How to GuidesHow to Screenshot on PC: 8 Simple Tricks

How to Screenshot on PC: 8 Simple Tricks

Taking a screenshot on your PC can be useful for many reasons. You can capture an image of your entire screen or just a part of it, and then edit it or share it with anyone. Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows 8 have a variety of built-in tools for easily capturing a screenshot, as well as some third-party applications that offer more features and options. In this article, we will show you how to use keyboard shortcuts, the Snipping Tool app, the Xbox Game Bar, and some other tools to take screenshots on your PC.

Method 1: Take a Quick Full Screen Screenshot

If you want to take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it as a file, you can use the Print Screen key on your keyboard. The Print Screen key is usually found in the upper-right side of the keyboard, not counting the numeric keypad. It may be abbreviated as “PrtSc” or something similar.

To take a full screen screenshot and save it as a file, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the screen that you want to capture. When you screenshot your entire screen, everything that’s open will be captured in your screenshot. Be sure to close any windows you don’t want open.
  2. Press the Windows key and the Print Screen key at the same time. This saves your screenshot as a PNG file to the Screenshots folder in your Pictures folder. In most cases, you’ll see the screen dim briefly.
  3. Find the screenshot. Open File Explorer by pressing Windows key + E on your keyboard. If you see a folder called Pictures in the left panel, click it. If not, click This PC, and then double-click the Pictures folder. Double-click the Screenshots folder. Each screenshot that you take is labeled “Screenshot (number)”.

Alternatively, you can copy the screenshot to your clipboard instead of saving it as a file. To do this, press the Print Screen key alone without pressing the Windows key. You can then paste the copied screenshot into any application by pressing Ctrl + V or by right-clicking and selecting Paste.

On some Windows laptops, you may need to hold down the Fn key as well as the Print Screen key.

Method 2: Take a Screenshot of Part of Your Screen

If you want to take a screenshot of a specific area or window on your screen, you can use the Snipping Tool app that comes with Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows 8. The Snipping Tool lets you capture any shape or size of your screen with a few clicks.

To take a screenshot of part of your screen with Snipping Tool, follow these steps:

  1. Open Snipping Tool by typing “snipping tool” in the Start menu or taskbar search box and clicking on it.
  2. Click New to start a new snip. You can choose from four types of snips: Free-form snip lets you draw any shape with your mouse; Rectangular snip lets you drag a rectangle around an area; Window snip lets you select a window to capture; Full-screen snip captures the entire screen.
  3. Select the area or window that you want to capture with your mouse cursor. Release the mouse button when you are done.
  4. Edit or annotate your snip if you want. You can use the tools at the top of the Snipping Tool window to draw, highlight, erase, or crop your snip.
  5. Save or share your snip. You can click File > Save As to save your snip as an image file in any location you want. You can also click File > Send To > Mail Recipient to email your snip as an attachment. You can also copy your snip to your clipboard by clicking Edit > Copy or pressing Ctrl + C.

You can also use a keyboard shortcut to open Snipping Tool and start a new snip quickly. Press Windows key + Shift + S to open Snipping Tool in snip mode. You can then select an area or window to capture with your mouse cursor.

Method 3: Use Snip & Sketch to Take Screenshots

Snip & Sketch is another app that comes with Windows 10 and Windows 11 that lets you take screenshots and edit them easily. It is similar to Snipping Tool but has some additional features and options.

To take a screenshot with Snip & Sketch, follow these steps:

  1. Open Snip & Sketch by typing “snip & Sketch” in the Start menu or taskbar search box and clicking on it. You can also press Windows key + Shift + S to open Snip & Sketch in snip mode.
  2. Click New to start a new snip. You can choose from four types of snips: Rectangular Snip lets you drag a rectangle around an area; Freeform Snip lets you draw any shape with your mouse; Window Snip lets you select a window to capture; Full-screen Snip captures the entire screen.
  1. Select the area or window that you want to capture with your mouse cursor. Release the mouse button when you are done.
  2. Edit or annotate your snip if you want. You can use the tools at the top of the Snip & Sketch window to draw, highlight, erase, crop, or rotate your snip. You can also use the ruler or protractor tools to make straight lines or arches.
  3. Save or share your snip. You can click the Save icon to save your snip as an image file in any location you want. You can also click the Share button to share your snip with others via email, social media, or other apps.

Method 4: Capture a Screenshot (or Video) With the Game Bar

If you want to take a screenshot of a game or an app that uses graphics hardware acceleration, you can use the Xbox Game Bar that comes with Windows 10 and Windows 11. The Game Bar also lets you record a video of your screen or broadcast your gameplay online.

To take a screenshot with the Game Bar, follow these steps:

  1. Open the game or app that you want to capture. The Game Bar works best with games and apps that run in full-screen mode.
  2. Press Windows key + G to open the Game Bar overlay. You may see a message asking if you want to open the Game Bar for this app. Check the box that says “Yes, this is a game” and click OK.
  3. Click the Camera icon on the Game Bar toolbar to take a screenshot of the current screen. You can also press Windows key + Alt + Print Screen to take a screenshot without opening the Game Bar overlay.
  4. Find the screenshot. The screenshot will be saved as a PNG file in a folder named “Captures” inside your user account’s “Videos” folder. You can also access your screenshots from the Game Bar overlay by clicking the Show All Captures button.

