---
title: "How to screenshot on a Lenovo laptop"
url: "https://screenshot-laptop.com/lenovo/"
platform: "Windows"
section: "By laptop brand"
updated: "2026-09-14"
license: "CC-BY-4.0"
attribution: "screenshot-laptop.com"
shortcuts:
  - "Fn + Esc"
  - "Win + Shift + S"
---

# How to screenshot on a Lenovo laptop

*ThinkPads are the one major range that moved Print Screen out of the function row entirely. If you're hunting the top row, you're looking in the wrong place.*

URL: https://screenshot-laptop.com/lenovo/

## The short answer

- `Fn` + `Esc` — Toggle Fn Lock, padlock icon on Esc
- Bottom-right, near the arrows — Where ThinkPad hides PrtSc
- `Win` + `Shift` + `S` — Works on every Lenovo

Lenovo laptops run Windows, so [the Windows methods](https://screenshot-laptop.com/windows/) apply. The Lenovo-specific issue is almost always finding the key.

## ThinkPad moved the key

On most modern ThinkPads, Print Screen is **not in the function row**. Lenovo relocated it to the bottom-right of the keyboard, in the cluster around the arrow keys — typically between the right `Alt` and the right `Ctrl`, or immediately above the arrows.

This confuses nearly everyone coming from another brand. It also means it often needs no `Fn` at all, because it isn't part of the dual-purpose function row. A single press works.

## IdeaPad, Yoga, Legion and ThinkBook

These use a conventional layout with Print Screen in the top row, right-hand end, labelled **PrtSc**. The function-row behaviour applies here, so `Fn` may be needed.

Some Yoga models double the key up with Insert on one cap. On Legion gaming models, expect vendor and GPU overlays to intercept it.

## Fn Lock on the Esc key

Look for a padlock printed on `Esc`. Press `Fn`+`Esc` and the function row flips which layer is primary. The `Fn` key itself lights up on many ThinkPads to show the lock is active.

One press, no restart, survives reboots. Try this before anything else.

## Lenovo Vantage is worth opening once

Lenovo's system app, preinstalled on most models, has a keyboard section with two settings that affect this:

- **Fn and Ctrl swap.** ThinkPad puts `Fn` in the bottom-left corner where nearly every other keyboard puts `Ctrl`. If you're switching from another brand, swapping them here is the difference between fighting the keyboard and forgetting about it. It also changes which corner key you hold for `Ctrl`+`V` when pasting a capture.
- **Fn Lock state.** The same toggle as `Fn`+`Esc`, settable from Windows rather than by keypress.

Vantage has no screenshot feature of its own. It's the keyboard settings that matter here.

## Firmware, if you want it permanent

Restart and tap `F1` during the ThinkPad logo — Lenovo uses `F1` where most brands use `F2`. Under **Config › Keyboard/Mouse**, set **F1–F12 as Primary Function** to Enabled. On IdeaPad and Legion the key is usually `F2` and the setting sits under Configuration as **Hotkey Mode**.

## TrackPoint and the middle button

Unrelated to capture, but worth knowing when annotating: the TrackPoint's middle button scrolls by default, and Lenovo's utility can reassign it. Some users map it to a paste action, which speeds up dropping captures into chat considerably.

## Questions

**Where is Print Screen on a ThinkPad?**

Check the bottom-right corner rather than the top row — on modern ThinkPads it sits in the cluster near the arrow keys. If it genuinely isn't there, `Win`+`Shift`+`S` replaces it entirely. [Methods with no PrtSc key](https://screenshot-laptop.com/windows/no-print-screen-key/).

**Why is Fn where Ctrl should be on my ThinkPad?**

It's a deliberate long-running Lenovo layout choice. You can swap the two in Lenovo Vantage's keyboard settings, or in BIOS under Keyboard/Mouse, so the corner key becomes `Ctrl`.

**Does Lenovo Vantage take screenshots?**

No. It manages drivers, updates, battery and keyboard settings. Screenshots stay with Windows.