Screenshots can be useful at work, essential for record keeping, or requested by technical support to better illustrate an error you are experiencing.
There are several ways to accomplish this simple task in Windows, and we’ve detailed each of the available methods below. And yes, each of these methods works just as well on Windows 11 as it does on Windows 10.
Method 1: Snipping Tool
The best native method is the snipping tool. This built-in screen recording utility works pretty well, but it’s not the most powerful or versatile when it comes to saving a recording. However, it is a utility that allows users to better define and capture portions of the desktop screen as screenshots. Here’s how to use it.
Step 1: Just type to get started cutting tool in the search box on the taskbar and select the desired application. If you’re on Windows 10, when it opens, you’ll see a notification that you’re “moving to a new home” in a later update. Don’t worry. Even on Windows 11, it’s still an available tool, but Microsoft encourages you to use it cut and draw either Win + Shift + S keyboard shortcut.
Step 2 – With the Snipping Tool open in Windows 10, click on Operation mode button to expand the menu. You will find four screenshot options: Draw Window (free form clip art), box in area (rectangular cut), grab the current window (window trim), and capture the entire screen (full screen clip).
In Windows 11, you will need to select New or press Windows Key + Shift + S keyboard shortcut to start the clip. After doing anything, the screen will dim a bit and you will be presented with the four “mode” options listed above at the top of the screen. Choose one of these ways to start recording your screen.
Step 3 – Note that in Windows 10, if you use Rectangle and Freeform Snipping mode, the screen turns white. Once you start to define the area for the screenshot, the white color within that area disappears. If you capture a specific window (window clip), your screen turns white except for the content inside the window you select.
In Windows 11, using Freeform and Rectangle modes will make the entire screen dark except for the area you select to capture the screenshot. For window clips, you’ll see a dark screen until you select the window you want to record. That window will light up, while everything else will remain somewhat dark.
Step 4 – The Snipping Tool also includes a delay feature. You can wait anywhere from one to five seconds before taking a big screenshot, so you can capture the exact moment in a video or animation. (In Windows 11, the delay steps are zero, three, five, and 10 seconds.)
After taking a screenshot, the snipping tool interface expands to display your screenshot. You can make light changes like using a pen or marker and erasing something. (In Windows 11, this editing screen may appear automatically, or you’ll need to select the notification that appears first to open the editing screen.)
Step 5 – When you are done editing inside the Snipping Tool, click on Archive in the upper left corner, and then click Save as option that appears in the dropdown menu.
On Windows 11: Select Save as disk icon in the upper right corner, name your file on the screen that appears, and select Save button.
Method 2: Cut and draw
Snip & Sketch is Microsoft’s newest version of the snip utility. You can access this tool from Beginning menu or write Win + Shift + S on your keyboard. Here’s how to use it.
(Note: Snip & Sketch is no longer available in Windows 11 and has been replaced by an updated Snipping Tool app that includes Snip & Sketch elements. However, the following instructions (especially steps 1, 2, and 4) should still be followed generally correct for Windows 11 hack tool.)
Step 1 – If you use the keyboard shortcut, the screen dims and shows a toolbar with five buttons at the top. It has the same features found in the snipping tool above, but it doesn’t save your screenshots as a file. Instead, the image goes directly to the clipboard first.
Step 2: You will also see a notification on your desktop informing you that the image has been copied to the clipboard. This same notification gives you the ability to edit the captured image within the Snip & Sketch app. You can access this last option by selecting the notification itself on the desktop. If you click the notification, the screenshot is uploaded inside the app, allowing you to crop the image and apply a pen, marker, or eraser.
Step 3 – If you are loading the Snip & Sketch app, select the drop down arrow next to it New in the upper left corner and select cut now in the drop down menu. The screen goes dark and a toolbar with five buttons appears. Create your snip and your desired image should automatically load into the Snip & Sketch app, ready to edit.
Step 4 – When you’re ready, save the image anywhere on your computer by selecting it disc style button. If you want to edit and save the screenshot with any installed image editor, select Three points toolbar icon and select To open with option from the drop down menu.
