Most support threads that drag on do so for one reason: we cannot see what you are seeing. A single good screenshot usually replaces several rounds of questions, so it is worth thirty seconds.

Windows — the quickest method

Press Windows + Shift + S. The screen dims and you drag a box around the area you want. The capture goes to your clipboard and a preview appears in the corner — click it to save the file. Alternatively, press PrtScn to copy the whole screen, then paste directly into your email.

If you prefer a file you can attach, press Windows + PrtScn. The image is saved automatically to Pictures → Screenshots.

Mac

Press Shift + Command + 4 and drag around the area. The image saves to your desktop as a PNG. For the whole screen, use Shift + Command + 3.

What to capture

This is the part that matters. Please capture:

• The full error message including the error code — codes like 0xC004C003 identify the cause immediately. Do not crop them out.
• The activation screen itself — on Windows, Settings → System → Activation; in Office, File → Account. This shows us the edition and current licence state.
• The edition you have installed — Settings → System → About on Windows. Edition mismatches are the most common cause of failure, and this one screenshot rules it in or out.

What not to send

Please do not send a photograph of your monitor taken with a phone. Error codes are frequently unreadable, and the code is the single most useful thing in the image. A proper screen capture takes the same amount of time.

Do not include your full product key in a screenshot posted anywhere public. Sending it to us directly is fine, but the last five characters are usually enough for us to identify the order.

Send it with these details

Attach the screenshot to an email or our contact form along with your order number and the product name. That combination — order number, product, screenshot with the error code visible — is usually everything we need to answer with a fix rather than a question.