using the on-screen keyboard is my only hope.
January 29, 2008 at 6:03 am
Asger
Thank you very much!!
On-screen keyboard solved my Print Screen problem.
But thanks to aravinthan, I came over that alt+f11 also Print Screen on my MacBook Pro …
February 7, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Tim
Note for BootCamp 2.0 there appears to be no built-in keyboard solution for MacBook [Pro], but F14 works on external keyboard, see:
http://lifehacker.com/software/boot-camp/apple-keyboard-windows-key-mapping-327179.php
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304270
February 15, 2008 at 6:00 am
Marrit
Thanks for the On-screen keyboard tip, which I’ve found really useful. Alt + Option F11 works too as mentioned by “usman” (thanks). Just to add, so that people know, the MacBook Pro does not have an actual F13 key.
February 20, 2008 at 8:52 am
pickboy
Tested with my brandnew Macbook pro and leopard 10.5.2.
In windows(Bootcamp),
Fn+shift+F11 == Print Screen
Fn+shift+Alt+F11 == Print Active Window
Hope this helps
February 20, 2008 at 10:19 am
Faiz
Thanks! Altough I have used the onscreen applete it did not occur to me before I landed on your site. And the keyboard shortcuts mention was very helpful too. Note: If you have checked “Use the F1/F12 key…” in BootCamp then of course the Fn key should not be used when using the keyboard shortcuts.
March 10, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Kelly White
THANK YOU PICKBOY!! Finally a key combo that works for Macbook Pro + Leopard + Boot Camp 2 + XP…
Fn+shift+F11 == Print Screen
Fn+shift+Alt+F11 == Print Active Window
works perfectly - thank you again all…
April 2, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Kumar
Thanx….. pickboy….. i have macbook + leopard + xp and the command sequence u gave absolutely worked for me…..
Fn+shift+F11 == Print Screen
Fn+shift+Alt+F11 == Print Active Window
April 24, 2008 at 5:11 pm
herman monster
hehe n i thought i was stupid for using the screen keyboard
as its been updated, FN + F11 works perfect!!
now the real question is why we running windows :/
April 29, 2008 at 8:22 am
Pooh Bear
Thanks. I’ve been trying for days to find a solution without having to use the onscreen keyboard - which isn’t much use when you’re trying to get screen shots of menu items.
Fn+Shift+F11 works for me! although only the left shift key…go figure.
May 5, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Aviral Sharma
Nice buddy… thanks a ton.
We had to take a screenshot of our project submission but the friend who owns mac wasn’t sure how to take the screenshot. Your tip of on-screen keyboard was good.
cheers
May 31, 2008 at 6:36 am
Achill3s
BootCamp 2.1 and
Fn+Shift+(Alt+)F11 still works
Fn+F11 doesnt do shit
June 10, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Mishi
Thanks a lot. i have been baffled by the lack of keys :!
June 18, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Keith
Great site but still no results…..can anyone help me out?
I have macbook pro running windows xp and need to do a screen print. Have boot camp beta 1.1, with apple keyboard.
have tried everything including the instruction book but to no avail.
June 23, 2008 at 6:03 am
Angela
Thanks ! ure really v v v v v SMART !
Fn +f11 dont works out
Bt th onscreen keyboard CAN ! ! ! ohmy
Thanks thanks^^
July 9, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Luke
it works great with the on-screen keyboard! thanks!
But, i’m using bootcamp v2.0 and the Fn+F11 key combination does not work with this new version! did apple assign it to a different key or did they take it out of this new version?!
thanks!
July 17, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Alex
Something I’d like to add for Mac users. In OS X we are used to have a file created on the desktop from the screen capture. In Windows you have to make it your self (afaik) which means it is in the clipboard only. So in order to do that you must open lets say Paint and paste the printscreen in a new window then save as file. Maybe this helps those who couldn’t figure what was going on.
The app works for me but how about screenshots within games ? Nothing seems to respond once in full screen. And I can’t use F1-F12 keys they are assigned already.