How to Take a Screenshot on Windows

How to Take a Screenshot on Windows

Taking a screenshot can be a useful way for anyone to capture part or all of their computer screen. Whether you need to show off an issue to tech support or get a quick snapshot of something, this guide will show you how to take a screenshot on Windows.

1. Preparation

Before taking the screenshot, prepare the screen area that you want to capture. Clear away any clutter so that the screenshot will only include what you want it to.

2. Capture Screenshot with Keyboard Shortcut

The easiest way to take a screenshot on Windows is to use the keyboard shortcut. To do this, press the Windows key + PrtScn or Fn + Windows key + PrtScn on your keyboard. This will capture a screenshot of the entire screen and save it to your computer as a file.

3. Capture Screenshot with Snipping Tool

If the keyboard shortcut doesn’t work, you can also use the Snipping Tool. This is a built-in tool that allows you to take screenshots of specific areas. To access the Snipping Tool, type ‘Snipping Tool’ into the search bar in the taskbar.

Steps to use Snipping Tool:

1. Open the Snipping Tool.
2. Click the dropdown arrow next to the ‘New’ button and select a type of snip:
   • Rectangular Snip – Take a screenshot of a rectangular area.
   • Window Snip – Take a screenshot of a application window.
   • Free-Form Snip – Take a screenshot of any size or shape.
   • Full-Screen Snip – Take a screenshot of the entire screen.
3. Once you’ve selected a type of snip, you can then select and capture the area you want to screenshot.
4. After taking the screenshot, you can then save it to your computer as a file.

4. View Saved Screenshots

Once you’ve taken the screenshot and saved it, you can view the saved screenshots by going to:

• File explorer -> This PC -> Pictures -> Screenshots
• Or, type ‘screenshots’ into the search bar in the taskbar

The screenshots will be saved in the .PNG file format and will have a filename in the format ‘Screenshot (1).png’ or similar.

5. Edit Screenshots

If you want to edit the screenshot before saving it, you can use the tools in the Snipping Tool. The tools allow you to draw and highlight on the screenshot, as well as add text. Once you’ve finished editing, you can save the screenshot in the same way as before.

6. Print Screenshots

If you want to print the screenshot, you can open it in a photo viewer or editor and then print it from there. Alternatively, you can print it directly from the Snipping Tool by clicking the ‘File’ menu, then ‘Print’.

7. Share Screenshots

If you want to share the screenshot with someone, you can do so by sending them the file. You can also share the screenshot directly from the Snipping Tool by clicking the ‘File’ menu, then ‘Share’. This will open a sharing window where you can select how you want to share the screenshot.

Conclusion

In this guide, we’ve seen how to take a screenshot on Windows using either the keyboard shortcut or the Snipping Tool. We’ve also seen how to view, edit and print the screenshots, as well as how to share them with others. With this information, you should now be able to take screenshots on your Windows computer with ease.