Method 3: Keyboard shortcuts (PrintScreen)
Windows offers six methods to capture your desktop as an image using keyboard shortcuts. Three rely on the Print Screen (PrtScn) key, while the remaining three require the Windows (Win) key.
On external keyboards, you will find a dedicated PrtScn key located in the upper right corner. The Win key is usually located in the lower left corner, between the Control (Ctrl) and Alternate (Alt) keys. It has the Windows logo on it, so it’s hard to miss.
On laptops, the Print Screen command can be combined with another function into a single key. In this case, you must press the function key (Fn) next to the Print Screen key.
Here’s a breakdown of the six screenshot commands:
Print Screen (PrtScn): Captures the entire screen. If you have more than one display, this feature captures everything displayed on all connected displays as a single image. By default, this method does not save your image as a file, it just sends the captured image to the Windows clipboard.
Alt + Print Screen: Capture a single window. Be sure to first highlight the target window, such as a document or browser, before pressing these two keys (or three on certain laptops). By default, this method does not save your image as a file, it just sends the image contained in the capture window to the clipboard.
Win + Print Screen: Capture the entire screen. The difference is that Windows saves the image as a file. By default, it is sent to C:UsersPictures>Screenshots or C:UsersOneDrive>Pictures>Screenshots on your computer.
Win + Shift + S – Take a screenshot using the built-in screenshot tool called Snip & Sketch (or the new Snipping Tool app in Windows 11). The screen dims and offers four options in a small toolbar (not including Exit icon): rectangular cut/style, Freeform/Fashion Cutout, Crop/window modeand Clip/full screen mode. This tool does not save snapshots as an image, it just sends them to the clipboard.
Win + G: Open the Xbox Game Bar. Choose Catch button and then Camera and this tool will save the image in C:Users>(username)>Videos>Captures by default.
Win + Alt + Print Screen – Capture only the active window. By default, this command saves the image to C:Users>(username)>Videos>Snapshots.
In some cases, the screen flickers or dims to indicate that Windows took a screenshot. If not, open File Explorer and navigate to your default locations to see if Windows has saved your image.
Method 4: Use the OneDrive service
If you use OneDrive, you can save screenshots to the cloud so you can access them from any device. However, it does not save screenshots by default. Instead you have to choose Cloud icon parked next system clock (or in hidden icons menu marked with an arrow pointing up).
If this icon doesn’t appear, you may first need to open the OneDrive app and sign in to your account. After clicking cloud iconchoose Help and settings gear icon and click settings in the popup menu. Then click backup tab in the pop-up window that appears and check the box below screenshots. then click Alright.
(In Windows 11, after selecting settingsChoose Synchronization and backup tab on the left side. In Synchronization and backup screen, turn on Save the screenshots I took to OneDrive option.)
In this case, you can press the first two Print Screen Commands to automatically save an image file to OneDrive. For these commands, you won’t see the screen flicker or dim; instead, you will receive a notification. Be sure to sync the Screenshots folder if you want to access the images on your computer.
If you used a method that saves your screenshot locally as a file, you can locate and view the image using the Photos app. And if you need to crop an image, especially one taken on computers with more than one screen, there are three native tools at your disposal: Paint, Paint 3D, and Photos.
Paint and Paint 3D will allow you to quickly paste a selected image and then cut it, or save it as another file format.
How to take a screenshot on other devices
If you’re trying to learn how to take a screenshot on a Mac instead of a Windows PC, taking a screenshot is also very easy. There are several methods to do this, but the easiest is to use some useful keyboard shortcuts. Command + Shift + 3 will capture the entire screen, while Command + Shift + 4 will allow you to draw a selection box.
Need to take a screenshot on a Microsoft Surface product? Check out our handy guide covering the different methods.
Again, there are a few different methods to take a screenshot on a Chromebook, but the easiest is a keyboard shortcut. Control + Show Windows Keys will capture the entire screen, while Control + Shift + Show Windows will allow you to record the selected area.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn