How to screenshot on an MSI laptop
MSI builds gaming laptops, and gaming laptops have the most crowded keyboards. Print Screen is usually on the Fn layer, and there are often two apps competing for it.
The short answer
- Fn + PrtScThe usual MSI combination
- Win + Shift + SBypasses every overlay
- Check Videos › CapturesWhere intercepted captures often land
MSI laptops run Windows, so the Windows methods apply. Two things make MSI different in practice: the keyboard, and the software stack.
Print Screen is usually on the Fn layer#
MSI's function row is dense — fan boost, keyboard lighting, display switching, camera toggle, and on many models a dedicated performance key. Print Screen frequently ends up as a secondary label, reachable only with Fn held.
Look at the key's printing. If the Print Screen label is in the same colour as the Fn key itself, it's on the Fn layer and always needs Fn.
Some MSI models support Fn+Esc as a Fn Lock, others don't. Check for a padlock icon on Esc.
To set it in firmware: restart, tap Delete during the MSI logo (MSI uses Delete where most brands use F2), and look for a function-key behaviour setting under Advanced or Settings. MSI's BIOS varies considerably across generations, and on some gaming models the option isn't exposed at all — in which case Fn is permanent and Win+Shift+S is the better habit.
Two or three apps want your Print Screen key#
That competition is the defining MSI problem. A typical MSI gaming laptop ships with:
- MSI Center (or Dragon Center on older models) — performance and lighting, with a capture feature
- GeForce Experience or the AMD equivalent — has capture and instant replay bound to hotkeys by default
- SteelSeries GG on models with SteelSeries keyboards — can remap keys entirely
Any of these can claim Print Screen. The result is a capture that definitely happened — you saw a flash, you heard a sound — but Pictures › Screenshots is empty.
Where to look:
| App | Default folder |
|---|---|
| GeForce Experience | Videos › Captures, in a per-game subfolder |
| MSI Center | Its own gallery, path set in the app |
| Xbox Game Bar | Videos › Captures |
Fix it properly by opening each app's hotkey settings and either unbinding Print Screen or changing its binding to something you won't press by accident. Full diagnostic procedure
SteelSeries keyboards can be remapped#
If your MSI has a SteelSeries keyboard, SteelSeries GG lets you map any key to any function. That's the cleanest solution when Print Screen is buried on the Fn layer: pick a key you never use — Scroll Lock, the right Alt, a macro key — and point it at Print Screen.
The overlay-proof method#
Win+Shift+S doesn't go through the Print Screen key at all, so no overlay can intercept it. On an MSI, this is less a fallback than the default recommendation. Why it can't be hijacked
Questions people actually ask
Where did my MSI screenshot go?
Check Videos › Captures first — both Game Bar and GeForce Experience use it, and GeForce creates a subfolder named after the app or game you were in. More places to check.
Should I use MSI Center's capture feature?
For games it's fine. For everyday screenshots it's slower than Win+Shift+S and files things somewhere you have to go looking for. Windows' own tools are the better default.
Why do I need Fn on my MSI but not on my old laptop?
MSI's function row carries more model-specific controls, so traditional labels get pushed to the secondary layer. Check for a padlock on Esc — if there's one, Fn+Esc flips it permanently.