This wikiHow teaches you how to take a screenshot on a Windows computer. You can also scroll up the page for more detailed instructions for all methods, including using the Snipping Tool program to take modified screenshots and using screenshots on Surface devices.
Step
Method 1 of 7: Taking Full Screen Snapshots on Windows 8 and 10
Step 1. Go to the screen you want to take a screenshot of
Before taking a snapshot, make sure that the desired screen is displayed, without any interruptions or distractions (eg windows or other programs still open).
Step 2. Locate the "Print Screen" button on the keyboard
The Print Screen key is often located on the upper right side of the main keyboard (excluding the numeric keys if any), and usually below it says "SysReq" ("System Requirements").
The "Print Screen" button is usually shortened to "PrtSc" or something
Step 3. Press Win. button and Print Screen simultaneously.
After that, a screenshot of the currently displayed screen will be taken. Usually, the screen will dim for a while.
- The screen will not dim if certain display settings are disabled on the computer. This is most common on older computers that were upgraded to Windows 10.
- If the screenshot doesn't appear when you search for it, try pressing Ctrl+⊞ Win+⎙ Print Screen or Fn+⊞ Win+⎙ Print Screen to take a screenshot.
Step 4. Look for the screenshot
Usually, screenshots can be found in the " Screenshots " folder which is stored in the " Pictures " folder. Each screenshot taken will be named with " Screenshot (number) " according to the order in which the screenshot was taken.
For example, the first screenshot taken will be labeled as " Screenshot (1) ", and so on
Method 2 of 7: Taking Full Screen Snapshots on Any Windows Computer
Step 1. Go to the screen you want to take a screenshot of
Before taking a snapshot, make sure that the desired screen is displayed, without any interruptions or distractions (eg windows or other programs still open).
Step 2. Press the Print Screen key
This key is usually in the upper-right corner of the keyboard, to the right of the row of "Function" keys (eg. F12 ”) at the top of the board. After the button " Print Screen ” is pressed, a screenshot of the entire screen content will be taken.
- Knob " Print Screen ” might be labeled " PrtSc " or something.
- If you have the Fn key in the lower-left corner of your keyboard, you may need to press the Fn key and Print Screen at the same time to take a screenshot.
Step 3. Open the Paint program
This program is included in the installation package of all Windows computers. To open it:
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Open menu Start ”
Windowsstart On Windows 8, go to “ Search ”.
- Click on the search bar at the bottom of the " Start ”.
- Type paint.
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Click Paint ” displayed at the top of the “Start” window.
In Windows 8, the option “ Paint ” will be displayed in search results (“ Search ”).
- In Windows XP, click the " Start ", choose " Programs ", click " Accessories, and select " Paint ”.
Step 4. Paste the screenshot you have taken
Once the Paint program window opens, press the Ctrl+V key combination to paste the screenshot. Now, you can see the screenshot in the Paint window.
Step 5. Save the screenshot
Press the Ctrl+S key combination, enter a name for the snapshot file, select a storage folder on the left side of the window, and click “ Save ”.
- You can change the type of the snippet file by clicking the " Save as type " drop-down box at the bottom of the window, and clicking a different format (eg. JPEG ”) in the drop-down menu.
- The most commonly selected file types are-j.webp" />
Method 3 of 7: Taking Screenshot of One Window
Step 1. Click the window from which you want to take a snapshot
One-window screenshot captures the function of taking a snapshot of the currently “active” window on the screen. This means, this window must be displayed on top of the other windows.
Step 2. Hold down Alt. key and press the button PrtScr.
After that, the window snippet will be copied to the clipboard (clipboard). The dimensions of the image will be determined by the size of the window from which the snapshot is taken.
You will not receive a confirmation message that the screenshot has been taken
Step 3. Open the Paint program
This program is included in the installation package of all Windows computers. To open it:
-
Open menu Start ”
Windowsstart On Windows 8, go to “ Search ”.
