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Computer skills · How-to cards

How to take a screenshot, and other office tech basics

Screenshot shortcuts for Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iPhone and Android, plus clearing a browser cache, finding an IP address on Windows, what a CSV file and a pivot table are, and Windows safe mode. Look up a task, follow the steps, then try a few practice questions. Free, no sign-up needed.

  • 16 short how-to cards
  • Steps from help pages
  • 12 practice questions
  • No sign-up needed

CollegeCompass360 is an independent education resource. We are not a school, a testing company or a government agency.

1 · Lookup

How do I do that?

Type a task or the way you would search it: screenshot on Mac, Chromebook screenshot, clear cache, IP address, CSV, pivot table, safe mode.

Looked up most

16 cards in the full list below.

2 · Full list

Every card, by topic

16 cards in four groups. Menus and key names change between versions and models, so each card says which help page it follows; your device’s own help has the final say.

Screenshots

  • Screenshot of the whole screen · Windows

    Screenshots

    Press the Print Screen key (PrtSc). Windows takes a snapshot of your entire screen and places it in the clipboard, so you paste it into a document or message.

    In a sentence: Dana pressed PrtSc on the class schedule page and pasted it into an email to her study group.

  • Screenshot of part of the screen · Windows

    Screenshots

    Press the Windows logo key + Shift + S. This opens the snipping overlay, where you choose what to capture.

    1. Press the Windows logo key + Shift + S.
    2. Pick a snipping mode: Rectangle (a rectangular area), Window (one window, such as a dialog box), Full screen (the entire screen), or Freeform (draw a shape around the area).

    The page describes these modes for Windows 11.

    In a sentence: Marcus used Rectangle to capture one table from a course page and left the rest of the screen out.

  • Screenshot of the whole screen · Mac

    Screenshots

    Press and release Shift, Command and 3 together. By default, screenshots save to your desktop.

    In a sentence: Lena pressed Shift-Command-3 to keep a copy of her online class sign-in confirmation.

  • Screenshot of part of the screen or one window · Mac

    Screenshots

    Press Shift-Command-4. The pointer turns into a crosshair, and you drag to choose the portion of the screen to capture.

    1. Press Shift-Command-4. The pointer turns into a crosshair.
    2. Drag to select the area.
    3. To capture a window or menu instead, press the Space bar after Shift-Command-4. The pointer changes to a camera icon.

    In a sentence: Ruth dragged the crosshair over a single paragraph and kept it for her notes.

  • The Screenshot app · Mac

    Screenshots

    Press Shift-Command-5 to open the Screenshot app, which has the capture options in one place.

    In a sentence: Tomas pressed Shift-Command-5 when he could not remember which shortcut captured a window.

  • Screenshot of the whole screen · Chromebook

    Screenshots

    Press the Screenshot key, or Shift + Ctrl + Show windows, then pick Screenshot and "Take a full screen screenshot" from the menu at the bottom.

    1. Press the Screenshot key. If your Chromebook does not have one, press Shift + Ctrl + the Show windows key. On an external keyboard without a Show windows key, press Ctrl + Shift + F5.
    2. In the menu at the bottom, select Screenshot.
    3. Select "Take a full screen screenshot".

    Screenshots go to your Downloads folder by default and are also copied to your clipboard automatically.

    In a sentence: Priya took a full screenshot of her class portal on a school Chromebook and found it in Downloads.

  • Screenshot of part of the screen · Chromebook

    Screenshots

    Open the screenshot menu the same way, then select "Take a partial screenshot" and adjust the selection.

    1. Open the screenshot menu and select Screenshot (see the whole-screen card).
    2. Select "Take a partial screenshot".
    3. Adjust the selection. Press the Space bar to change the section, press Tab until a corner circle is highlighted, then use Up or Down to change the height and Left or Right to change the width.

    In a sentence: Gina chose a partial screenshot to keep only the assignment box from a long page.

  • Screenshot on an iPhone with Face ID · iPhone

    Screenshots

    Press the side button and the volume up button at the same time, then let go of both quickly.

    To find it later, open Photos, go to Collections, tap Media Types, then tap Screenshots.

    In a sentence: Owen pressed the side and volume up buttons to keep a copy of his work schedule.

  • Screenshot on an iPhone with a Home button · iPhone

    Screenshots

    On models with a side button and a Home button, press the side button and the Home button at the same time. On models with a top button and a Home button, press the top button and the Home button at the same time. Release both right away.

    In a sentence: Carla pressed the side button and Home button together to capture a confirmation page.

  • Screenshot on an Android phone · Android

    Screenshots

    Open the screen you want, then, depending on your phone, press the Power and Volume down buttons together.

    1. Open the screen you want to capture.
    2. Press the Power and Volume down buttons together.
    3. If that does not work, hold the Power button for a few seconds and tap Screenshot.
    4. If neither works, check your phone maker’s support site.

    A preview of your screenshot appears at the bottom left. To find it later, open Photos, tap Collections, then On this device, then Screenshots. On older versions without Photos, look for the Screenshots folder in the Gallery app.

