How to Take a Screenshot on Windows
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A screenshot is a quick way to visually share what’s on your screen. In many cases, a screenshot can also serve as proof of submission or a quick way to save information on the screen that you otherwise cannot copy. It’s an essential function regardless if you use a desktop or a mobile device.
Screenshot on Windows 11
Windows 11 has lots of built-in methods for taking a screenshot. There are quick methods for taking a screenshot, and there are stock apps that can take a time delayed screenshot.
Quick screenshot – Windows 11
There are a few ways to take a quick screenshot on Windows 11.
PrntScreen
This method works with a single keystroke and can be used when something is quick to disappear from the screen.
- Tap the Print Screen key on the keyboard.
- Open an image editor e.g. Paint and use the Ctrl+V keyboard shortcut to paste the image from the clipboard to the image editor.
- Save the image.
Windows + PrntScreen
This method is almost as quick as the previous method but it will automatically save the screenshot as a file.
- Tap the Windows+PrintScreen keys together when you want to take the screenshot.
- The screen will flash and the screenshot will be saved.
- Open the Pictures library folder.
- Go to the Screenshots folder and the screenshot will be saved as a PNG file with the name Screenshot (number).
How To Take Screenshots On A Surface Tablet & Touch Screen Laptop In Windows 10
To take a screenshot, hold down the Windows button and the volume down button. This will work in most cases on a two-in-one laptop and always on a Surface tablet. On some laptops though, it won’t work and instead the Narrator will turn on. If that’s the case then the screenshot function has been tied to the Windows + Volume Up button. Press and hold it for roughly ten seconds to take a full screenshot.
Time it perfectly so that the buttons are pressed at the same time.
Different Types of Screenshots
Screenshot of a Window: Alt +PrtSc
This method will allow you to screenshot a window instead of the entire screen with all the open windows and taskbar.
- Open the window you want to screenshot on HP laptop.
- Select the title bar to make sure that window is selected.
- Press and hold Alt, press PrtSc once, and then let go of all the keys.
Note: Some Windows laptops come with an additional key between the Ctrl and Windows key. It’s known as the Fn key. It controls special keyboard keys like function (F1 to F12) keys, including the Print Screen key.
On those devices, you need to press the Fn key along with the above-mentioned key configurations to take a screenshot.
In rare cases, a laptop may not come with a dedicated Print Screen button. In that case, you can press Windows+Fn+Space Bar simultaneously for grabbing screenshots.
Screenshot of a Specific Area: Win+Shift+S
This method allows you to screenshot a specific area on your window.
- Tap the Windows + Shift + S keys at the same time. This will add a white translucent mask to your screen. The cursor will change from the pointer arrow to a cross-hair.
- When the cross-hair appears, click and drag it over your screen to select the area you want to capture. The white mask will start to disappear from the area you select.
- Release your mouse button to capture the screenshot.
Snipping Tool
So far, we’ve just looked at keyboard shortcuts, most of which have been present in all versions of Windows. The Snipping Tool is also built-in to Windows, but it arrived starting in Windows Vista, so it’s only available for Vista and newer Windows OSes.
Here’s how to screenshot on an HP laptop using the Snipping Tool:
- From the taskbar, search Windows for Snipping Tool.
- Select Snip (the camera icon).
- From the Snipping mode drop down menu, pick one of the four options: Rectangle mode, Window mode, Full-screen mode, or Free-form mode.
- Press New at the top left corner, and then complete the screenshot (more on this below).
- Use the Save button to store the screenshot on your computer, the Copy button to store it in the clipboard to paste elsewhere, or the Share button to send it over one of your apps.
Time-delayed screenshot – Windows 11
In order to take a time-delayed screenshot on Windows 11, use the Snip & Sketch tool. This is a stock app on Windows 11 (and on Windows 10).
- Open the Start Menu.
- Go to the Apps list.
- Open Snip & Sketch.
- Click the No delay.
- Select a time delay interval: 3 seconds, 5 seconds, or 10 seconds.
- Click New.
- Use the time delay to set up the screenshot.
- Select the type of screenshot you want to take; area, window, or full screen.
- Once captured, click the Save button and save the screenshot.
Enhance Windows Print Screen to Take Screenshots with GreenShot
Taking screenshots on Windows can be made significantly easier and with the help of specialized apps. Whether you need to capture an entire screen, a specific window, or a custom region, these tools provide advanced features to meet your needs. Let’s explore two of the top-rated apps that can enhance your screenshot experience on Windows.
GreenShot is a small opensource utility built exclusively for taking screenshots. Once you’e downloaded to app, the main interface will show up automatically after you’ve taken a screenshot . At left side you will see a worthwhile paint dialog for doing customizations like, pointing out area by drawing different shapes, adding text to captured screen, obfuscating elements, filing color, etc.
The best part is that Print Screen key function will change into drawing tool for taking screenshot of specific part. Press Print Screen on keyboard and draw a shape for taking screenshot of specific area.
For configuring settings, right-click its icon in system tray and click Preferences. Settings dialog will appear, under General settings, you can change language preferences, add effects, enable capturing of mouse pointer, set time interval before taking screenshots, etc.
It supports four eminent image formats, so screenshots can be saved in JPG,PNG,BMP and GIF format.
It runs on Window XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Testing was done on system running Windows 7 32-bit OS.
Shotty is a full-featured screen capturing tool. The most prominent feature it offers is that it supports Windows Vista and Windows Aero-Glass effects and take screenshots with semitransparent border along with active window’s shadow. It also provide an array of features like; cropping the taken image, caption image, marking specific area, inserting text, etc., with an option of uploading images to eminent image hosting websites.
You can start taking screenshots in similar fashion as required for using Windows build-in screen capturing function. The default combination is Ctrl+Print screen to take high-quality screenshot with aero-glass effects. It supports list of image hosting services to let you instantly upload the images. The application settings can be configured from the system tray’s icon, where you can register hotkeys, toggle high quality, open existing image to edit, etc.
Conclusion
Windows 11 can still run apps that were built for Windows 10, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 7. There are all sorts of third-party screenshot tools that you can install if you do not like the stock options. Greenshot and Shotty are two great apps to try out. They’re free and have built-in annotation tools for editing the screenshot after you’ve taken it. On that note, Snip & Sketch also has a built-in editor but it’s far more basic than you’ll find in most third-party screenshot tools. If you prefer to use the Snipping tool, it’s still available on Windows 11.