- Click on the search bar at the bottom of the “menu” Start ”.
- Type paint.
-
Click Paint ” displayed at the top of the “Start” window.
In Windows 8, the option “ Paint ” will be displayed in search results (“ Search ”).
- In Windows XP, click the " Start ", choose " Programs ", click " Accessories, and select " Paint ”.
Step 4. Paste the screenshot you have taken
Once the Paint program window opens, press the Ctrl+V key combination to paste the screenshot. Now, you can see the screenshot in the Paint window.
You can also paste the screenshot in another program, such as Word or the main body of an email. Just open the desired program to paste the image and press the Ctrl+V key combination
Step 5. Save the screenshot as an image file
Click the menu " File ", choose " Save ”, enter a file name, select a file storage location on the left side of the page, and click “ Save ”.
- You can change the type of the snippet file by clicking the " Save as type " drop-down box at the bottom of the window, and clicking a different format (eg. JPEG ”) in the drop-down menu.
- The most commonly selected file types are-j.webp" />
Method 4 of 7: Using the Program Snipping Tool
Step 1. Open the Snipping Tool program
The Snipping Tool program is available on all versions of Windows (Vista, 7, 8 and 10), except for the Starter and Basic editions of Windows. Unfortunately, this program is not available on Windows XP.
- On Windows Vista and 7, click the “ Start ", choose " All Programs ", choose " Accessories ”, and click “Snipping Tool” from the list of programs.
- On Windows 8, type in snipping tool when you are on the “Start” page and select the appropriate option from the search results.
-
On Windows 10, click the “ Start ”
Windowsstart type in snipping tool, and select “ Snipping Tool ” from the search results.
Step 2. Select the desired snippet or snippet shape (snip)
The " Rectangular Snip " option is selected by default. Click the arrow button next to the “Mode” button to change the shape of the snippet.
- “ Free-form Snip " This option allows you to draw any shape with the mouse. The area inside the shape will be taken as a screenshot.
- “ Rectangular Snip " This option allows you to take a screenshot in a rectangular shape.
- “ Window Snip " This option allows you to select the specific window from which you want to capture a snapshot.
- “ Full-screen Snip " This option takes a full screen shot and covers all displayed windows (except the Snipping Tool window).
Step 3. Adjust the snippet/snippet borders
By default, captured footage has a red border/frame. You can disable or change this setting by clicking the “ Tools ” in the upper-left corner of the Snipping Tool toolbar, select “ Options ” from the drop-down menu, and uncheck the box next to the “Show selection ink after snips are captured” option. After that, no frame or border will be added to subsequent snapshots taken.
Step 4. Create a new screenshot
Click the button New ” to start the selection. The screen will dim and you can draw a snapshot area or select a window (if you select the “Window Snip” option). Release the mouse after selecting to take a screenshot.
If you choose " Full-screen Snip, a screenshot will be generated automatically after you click the button “ New ”.
Step 5. Annotate the snippet
Once captured, the snippet will be displayed in a new window. You can use the pen tool to draw and take notes, and use the highlight tool to focus attention on text.
The erase tool will only erase the caption, not the screenshot
Step 6. Save the screenshot
Click the diskette icon to open the save dialog window. Type in the name of the snippet file and change the " Save as type: " field if you wish. You can now send screenshots via email or upload them to a website.
Step 7. Copy the screenshot
By default, the snippet is copied to the clipboard when it is created. This means that you can paste it into a Paint or Word program, just as you would when you take a full-screen screenshot. In the Paint program, you can make a lot more edits than with the snippet caption editing window.
To paste the snippet, open a pasting-enabled window and press the Ctrl+V key combination
Method 5 of 7: Using the Shortcut Snipping Tool
Step 1. Go to the page you want to take a snapshot of
Open the program or screen you want to take a picture of. Make sure windows or images you don't want aren't covering them.
Step 2. Press Win+⇧ Shift+S key
After that, your computer screen will turn light gray, and the mouse cursor will turn into a cross.