To record a video of your screen with the Game Bar, follow these steps:

  1. Open the game or app that you want to capture and press Windows key + G to open the Game Bar overlay.
  2. Click the Record button on the Game Bar toolbar to start recording a video of the current screen. You can also press Windows key + Alt + R to start or stop recording without opening the Game Bar overlay.
  3. Click the Record button again or press Windows key + Alt + R to stop recording when you are done.
  4. Find the video. The video will be saved as an MP4 file in a folder named “Captures” inside your user account’s “Videos” folder. You can also access your videos from the Game Bar overlay by clicking the Show All Captures button.

Method 5: Take Screenshots With Third-Party Tools

If you want more features and options for taking screenshots on your PC, you can use some third-party tools that offer more functionality and flexibility than the built-in tools.

Here are some examples of third-party tools that you can use to take screenshots on your PC:

  • Greenshot: Greenshot is a free and open-source tool that lets you capture any region of your screen with a single keystroke, save it in various formats, annotate it, or send it to other applications such as email clients, image editors, or cloud services.
  • Snagit: Snagit is a powerful and professional tool that lets you capture anything on your screen with pixel-perfect accuracy, edit it with advanced features such as text recognition, scrolling capture, video trimming, and more, and share it with anyone via email, social media, cloud services, or other apps.
  • Lightshot: Lightshot is a simple and lightweight tool that lets you capture any area of your screen with one click, edit it with basic features such as drawing, text, color picker, and more, and upload it online or share it with others via social media or other apps.

These are just some examples of third-party tools that you can use to take screenshots on your PC. You can find more tools online or in the Microsoft Store that suit your needs and preferences.

Method 6: Use the Windows Ink Workspace

If you have a digital pen or a touch-enabled device, you can use the Windows Ink Workspace to take screenshots and annotate them with your pen or finger. The Windows Ink Workspace is a menu that appears when you click the pen icon on the taskbar or press the pen tail button on your pen.

To take a screenshot with the Windows Ink Workspace, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the screen that you want to capture. When you screenshot your screen with the Windows Ink Workspace, everything that’s open will be captured in your screenshot. Be sure to close any windows you don’t want open.
  2. Open the Windows Ink Workspace by clicking the pen icon on the taskbar or pressing the pen tail button on your pen. You can also press Windows key + W on your keyboard to open it.
  3. Select Screen Sketch from the menu. This will take a screenshot of your current screen and open it in the Screen Sketch app.
  4. Edit or annotate your screenshot if you want. You can use the tools at the top of the Screen Sketch window to draw, highlight, erase, crop, or rotate your screenshot. You can also use the ruler or protractor tools to make straight lines or arches.
  5. Save or share your screenshot. You can click the Save icon to save your screenshot as an image file in any location you want. You can also click the Share button to share your screenshot with others via email, social media, or other apps⁴.

Method 7: Use a Browser Extension

If you want to take a screenshot of a web page or a browser tab, you can use a browser extension that lets you capture and edit screenshots within your browser. There are many browser extensions that offer this feature for different browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera.

Here are some examples of browser extensions that you can use to take screenshots of web pages or browser tabs:

  • Nimbus Screenshot & Screen Video Recorder: Nimbus is a versatile extension that lets you capture full web pages, selected areas, visible parts, browser tabs, or desktop screens. You can also record videos of your screen or webcam and edit them with annotations and effects. You can save or share your screenshots and videos online or offline.
  • Awesome Screenshot & Screen Recorder: Awesome Screenshot is another powerful extension that lets you capture full web pages, selected areas, visible parts, browser tabs, or desktop screens. You can also record videos of your screen or webcam and edit them with annotations and effects. You can save or share your screenshots and videos online or offline.
  • Lightshot: Lightshot is a simple and lightweight extension that lets you capture any area of your web page with one click. You can also edit your screenshot with basic features such as drawing, text, color picker, and more. You can upload your screenshot online or share it with others via social media or other apps.

To take a screenshot with a browser extension, follow these steps:

  1. Install the browser extension of your choice from the web store of your browser. For example, if you use Chrome, go to https://chrome.google.com/webstore/ and search for the extension you want.
  2. Go to the web page or browser tab that you want to capture.
  3. Click the icon of the browser extension on your browser toolbar to open its menu. Depending on the extension you use, you may see different options for capturing screenshots such as full page, visible part, selected area, etc.
  4. Select the option that suits your needs and follow the instructions on the screen to capture your screenshot.
  5. Edit or annotate your screenshot if you want. Depending on the extension you use, you may see different tools for editing your screenshot such as drawing, cropping, resizing, adding text, etc.
  6. Save or share your screenshot if you want. Depending on the extension you use, you may see different options for saving or sharing your screenshot such as downloading it to your computer, uploading it online, sending it via email, posting it on social media, etc.

Method 8: Use Your Smartphone Camera

If none of the above methods work for you or if you want to take a screenshot of something that is not on your PC screen such as a physical document or an object, you can use your smartphone camera to take a picture of it and then transfer it to your PC.

To take a screenshot with your smartphone camera, follow these steps:

  1. Open the camera app on your smartphone and point it at what you want to capture.
  2. Tap the shutter button to take a picture of it.
  3. Transfer the picture to your PC. You can use different methods to do this such as connecting your smartphone to your PC with a USB cable, sending the picture via email or Bluetooth, uploading the picture to a cloud service such as Google Photos or OneDrive, etc.

Conclusion

Taking a screenshot on your PC is easy and convenient with the built-in tools that Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows 8 offer. You can use keyboard shortcuts, the Snipping Tool app, the Snip & Sketch app, or the Game Bar to capture any part of your screen and edit or share it with others. You can also use third-party tools that provide more features and options for taking screenshots on your PC. Whether you want to capture a full screen, a window, a region, or a game, there is a tool for you. Try them out and see which one works best for you.

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