A screenshot is an image that we took of whatever’s on your screen. Today, In this article, we are going to show you how to take a screenshot in Windows.
You can take a screenshot on just about any platform, and taking screenshots in Windows is no different. It has a built-in option that works great for basic tasks, but many third-party programs offer more ease of use and features. In this article, I will show you a few different ways to take a screenshot in Windows 10.
Contents
- 1 Quick Screenshots with Print Screen (PrtScn)
- 2 Save Your Screenshot on Windows as a File
- 3 Screenshot on Windows Without Saving
- 4 Take a Screenshot of Only One Window
- 5 Take a Screenshot of Part of Your Screen on Windows
- 6 Take More Flexible Screenshot with Snipping Tool on Windows
- 7 Use Keyboard Shortcut with Game Bar on Windows 10
- 8 Take More Powerful screenshot on windows
- 9 Conclusion
Quick Screenshots with Print Screen (PrtScn)
The Print Screen button on your keyboard can take a screenshot and save it as a file. Take a screenshot without saving it as a file, or take a screenshot of only one window (instead of the whole screen). The print screen button may be labeled as “PrtScn,” “PrntScrn,” “Print Scr,” or something similar to that. On most keyboards, the button is usually found between F12 and Scroll Lock. On laptop keyboards, you may have to press the “Function” or “Fn” key to access the Print Screen feature. When you press the key, it will look like nothing happened, but the screenshot has been saved to your clipboard.
Save Your Screenshot on Windows as a File
Press the “Windows logo key + PrtScn.” If you are using a tablet, then press the “Windows logo button + volume down button.” On some laptops and other devices, you may need to press the “Windows logo key + Ctrl + PrtScn” or “Windows logo key + Fn + PrtScn” keys instead. Check your laptop’s manual for more information.
The screen will dim for a moment, and you will see the screenshot appear as a file in a folder entitled “Screenshots”, inside your default “Pictures” folder. The screenshot is automatically labeled with a number.
You will only see your screen dim if you have the “Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing” turned on in your visual effects settings (System > Advanced system settings > Click the Advanced tab > Click Settings under Performance section).
Screenshot on Windows Without Saving
Press the “PrtScn” key. A screenshot of your display is now copied to the clipboard. Open your favorite image editor, word processor, or another program you want to use the image in. Choose Edit > Paste to paste the screenshot wherever you like. The dimensions of the image will be the same as your desktop resolution. Important note: On some laptops and other devices, you may need to press the “Alt + Fn + PrtScn” keys instead. Check your laptop’s manual for more information.
Take a Screenshot of Only One Window
Click on the title bar of the window that you want to capture. Press “Alt + PrtScn”. A screenshot of your currently active window will be copied to the clipboard, just like in the last section. Paste it into your favorite image editor or document editor. Note: On some laptops and other devices, you may need to press the “Alt + Fn + PrtScn” keys instead. Check your laptop’s manual for more information.
Take a Screenshot of Part of Your Screen on Windows
Press “Windows + Shift + S”. Your screen will appear grayed out and your mouse cursor will change. Click and drag on your screen to select the part of your screen you want to capture. A screenshot of the screen region you selected will be copied to your clipboard. You can paste it in any application by selecting Edit > Paste or pressing Ctrl + V. Just as you’d paste a full-screen shortcut taken with the Print Screen key.
However this only works in Windows 10’s Creators Update. On older versions of Windows, this shortcut is part of Microsoft’s OneNote application. With the Creators Update, Microsoft integrated this shortcut into Windows 10 itself.
Take More Flexible Screenshot with Snipping Tool on Windows
The Snipping Tool has been a part of Windows for a long time. This tool was first included in Windows Vista and never got any new features apart from a few bug fixes. The snipping tool can take screenshots of an open window, a rectangular area, a free-form area, or the entire screen. You can also annotate your snips with different colored pens or a highlighter. Then save it as an image or MHTML file, or email it to a friend.
Snipping Tool in Windows Vista, 7, and 8 has one limitation: it cannot capture screenshots that involve mouse movements. To capture something that involves mouse movement, such as pop-up menus and tooltips, you will have to use the Print Screen method.
In Windows 10, Snipping Tool has a new “Delay” option, that will allow you to capture screenshots of pop-up menus and tooltips. Open the Snipping Tool app and click Delay. From the drop-down list, click on the number of seconds you’d like to wait until your screenshot is taken.
Now choose the type of snip that you want to make by clicking the arrow next to “New.” You can also choose from one of four types of snip: free-form, rectangular, window, and full-screen.
Unlike a regular snip, the screen will not immediately fade out. Instead, you will have between 1–5 seconds, depending on the delay you chose, to set up your screenshots. You can use this time to open that pop-up menu or tooltip you want to capture. Once your seconds have passed, the screen will freeze and fade out so you can create your snip. If you chose a window or full-screen, it will just capture the snip immediately.
Use Keyboard Shortcut with Game Bar on Windows 10
Windows 10 ships with game DVR capabilities to record gameplay footage and take screenshots of Windows PC games. The Game Bar generates screenshots in PNG format, and saves them in “C:\Users\[your username]\Videos\Captures.” Before you start using the Game Bar, launch the Xbox application that came with Windows 10 to open its settings. Under “Game DVR”, toggle “Take screenshots using Game DVR,” and assign whatever keyboard shortcuts you want.
When you want to take a screenshot, use that keyboard combination (“Windows key + G” by default) and click or tap on the “Yes, this is a game” box if prompted. Now press the “Camera icon” or “Win + Alt + PrtScn” to take a screenshot. Note: The keyboard shortcut will only work if you have previously checked the “Yes, this is a game” box for this specific game. You will see a notification letting you know “Screenshot saved.” So if you click or tap on the notification, it will then open to “Xbox > Game DVR > On this PC” to see it.
Take More Powerful screenshot on windows
All of Windows’ built-in methods have their own pros and cons. If you take plenty of screenshots and want more flexibility than the built-in tools offer. Although, a third-party tool is your best option.
If you do not mind spending a few dollars, Snagit by Techsmith is a top-notch tool that makes taking screenshots easy, has tons of features that let you target specific windows. Takes region snapshots, and even capture the full text of scrolling windows like web pages.
You can also take short videos if you want, annotate screenshots, draw arrows and shapes. And pretty much anything you can imagine a screenshot tool should be able to do. It is a great tool that we definitely recommend, especially if you need to take a lot of screenshots.
There is also a free trial that you can download to check it out before bothering to spend money on it. Once you try it, it’ll be hard to go back to Windows’ barebones tools.
Conclusion
Alright, That was All Folks! I hope you like this screenshot on windows article and find it helpful to you. Give us your feedback on it. Also if you guys have further queries related to this article. Then let us know in the comments section below. We will get back to you shortly.
Have a Great Day!