Step 3. Select an area of the screen to take a snapshot of
Click and drag the mouse from the top left corner to the bottom right of the area.
For example, if you want to take a screenshot of the entire screen, click and drag your mouse from the top left corner of the screen to the bottom right corner of the screen
Step 4. Release the mouse
After that, a screenshot will be taken and saved in the clipboard so that it can be pasted into any program that can open the pasted photo.
Step 5. Paste the screenshot
Open any program that can open photos (like Paint, Word, etc.) and press Ctrl+V. The part of the screen you captured should appear in the program.
- You can save the screenshot by pressing Ctrl+S, entering a name and selecting a save location, then clicking Save.
- Photos can also be pasted into some online services such as email.
Method 6 of 7: Taking Sequential Snapshots of Multiple Screen Windows
Step 1. Understand how it works
The program called "PSR.exe" on all Windows computers allows you to record up to 100 different screens and save them all in one document. The program also prepares a record of where you clicked and what action to take on each screen.
Step 2. Go to the first page you want to take a snapshot of
Go to the first page of all the pages you want to screenshot.
Step 3. Go to Start
Click the Windows logo in the upper left corner of the screen. The Start menu will open.
Step 4. Open the Run program
Type run and click Run at the top of the Start window.
Step 5. Enter the command to open PSR
Type psr.exe into the Run window.
Step 6. Click OK
It's at the bottom of the Run window. Once this button is clicked, a toolbar will open at the top of the screen.
Step 7. Click Start Record
It's at the top of the toolbar. After that, Steps Recorder will activate and record the next 25 screens.
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If you want to record more than 25 different screens, first click
Android7dropdown on the right side of the toolbar, click Settings…, and change the number in "Number of recent screen captures to store".
Step 8. Click the different screens
Every time your screen changes (apart from just swiping your mouse), Steps Recorder will also take a snapshot.
Step 9. Click Stop Record
It's at the top of the toolbar. After that, the screen recording will stop and a new window will open.
Step 10. Check the screenshot
Drag the mouse down the window to make sure all the screenshots you want have been captured.
Step 11. Save the screenshot in the ZIP folder
Click Save at the top of the window, enter a file name, and specify a save location, then click Save.
This way, the screenshot will be saved in a single HTML file. You can open the HTML file in your Internet Explorer browser to view its contents
Method 7 of 7: Using a Windows Tablet
Step 1. Display the screen from which you want to take a screenshot
Before taking a snapshot, make sure that the desired screen is displayed, without any interruptions or distractions (eg windows or other programs still open).
Step 2. Press and hold the Windows logo
This logo is the logo at the bottom of the device, not the Windows button on the desktop.
If there is no Windows button on the tablet, press the power button
Step 3. Press the volume down button (or volume up if you are using the power button)
The screen will briefly dim to indicate that the screenshot has been taken.
The screenshot will be saved in the “Screenshots” folder which can be accessed by opening File Explorer and going to the “Pictures” → “Screenshots” folder
Tips
- For Microsoft OneNote users, press the key combination Win+S to display the screen capture options in a rectangular shape. After that, the snippet will be displayed as an image in OneNote. This step can be followed, even on Windows XP that does not come with the tTool Snipping program.
- On laptop keyboards, it may be necessary to use the PrtScr key in combination with other keys. This means, you may need to press the Fn or " Function " key to access it. Such keys are usually located on the bottom row of the keyboard.
- The Snipping Tool program from Windows is not included with all editions of Windows. If your version of Windows doesn't have the Snipping Too program, you can use a free clone of the Snipping Tool program.
- If you want to upload a screenshot on a website, make sure the file size does not exceed the specified size limit.
Warning
- Screenshots may not show the content playing in Windows Media Player.
- Storing screenshots in some file types (eg bitmaps) will result in very large file sizes. Therefore, the use of-p.webp" />
- The screenshot will not show the mouse cursor.
