Question

Is there a one button way to save a screenshot directly to a file in Windows?

TheSoftwareJedi accurately answered above question for Windows 8 and 10. Below original extra material remains for posterity.

This is a very important question as the 316K views shows as of 2021. Asked in 2008, SO closed this question around 2015 as being off-topic, probably because of the last question below.

In Windows XP, one can press Alt-PrintScreen to copy an image of the active window, or Ctrl-PrintScreen to copy an image of the full desktop.

This can then be pasted into applications that accept images: Photoshop, Microsoft Word, etc.

I’m wondering: Is there a way to save the screenshot directly to a file? Do I really have to open an image program, like Paint.net or Photoshop, simply to paste an image, then save it?

Answer 1

You can code something pretty simple that will hook the PrintScreen and save the capture in a file.

Here is something to start to capture and save to a file. You will just need to hook the key ‘Print screen’.

using System; using System.Drawing; using System.IO; using System.Drawing.Imaging; using System.Runtime.InteropServices; public class CaptureScreen {      static public void Main(string[] args)     {          try         {             Bitmap capture = CaptureScreen.GetDesktopImage();             string file = Path.Combine(Environment.CurrentDirectory, 'screen.gif');             ImageFormat format = ImageFormat.Gif;             capture.Save(file, format);         }         catch (Exception e)         {             Console.WriteLine(e);         }      }      public static Bitmap GetDesktopImage()     {         WIN32_API.SIZE size;          IntPtr  hDC = WIN32_API.GetDC(WIN32_API.GetDesktopWindow());          IntPtr hMemDC = WIN32_API.CreateCompatibleDC(hDC);          size.cx = WIN32_API.GetSystemMetrics(WIN32_API.SM_CXSCREEN);         size.cy = WIN32_API.GetSystemMetrics(WIN32_API.SM_CYSCREEN);          m_HBitmap = WIN32_API.CreateCompatibleBitmap(hDC, size.cx, size.cy);          if (m_HBitmap!=IntPtr.Zero)         {             IntPtr hOld = (IntPtr) WIN32_API.SelectObject(hMemDC, m_HBitmap);             WIN32_API.BitBlt(hMemDC, 0, 0,size.cx,size.cy, hDC, 0, 0, WIN32_API.SRCCOPY);             WIN32_API.SelectObject(hMemDC, hOld);             WIN32_API.DeleteDC(hMemDC);             WIN32_API.ReleaseDC(WIN32_API.GetDesktopWindow(), hDC);             return System.Drawing.Image.FromHbitmap(m_HBitmap);          }         return null;     }      protected static IntPtr m_HBitmap; }  public class WIN32_API {     public struct SIZE     {         public int cx;         public int cy;     }     public  const int SRCCOPY = 13369376;     public  const int SM_CXSCREEN=0;     public  const int SM_CYSCREEN=1;      [DllImport('gdi32.dll',EntryPoint='DeleteDC')]     public static extern IntPtr DeleteDC(IntPtr hDc);      [DllImport('gdi32.dll',EntryPoint='DeleteObject')]     public static extern IntPtr DeleteObject(IntPtr hDc);      [DllImport('gdi32.dll',EntryPoint='BitBlt')]     public static extern bool BitBlt(IntPtr hdcDest,int xDest,int yDest,int wDest,int hDest,IntPtr hdcSource,int xSrc,int ySrc,int RasterOp);      [DllImport ('gdi32.dll',EntryPoint='CreateCompatibleBitmap')]     public static extern IntPtr CreateCompatibleBitmap(IntPtr hdc,  int nWidth, int nHeight);      [DllImport ('gdi32.dll',EntryPoint='CreateCompatibleDC')]     public static extern IntPtr CreateCompatibleDC(IntPtr hdc);      [DllImport ('gdi32.dll',EntryPoint='SelectObject')]     public static extern IntPtr SelectObject(IntPtr hdc,IntPtr bmp);      [DllImport('user32.dll', EntryPoint='GetDesktopWindow')]     public static extern IntPtr GetDesktopWindow();      [DllImport('user32.dll',EntryPoint='GetDC')]     public static extern IntPtr GetDC(IntPtr ptr);      [DllImport('user32.dll',EntryPoint='GetSystemMetrics')]     public static extern int GetSystemMetrics(int abc);      [DllImport('user32.dll',EntryPoint='GetWindowDC')]     public static extern IntPtr GetWindowDC(Int32 ptr);      [DllImport('user32.dll',EntryPoint='ReleaseDC')]     public static extern IntPtr ReleaseDC(IntPtr hWnd,IntPtr hDc); } 

Update Here is the code to hook the PrintScreen (and other key) from C#:

Hook code