Whether you’re using Windows 8, 10, or the latest Windows 11, taking a snapshot to capture part of or the whole display is straightforward.
Perhaps you’d want to save an online transaction, or perhaps you’d like to keep track of a particularly impressive gaming accomplishment to brag about to your friends.
The built-in tools (Snip & Sketch and Snipping Tool) are the same in Windows 10 and 11, and you can take a screenshot with a few keyboard keystrokes.
We’ll teach you how to capture screenshots in Windows 10 and Windows 11 using both built-in Windows screenshot tools and alternative shortcuts, so you may choose your favorite.
What is a screenshot?
But first, let’s talk about what a screenshot is. A screenshot, also known as screen capture, is a snapshot taken while using a computer, smartphone, or tablet to record the visible items on the screen.
The image is saved as a graphics file. Screenshots may be taken using a number of programs or by utilizing keyboard and button shortcuts.
Let’s have a look at how to snap screenshots in Windows.
1. Snip-and-Sketch
The Snip & Sketch tool makes it easier to access, share, and annotate screenshots than the classic Snipping Tool.
It can now snap a screenshot of a desktop window, which was an unexpected omission when the application was first introduced and forced us to use the Team Snipping Tool until recently.
The shortcut on the keyboard The easiest way to access Snip & Sketch is to press Windows key + Shift + S.
The Snip & Sketch tool is also included in the alphabetical list of applications on the Start button, as well as in the notification panel, where it is labeled as Screen snip.
You may search for the keyboard shortcut if you don’t want to remember it. (If you often capture screenshots, we recommend pinning the application to the taskbar.)
More information
The notification button or the keyboard shortcut dims your screen and puts up a little menu at the top of your screen where you may choose between rectangle, free-form, window, or full-screen screenshots.
After you take a screenshot, it will be saved to your clipboard and shown as a notification in the lower-right corner of your screen for a brief time.
To edit, save, or share a screenshot, open it in the Snip & Sketch app by tapping the notification. (If the alert isn’t visible, open the notification panel and search for it.)
Whether you access it through the Start menu or by searching for it, Snip & Sketch will open the Snip & Sketch window instead of the small panel at the top of the screen.
Click the New button in the upper-left corner of the screen to start a screen capture and open the small panel.
This approach adds a step to the process, but it enables you to postpone taking a snapshot. Click the down-arrow button next to the new button to delay a snip for 3 or 10 seconds.
2. Snipping Tool
The Snipping Tool has been available since Windows Vista.
Even though Windows has been warning for a few years that the Snipping Tool would be phased down, it’s still available in Windows 11.
Although the Snipping Tool is no longer included in the Start menu’s list of apps, it may still be discovered via the search bar.
Click the New button to begin the screenshot process. Rectangular snips are the most popular, although there are also free-form, full-screen, and window snips.
You must manually save your screenshots before closing the Snipping Application since it does not save them automatically. Your captures, however, are copied to the clipboard.
3. Print Screen (Windows Key + Print Screen)
To capture the whole screen, use the Print Screen (also known as PrtScn) key.
Rather of saving a file, your snapshot will be copied to the clipboard.
Before saving the file, open an image editing program (such as Microsoft Paint) and paste the screenshot into the editor.
Toggle on Keyboard in Settings > Ease of Access > To make the PrtScn button open the Snip & Sketch tool, use the PrtScn button to open the screen snipping under Print Screen Shortcut.
To take a snapshot of your whole screen, press the Windows key + Print Screen key at the same time.
Your screen will darken briefly to indicate that you’ve just taken a screenshot, and the snapshot will be saved in the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
Other Windows Screenshotting Tricks
Alt + Print Screen
To rapidly grab a screenshot of the active window, use Alt + PrtScn on your keyboard.
This will copy the current active window’s screenshot to the clipboard. You’ll need to open the image in an image editor to save it.
Game bar
You can use the Game bar to snap a screenshot whether you’re in the middle of a game or not. Use the Windows key + G key combination to open the Game bar.
Click the screenshot button in the Game bar or use the default keyboard shortcut Windows key + Alt + PrtScn to capture a full-screen screenshot. To make your own Game bar screenshot keyboard shortcut, go to Settings > Gaming > Game bar.
Back up a step and make sure Record game clips, photographs, and broadcasts using the Game bar is toggled on from this settings page to activate the Game bar.
Windows Logo + Volume Down
If you have a Microsoft Surface device, you can take a snapshot of the whole screen using the real (well, kind of physical) buttons, just like any other phone or tablet.
To do so, simultaneously press and hold the Windows Logo touch button at the bottom of your Surface screen and the physical volume-down button on the tablet’s side.
Before the screenshot is saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder, the screen will darken for a brief period.
In Conclusion
Use the PrtScn or Print Scrn button to take a screenshot of the whole screen:
You may snap a screenshot of the whole screen in Windows by using the Print Screen button (found in the upper right corner of the keyboard).
A screenshot of the screen is copied to the clipboard when you hit this button. What happens to it after that?
You’ll need to open Word, Paint, or another image editing program to see, modify, or save the image.
For example, in Word, hit Ctrl + v. Use this shortcut instead of right-clicking the mouse and selecting paste.
Hold down the Alt and PrtScn keys at the same moment to copy the active window and paste it into your document, as seen above.
Courtesy of this post (emmabuilds)