Today I’m going to show you how to screenshot on PC.
It’s worth noting that some of these methods work on all Windows versions, including Windows 10, 8.1, 7, XP, and Vista in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
To take a screenshot, you can use the Snipping Tool or the print screen button. Both options work well, but the Snipping Tool gives you more control over what you can do with the screenshot.
For example, the Snipping Tool allows you to capture different types of snips such as free-form snip, rectangular snip, window snip, and full-screen snip.
Windows 10 offers a new snipping experience called Snip & Sketch or snipping bar that allows you to take a screenshot by simply dragging the cursor over the area you want to capture.
You can also use the new snipping bar to annotate screenshots in order to communicate in a more efficient way. The annotation tool compliments your screenshot by providing summaries or highlights of the content being shared.
The old snipping tool also lets you annotate snips, but Snip & Sketch lets you work faster thanks to a variety of keyboard shortcuts you can use.
Unfortunately, the Snip & Sketch tool is only available on Windows 10 for the time being. However, the old Snipping Tool is still available on previous Windows versions such as Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.
Windows XP and Vista users may have to resort to using the Print Screen button or a screenshot tool like Snagit to achieve similar results.
How to Screenshot (PC) Using Your Keyboard
This is by far the easiest way to take a screenshot on a Windows computer.
Simply press the print screen button (PrtScn) next to the delete button (typically located at the top right of your keyboard).
Screenshots are usually automatically saved to the Screenshots Folder, but just to be safe, I recommend opening Windows Paint to save your images there. You can also use Windows Paint to edit and enhance your screenshots, but we’ll save that for another time.
Here’s how it works:
- Press the Print Screen button.
- Open MS Paint.
- Press Ctrl + V to paste the screenshot into Paint.
- Click on File and select Save As on the drop-down menu to save your screenshot.
How to Take a Screenshot of One Window
First, click on the title bar of the window that you want to capture and then press “Alt + PrtScn” keys to take a screenshot of your currently active window and copy it to the clipboard automatically. Now you can paste the screenshot into an image editor or document editor of your choice.
How to Take a Screenshot of Part of Your Screen
First, press “Windows + Shift + S” to gray out the screen. Now click and drag your mouse pointer on your screen to select the area of your screen you want to capture. A screenshot of the selected area will be automatically copied to your clipboard, and you can paste it into any application by pressing Ctrl + V, the same way you would paste a full-screen screenshot taken with the PrtScn button..
Just take not that this method only works for those who have already installed the Windows 10 Creators Update. If you’re running an older version of Windows, this shortcut can be found on Microsoft’s OneNote application.
How to Take a Screenshot Using the Snipping Tool
The cool thing about the Snipping Tool is that when you capture a screenshot, it’s automatically copied to the Snipping Tool window where you can make changes, save, and share.
Before moving on, it’s worth noting that the Snipping Tool in Windows Vista, 7, and 8 can’t capture screenshots which involve mouse movement. For that, you’ll have to use a different option such as the PrtScn method.
To open the Snipping Tool, press the Windows key button and type Snipping Tool in the search bar, and then select the Snipping Tool from the list of results.
With that said, here’s how it works:
- In the Snipping Tool, select Mode. In earlier versions of Windows, select the arrow next to the New button.
- Choose the kind of snip you want to create by clicking the arrow next to the New button. At this point, you’ll see the entire screen change to gray.
- Now select the area of the screen that you want to capture.
As mentioned earlier, the Snipping Tool lets you choose from one of four types snips: rectangular, window, free-form, and full-screen.
You can also use the Snipping Tool to capture a snip of a menu. Simply open the tool, press Ctrl + PrtScn, when the entire screen changes to gray select Mode, and then select the part of the screen you want to capture.
Take Screenshots on Windows 10 Using the Snip and Sketch App
While you can capture screenshots using a keyboard shortcut such as the PrtScn button, there’s also an option to open the new modern snipping experience by simply pressing the Windows logo key + Shift + S, and then dragging the cursor over the area you want to capture.
Here’s how it works:
- First, press the Start button and type Snip and Sketch in the search field.
- Then press the New button to snip with the snipping bar.
Just like the Snipping Tool, the snipping bar allows you to capture rectangular snips, free-form snips, and full-screen snips.
After snipping, the captured image is automatically added to your clipboard and you can paste it in another app. You can then annotate, save or share the image using Microsoft’s Snip and Sketch app.