How to Take a Screenshot on a PC
This tutorial will teach you how to capture screenshots on a computer running Windows. These instructions are compatible with Windows 10, 8, 7, and Vista, as well as XP.
How to Capture an Image from Your Screen
Simply pressing the PrtScn key on your keyboard is the quickest and easiest way to capture a screenshot in any version of Windows. This method works the same regardless of the version of Windows you are using.
- PrtScn is a shorthand for the print screen button, which, when pressed once, saves a screenshot of the full screen. If you have more than one monitor attached, you can take a snapshot of the entire desktop by pressing the “print screen” button just once. This will save the screenshot as a single image.
- You can snap a screenshot of a single window that you have your attention on by pressing the Alt key in conjunction with the PrtScn key at the same time. After making sure the window is the active one by selecting it once, use these keys to bring it into focus.
- The combination of the Windows key and the print screen button, known as Win+PrtScn in Windows 8 and later versions of the operating system, will capture a screenshot of the entire screen and save it in a subfolder of the default Pictures folder known as Screenshots (for example, C:Users[user]PicturesScreenshots).
Lifewire / Grace Kim
How to Copy an Image off the Screen and Save It
To save a screenshot in the most time-efficient manner, you should first paste it into the Microsoft Paint application. The fact that Windows comes pre-installed with Paint makes it an easy programme to utilise for this purpose because it eliminates the need to download the programme.
You can paste it in Microsoft Word, Photoshop, or any other software that supports images; however, for the purpose of simplicity, we’ll use Paint. You do have other options, such as pasting it in those other programmes. The “Run” dialogue box provides the simplest and quickest access to the Paint application across all versions of Windows.
- Press Win+R.
- In the “Run” section, type “mspaint,” and then press the Enter key.
- Launching the Microsoft Paint programme
- When you have Microsoft Paint open, use Ctrl + V to paste the screenshot into Paint, or pick Paste from the menu to do so. The screenshot will still be kept in the clipboard.
- Image of the Paste button in Paint’s interface
- To save the screenshot, either press Ctrl+S or go to the File menu and select Save as.
- “Save as” option in Paint’s menu bar
You might have noticed up to this point that the image you recently saved has an odd appearance. When you open an image in Paint and the image doesn’t fill up the entire canvas, white space will appear around the image. To correct this, move the bottom right corner of the canvas toward the top left of the screen and continue doing so until you reach the four corners of your screenshot.
Take a Screenshot on PC With the Windows Snipping Tool
Using the Windows Snipping Tool, you can capture a screenshot on your personal computer.
Utilizing the Snipping Tool that comes included into Windows is yet another option for capturing screenshots.
- In Windows 10, within the search box located on the taskbar, type “snipping tool,” and then select “Snipping Tool” from the list of results that appears.
- To get the Snipping Tool on Windows 8, swipe in from the right edge of the screen, pick Search, then put snipping tool into the search box. The Snipping Tool should be the first result.
- You may access the Snipping Tool in Windows 7 by clicking the Start button, entering “snipping tool” into the search box, and then selecting it from the list of results that appears.
- Snipping Tool image captured on screen
- Tutorial on How to Make Use of Snip and Sketch
Download a Print Screen Program
You can install third-party applications, both free and paid, for more advanced features such as fine-tuning the screenshot on a pixel-by-pixel basis, annotating it before you save it, and easily saving to a predefined location. Even though Windows is great for basic screenshotting capabilities, you can install third-party applications.
PrtScr is an example of a print screen tool that is both free and more complex than the one that comes with Windows. Another nice option is WinSnap; however, the free edition is missing some of the more sophisticated capabilities included in the paid premium version.