How to screenshot on a Dell laptop
Dell puts a padlock on the Esc key. Pressing Fn + Esc flips your whole function row, which is the fastest fix for a Print Screen key that seems dead.
The short answer
- Fn + EscToggle Fn Lock on most Dells
- Win + Shift + SWorks regardless of Fn state
- Win + PrtScSaves to Pictures › Screenshots
Dell laptops are Windows machines, so the Windows methods all apply. What's worth knowing is Dell-specific keyboard behaviour.
Fn Lock lives on the Esc key#
Look at your Esc key. Most Dell laptops from the last decade have a small padlock icon printed on it, often with the letters Fn.
Press Fn+Esc and the entire function row swaps which layer is primary. Do it once and Print Screen responds to a single press. The setting survives restarts, and some models light an indicator on the Fn key to show the current state.
On a Dell, try this before anything else: one keypress, no restart.
Where the key sits, by range#
XPS. This is the range that catches people out. On most XPS laptops, Print Screen shares its keycap with Insert, in the top-right of the keyboard. Both labels are printed on the same key, and which one you get depends on Fn Lock. If you press it and a text cursor starts overwriting instead of inserting, you got Insert.
Inspiron and Vostro. A standalone key at the far right of the function row, printed PrtScr. The least fussy layout Dell makes.
Latitude. Top row, and business Latitudes often ship with traditional function keys already primary, so no Fn needed out of the box.
G Series and Alienware. Print Screen is present, but these ship with Alienware Command Center or Dell's gaming software, and often GeForce Experience too. Any of those can claim the key.
Changing it in firmware instead#
If you'd rather set it permanently and not rely on a toggle:
- Restart and tap F2 during the Dell logo to enter setup.
- Find POST Behavior › Fn Lock Options, or on some models Function Key Behavior under Advanced.
- Choose the option that makes F1–F12 the primary function.
- Save and exit.
Dell's setup interface varies quite a bit between generations, so the exact menu path differs. The setting name always contains either Fn Lock or Function Key.
Alienware and G Series overlays#
On Dell's gaming lines, a key that appears to do nothing is often being intercepted. The tell is that the capture exists somewhere you didn't look — Alienware Command Center, GeForce Experience's gallery in Videos, or an Overwolf folder.
Check the overlay's own hotkey settings and either disable its capture binding or learn where it files things. How to trace an intercepted key
Dell Display Manager and multi-monitor captures#
Dell's own display utility doesn't affect screenshots, but Dell's larger monitors often use picture-by-picture modes that Windows sees as one very wide display. Win+PrtSc then produces an image several thousand pixels across, containing both inputs. Use Win+Shift+S to grab only the half you meant.
Questions people actually ask
Why does my Dell's Print Screen key type characters instead?
You're hitting Insert, which shares the keycap on XPS models. Press Fn with it, or flip Fn Lock with Fn+Esc so Print Screen becomes the primary label.
Does Dell have its own screenshot tool?
No. Dell ships SupportAssist and, on gaming models, Alienware Command Center — the latter has a capture feature, but it's a gaming overlay rather than a general screenshot tool. Windows' own tools are better for everyday use.
Where is Print Screen on a Dell Latitude?
At the right-hand end of the function row. Most Latitudes give it a keycap of its own rather than sharing with Insert, and business models often need no Fn at all.