Last Updated on: 4th May 2023, 01:43 pm
Taking a screenshot might seem a bit of a task if you are new to using Windows or if you have never had to take a screenshot on your computer. Whether it’s for a project, making an inspirational mood board, or for a reference image, screenshots can help you in many ways. So how to take a screenshot on Windows 10?
Today we will be showing you some nifty and easy ways to take a screenshot of your Windows screen.
Screenshots through Key Combinations:
There are many different ways to take a screenshot that can accommodate you to your need. Let’s start with some key combinations first for quick and straightforward screen captures:
• PrintScr Key:
You can find the PrintScr (Sys Rq) probably on your keyboards. As the key name suggests when pressed makes a copy of your whole screen and saves it on the system clipboard. The whole screen you were viewing at the time of pressing the PrintScr key is now copied to the clipboard. You can paste this screenshot in the form of an image in the Paint application or Microsoft Office apps. On some keyboards especially on laptops, the PrintScr’s screenshot function is only triggered by combining it with the Function (Fn) key, in easy words hold PrintScr and Fn key together to take a screenshot.
• Alt + PrintScr:
When this combination is triggered the system takes a screenshot of the active window on your system and copies it to the system’s clipboard. For example, you were reading an article on a web browser and you only want the screenshot of the web browser and not your active window’s tab. So, to do this you will trigger the Alt + PrintScr key combination.
• Windows Key + PrintScr:
Want to take a screenshot smartphone-style? This key combination has got you covered. Press Windows Key + PrintScr and a screenshot of your entire screen will be captured and saved in a folder named screenshots under the pictures folder of the system. With this combination, an image is saved directly on the system rather than being copied to the system clipboard. This technique is easy for taking multiple screenshots and using them later.
Snipping tool for More Controlled Screenshots:
For more controlled and selective functionality, Microsoft has backed various functions and tools in Windows, and Snipping Tool is one of them. The snipping tool will let you take screenshots with much more flexibility. You can select a small part of your screen or take screenshots in any other shape. You can also draw on screenshots taken from the snipping tool.
When looking for the snipping tool in the start menu you might end up finding 2 separate snipping tool applications. One will be named Snipping Tool and the other will be named Snip & Sketch. They both have the same functionality but different UIs. Since Snip & Sketch is the latest application, we would prefer to use it as it has a more up-to-date UI and functionality. However, the good ole Snipping Tool application will get the job done perfectly too.
There are two ways to trigger the snipping tool, we will go through both ways:
• Launching Snip & Sketch from Start Menu:
1. You can launch the snipping tool from the start menu.
2. Press the New Button on the upper left of the skip & sketch window.
3. Your screen will be now dimmed and a bar will appear in the upper center of your screen.
4. This bar has four screenshot-taking options: 1. Rectangular Snip, 2. Freeform Snip, 3. Window Snip, and 4. Full-Screen Snip.
5. Now you will select your desired option and snip a screenshot.
6. The screenshot will now appear in the Snip & Sketch window. You can edit it more like draw on it with the pen tool or highlight any particular part of the screenshot. You can also further crop the screenshot here.
7. After further editing and annotating the screenshot, you can save it as an image file in any folder you want by clicking the file option and saving it through the Save as an option.
• Windows key + Shift + S Combination:
You can also open the snip & sketch tool using this key combination.
1. Press the key combination Windows key + shift + s, and the snipping toolbar will open on the upper middle part of the screen.
2. Snip your desired type and part of the screen.
3. The screenshot will be copied to the system clipboard and can be easily pasted into any other application.
This is a more easy and fast approach to taking a more selective screenshot.
Screenshots through the Game Bar:
Playing games can be fun but sometimes you might want to take a screenshot of your accomplishments to show your friends, for this Windows OS has another easy and quick screenshot-taking option.
You can easily access Game Bar by pressing a combination of the Windows key and G (Windows key + G). This will trigger the Game Bar functionality, here you can get stats like your GPU, RAM, and system temperature but you can also take a screenshot or record your gameplay too.
Camera Option
You can find the camera option in this Game Bar in the top right corner. When clicked a screenshot of the game is taken. This image will be saved in the Captures folder which can be found under the system’s video folder.
Screen Recording
For screen recording, you can find the recording button next to the camera button in the Game bar. When this button is clicked, the screen recording is enabled. When screen recording is done this video file is also saved in the capture folder under the system’s video folder.
Special Keys
Game Bar’s screenshot functionality can also be triggered through a special key combination and that is Windows key + Alt + PrintScr. When this key combination is pressed the screenshot image of the game is saved in the capture folder of the system’s video folder.
Via Steam
If the game you are playing is configured with Steam then you can also take a screenshot of the game by pressing F11 on your keyboard. This screenshot image will be saved in the dedicated screenshot folder for Steam.
Final Thoughts on How to Take a Screenshot on Windows 10?
There are several ways to take a screenshot on a Windows computer. Some key combinations give you an easy and quick way to take a screenshot, while some options give you more control over how do you want to take a screenshot and how many parts of the screen you want as a screenshot. All these options are given for a user’s ease. Try all these options and settle for the way which is easy, comfortable, and productive for you to use at the end of the day.
