There are many ways to take a screenshot on your PC. But the simplest and most classic is to press PrintScr on the keyboard and then enter the Paint program (if your PC is running Windows) and once you enter Paint CTRL + V and the image you captured will appear. 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.
To Save Your Screenshot as a File
Press the “Windows logo key + PrtScn.” If you’re using a tablet, 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.
After a brief pause, the screen will dim, and the screenshot will appear as a file in a folder called “Screenshots”, inside your default “Pictures” folder. A number is immediately assigned to the screenshot.
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 on Settings under Performance section).
To Take a Screenshot Without Saving
Press the “PrtScn” key. The clipboard now includes a screenshot of your show.
Open the image in your chosen image editor, word processor, or other software. Choose Edit > Paste to paste the screenshot wherever you like. The dimensions of the image will be the same as your desktop resolution. Note: On some laptops and other devices, you may need to press the “Alt + Fn + PrtScn” keys instead.
To 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 as in the last section. Copy it and paste it into your chosen image or document editor.
Note: You can need to click the “Alt + Fn + PrtScn” keys instead on certain laptops and other computers.
For more details, consult your laptop’s manual.
To Take a Screenshot of Part of Your Screen
Press “Windows + Shift + S”. Your screen will become grayed out, and the cursor on your mouse will change.
To pick the part of your screen you want to record, click and drag on it.
Your clipboard will be copied with a screenshot of the screen region you picked.
Select Edit > Paste or press Ctrl + V to paste it in any application, just as you would a full-screen shortcut taken with the Print Screen key.
This functionality is only available in Windows 10 Creators Update.
This shortcut is part of Microsoft’s OneNote program on older versions of Windows.
Microsoft incorporated this shortcut into Windows 10 itself with the Creators Update.
Method Two: Take More Flexible Screenshots with Snipping Tool
The Snipping tool has been a part of the Windows for long time. This tool was first included in Windows Vista, and never got any new features apart from few bug fixes. Snipping tool can take screenshots of an open window, rectangular area, a free-form area, or the entire screen. You can annotate your snips with different colored pens or a highlighter, 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 can’t capture screenshots that involve mouse movements. To capture something that involves mouse movement, like pop-up menus and tooltips, you will have to use the Print Screen method.
In Windows 10, Snipping Tool has a new “Delay” option, which will allow you to capture screenshots 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 you want to make by clicking the arrow next to “New.” You can choose from one of four types of snip: free-form, rectangular, window, and full-screen.
Unlike a normal snip, the screen does not fade out immediately.
Instead, you’ll have 1–5 seconds to set up your screenshots, depending on the delay you want.
Now is a good time to open the pop-up menu or tooltip that you want to save.
The screen will freeze and fade out after your seconds have passed, allowing you to make your snip.
If you choose window or full-screen, the snip will be captured instantly.
Each of Windows’ built-in methods has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
A third-party app is your best choice if you take a lot of screenshots and want more versatility than the built-in tools provide.
Let’s talk now about an interesting program Snaglt from TechSmith.
There is also a lot of third-party software to make your job easier and decide what you want to capture. For example, you may want only part of the screen, not the entire screen. It is up to you.
Snagit by Techsmith is a top-notch tool that makes taking screenshots simple and has loads of features that let you target specific windows, take area snapshots, and even catch the full text of scrolling windows like web pages if you don’t mind spending a few bucks.
You can make short videos, annotate screenshots, draw arrows and forms, and pretty much everything else you can think of with a screenshot tool.
It’s a fantastic tool that we strongly suggest, especially if you need to take a lot of screenshots.
You can download a free trial to try it out before deciding whether or not to pay for it.
It’ll be difficult to go back to Windows’ barebones tools after you’ve tried it.