If you want to take a screenshot of your computer screen but you don’t know how to do it, then you’re on the right page. A screenshot or screengrab is an image capturing the screen of any device without a camera.
You can take a screenshot on phones or windows depending on what you intend to capture which can be an entire screen or just a fragment of it. There are different methods or ways of taking screenshots on windows.
In this article, I’ll show you how to take screenshots on windows from the easiest to the complex ones.
The first method: The fastest and easiest method to take screenshots on windows is to use the Print screen. The Print screen is usually shortened as PrtScn, PrntScrn, PrintScr, or Prt Sc on the keyboard depending on the laptop or desktop keyboards. This keyboard key is usually found on the Function Keys Row.
So to screenshot with Print Screen, once you find the key, then you press the key, it will save the screenshot to your clipboard. Next, to access the screenshot, open it to any program especially Paint if you want to edit it and paste it there. Click on the blank page, select Paste to paste the screenshot on the editor, or press Ctrl + V on the keyboard to paste it on the editor. It can be edited and saved.
Also, you can screenshot using Windows Key and PrntScrn. To do this, press the Windows Key + PrntScrn. This is the general method but for some laptops, you will need to do extra, that is, Windows Key + Ctrl + PrntScrn. The moment it is captured, your screen will become dim, if this is your first time, the system automatically creates a default folder in your Pictures folder. The system saves the screenshot with the “Screenshot” number as “Screenshot 1”, “Screenshot 2” and so on depending on the number of times you perform this action.
To take a screenshot of the active window
To capture only the active window of your computer screen, press Alt + PrntScrn for the active window to be copied to your clipboard. Again, choose any image editor of your choice, the most common is Paint, paste it into the editor. You can edit the screenshot then save it as a document.
The second method: This method requires using the Snipping and Sketch tool that comes with windows. It is one of the easiest methods of taking screenshots on windows. To use Snip & Sketch tool, you will need to activate it by using the keyboard shortcut – Windows Key + Shift + S, or call it up from the Start button and search for Screen Snip or Snipping tool. If you screenshot regularly, it is advisable you pin the snipping app on your taskbar.
One of the uniqueness of the Snipping tool is that you can choose the mode of the screenshot from rectangular, free-form, full-screen, and window. The moment you take your screenshot, it is automatically saved to your clipboard. A notification will appear in the bottom right corner of your system screen. Click on the notification to annotate and save your screenshot. The snipping app does not save your screenshot, so you have to save it manually.
Third-Party Screenshots Apps for Windows
Third-party apps can be used to take screenshots on windows. Such apps are Snagit, Lightshot, and Greenshot. Some of these apps are free tools while some are free. Lightshot and Greenshot are free tools but Snagit’s premium version is $50.