    In a sentence: Hank pressed Power and Volume down to keep a copy of his online course syllabus.

Files and data

  • CSV file · comma-separated values

    Files and data

    A CSV file is a comma-separated values text file (.csv), in which the comma character typically separates each field of text.

    The separator can be changed. The page says you can change the separator character used in both delimited and .csv text files.

    In a sentence: Keisha downloaded her attendance list as a .csv file so she could open it in a spreadsheet.

  • Pivot table

    Files and data

    A pivot table is a tool to calculate, summarize and analyze data, so you can see comparisons, patterns and trends in it.

    It works on a snapshot of your data, so building one does not change your actual data.

    In a sentence: Paul used a pivot table to total the hours his team logged for each project.

Network

  • IP address · Internet Protocol address

    Network

    The address a device uses to communicate on a network. If the network supports it, DHCP assigns Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to the devices on it automatically.

    In a sentence: Noor read that each laptop on the office network gets its own IP address.

  • Find your IP address · Windows

    Network

    In Windows 11, open Network & internet settings, choose your connection, and read the number next to IPv4 address.

    1. Select Start, then Settings, then Network & internet. You can also right-click the network icon on the taskbar and select Network and internet settings.
    2. Select Wi-Fi and then the network you are connected to, or select Ethernet.
    3. Find your IP address next to IPv4 address.

    The Properties icon near your connected network also shows its details quickly.

    In a sentence: Elias followed these steps to read the IPv4 address for a help desk form.

Everyday fixes

  • Clear the browser cache

    Everyday fixes

    The cache remembers parts of pages, such as images, so they open faster on your next visit. Clearing it and cookies can resolve website loading or formatting issues and frees up storage space on your device.

    1. Open the browser’s More menu (three dots) at the top right and select Delete browsing data.
    2. Choose a time range, such as the last hour or all time.
    3. Select the option for cookies and other site data, and check any other items you want to delete.
    4. Click Delete data to confirm.

    These steps follow one browser’s help page, on a computer. Other browsers word them differently, so check that browser’s own help.

    In a sentence: Maya cleared the cache when her course page kept showing the old layout.

  • Start Windows in safe mode · Windows

    Everyday fixes

    Safe mode starts Windows in a basic state, using a limited set of files and drivers. If a problem does not occur in safe mode, default settings and basic device drivers are less likely to be the cause.

    1. Get to Windows RE (the recovery environment). The help page links to a separate article for this step.
    2. In Windows RE, select Troubleshoot, then Advanced options, then Startup Settings, then Restart.
    3. After the device restarts, choose a safe mode option: 4 (or F4) is Enable Safe Mode, and 5 (or F5) is Safe Mode with Networking.

    In a sentence: Sam looked up safe mode before asking the school help desk about a slow laptop.

3 · Practice questions

12 practice questions

Screenshots on each device, files, networks and fixes. Every answer is explained and linked to its card. Your result is free: no sign-up needed.

Question 1 of 12

Which Windows shortcut opens the snipping overlay so you can choose what to capture?

Pick one answer

Free bonus

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  • A printable cheat sheet: every card on this page, laid out for one printout
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The printable cheat sheet and 16 more questions

  • Printable cheat sheet: all 16 cards on this page, each with its plain meaning and steps, laid out in two columns with no header, footer or sign-up box.
  • 16 more practice questions across the rest of the cards, each answer explained and linked to its card.

Enter your email in the box above and the bonus opens right here, and stays open on this browser.

Sources

Where the steps come from

The steps follow these help pages, in our own words. The example sentences and practice questions are our own, and the people in them are made up. Menus and key names change between versions and models, so check your own device’s help.

Heading back to school or work? The free college vocabulary list explains words like prerequisite and asynchronous, and the workplace communication guide covers emails and messages.

Questions

Common questions

Press Print Screen (PrtSc) to put a snapshot of your entire screen in the clipboard. Or press the Windows logo key + Shift + S to open the snipping overlay and pick Rectangle, Window, Full screen or Freeform. Microsoft Support describes both.

Press and release Shift, Command and 3 together for the whole screen. Shift-Command-4 lets you drag over a portion, and Shift-Command-5 opens the Screenshot app. By default, screenshots save to your desktop.

Press the Screenshot key (or Shift + Ctrl + Show windows), choose Screenshot in the menu at the bottom, then pick a full screen or partial screenshot. It goes to your Downloads folder by default and is also copied to your clipboard.

On a Face ID model, press the side button and the volume up button at the same time, then let go quickly. Models with a Home button use the side button (or the top button) with the Home button. Find the result in Photos under Collections, Media Types, Screenshots.

Depending on your phone, press the Power and Volume down buttons together. If that does not work, hold the Power button for a few seconds and tap Screenshot; if neither works, check your phone maker’s support site.

A comma-separated values text file (.csv), in which the comma character typically separates each field of text.

Yes, it is free. The lookup, the full list and the 12 practice questions with your result need no sign-up. An email unlocks the bonus: a printable cheat sheet and 16 more questions, which open on this page right away and stay open on this browser.