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You might need to take a screenshot in Windows 10 or Windows 11 for a lot of different reasons. You might have to teach a coworker how to use the software at your company. You might want to take a piece of a webpage, highlight the important part, and share it on social media. Or maybe you can’t export an image because it’s stuck in one of your programmes and you don’t know how to get it out.
No matter why you want to take a screenshot in Windows, there are many ways to do it. The method you choose will depend on what you want to capture and how you want to share it. We’ll show you how to take screenshots in Windows that include the whole desktop, a single window, or a custom part of it.
Method To Take Screenshot On Windows
Use the Print Screen key/shortcut to Take Screenshot On Windows
The Print Screen key is the easiest way to take a screenshot on a Windows PC (Prtscn). This button is usually near the Function (F#) keys on the top row of the keyboard. Tap the Windows key and the Print Screen key at the same time to take a screenshot of your whole screen that will be saved automatically.
Your screen will briefly go dark to show that you just took a screenshot, and the screenshot will be saved in the Pictures > Screenshots folder. Let’s take a closer look at this:
- Press the Prt Scn button in the upper right corner of your keyboard to make the window you want to print active.
- You can use the Prt Sc button or the Print Sc button on the keyboard to take a screenshot on a PC. To take a picture of the whole screen, press the Prt Scn or Print Scn button. The screenshot will be saved to your Clipboard on its own.
- To save the file, copy and paste the screenshot into any programme that lets you add images, like Microsoft Word or Microsoft Paint.
- Or, Tap the Windows key and the Print Screen key (Windows key + Print Screen) to take a picture of the whole screen that will be saved automatically. When you take a screenshot, your screen will go dark for a moment to let you know.
- The screenshot will be saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder automatically.
Use the Snipping Tool to Take Screenshot On Windows
If you want to customize, annotate, or share the screenshots you take on Windows, you should use the snipping tool. The Snipping Tool for window is a great way to capture images. Since Windows Vista, it has been around. It can be used to;
- Take a picture of the whole screen,
- A rectangle of the screen, or
- A free-form picture of the screen.
Using the Snip & Sketch app to Take Screenshot On Windows
The Snip & Sketch app, also called the “snip sketch tool,” is one of the drawing tools that Windows users can use. It replaced the “snipping tool.” The best way to take screenshots on Windows if you want to customise, annotate, or share them is with the Snip & Sketch app. If you can visit Microsoft support Centre Further help.
- To open Snip & Sketch, press Windows Key + Shift + S on your keyboard or type “Snip & Sketch” into the search bar.
- Your screen will dim, and a small menu will appear at the top of your screen, giving you the option to take a rectangular, free-form, window, or full computer screen capture.
- You can choose how you want to take a picture. These are the same choices that can be made with the Snipping Tool. From left to right, they are: Rectangular PC screen Snip, Freeform Snip, Window Snip, and Full screen capture or Snip.
- If you take a screenshot of this page, it will be copied to your Clipboard.
- Then, you can press Ctrl+V or right-click and choose “Paste” to add it to a Word or Google document or an image editor (Like Paint, or even Photoshop).
- If you search for Snip & Sketch in the search bar, a new window will open.
Using Game Bar to Take Screenshot On Windows
- Press the Windows key and G at the same time. This will make the Game bar appear. Click Settings > Windows Settings > Game Bar to change the settings for the Game box.
- Click on Yes, it’s a game in the pop-up dialogue box.
- To take a screenshot, click the camera button. The screen also shows a quick way to get to the place where the screenshot was taken. Windows key + Alt + PrtScn is a quick way to get to the camera.
- These screenshots are saved in the C:Users(Username)VideosCaptures folder as PNG files.
Taking Screenshot On Microsoft Surface Device
- On a few Surface devices, you can take a picture of the whole screen by pressing a button. Taking screenshots on a phone or tablet is almost the same as doing this. We must use the following keys at the same time:
- The Windows logo on the touch button at the bottom of the screen and the volume down button on the side of the device. The screen gets a little brighter, and then the screenshot is taken and saved under Screenshots in the Pictures folder.
- The Surface Pen can take a picture of the whole screen on some Surface devices with touch screens. Just click twice on the button on the back of the Surface Pen to open Snip and Sketch, which lets you edit screenshots you’ve taken.
FAQ
What is the shortcut key to take a screenshot in Windows 11
- Press the keys Win and G together.
- Go to the Capture area in the top-left corner and click the Take screenshot button.
How do I activate Windows screenshot
Use the keys Ctrl + PrtScn. The open menu and the rest of the screen turn grey. Select Mode, or in older versions of Windows, select the arrow next to the New button. Choose the type of snip you want, and then choose the part of the screen you want to snip.
Why can’t I take a screenshot on Windows 11
You can take a picture and save it to a file by pressing Windows + Prt Scn. To take a picture of an open window, press Alt + Prt Scn. Or, press the Windows key + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool. If the print screen key isn’t working, you can also use the Xbox Game Bar as a workaround.
How do I save a screenshot as a picture in Windows 11
You can save a screenshot as an image file in Windows 11 by pressing [Windows] + [Print]. In this case, a picture of the whole screen is saved in the user-specific directory as a PNG file. \Images\Screenshots. By pressing [Windows] + [Shift] + [s], you can get to a tool for taking screenshots.