Screenshot definition
The definition of a screenshot is very simple. It is an image that you take on your screen. Be it your desktop computer or your mobile device.
In this guide, anyway, we will teach you how to take a screenshot on your Windows device. Bear in mind also that it can work both on your desktop and your mobile device.
Never also forget that this operating system can work both on your iOS and Android operating system. It has a unique inbuilt option that can help with various basic tasks, including screenshots.
Check below for helpful tips on how you can take a screenshot with your Windows 10.
Quick screenshot with PrntScn
You can find the word PrntScn on your keyboard. It is virtually on every keyboard, irrespective of the operating system concerned. It also works on all versions of Windows and 10 is not different at all. PrintScn stands for «Print Screen» and functions in taking a screenshot on your Windows 10. After taking the screenshot using this key, the screenshot can be saved on your computer and it is better to save it on the desktop for easy access when needed.
Also, the key can take a screenshot of one window or of the entire screen, depending on what you want. The screenshot button on the keyboard can be lapelled as “PrntScrn” or “PrtScn”. It may also be saved as “Print Scr”. This button is usually between the Screen Lock and the F12 button. If you are using a laptop, you will have to first press the Function Key before you can use the Print Screen function. After pressing the Print Screen button, you may not see anything, but the image has already been added to your clipboard.
Saving screenshots on your Windows 10 computer
First of all, press the Windows logo key together with PrtScn if you are using a desktop computer. If you are using a tablet, on the other hand, you can press the volume down button together with the logo button.
The required buttons you can use for taking a screenshot on a laptop computer depends on the model of that laptop since individual manufacturers have different ways of arranging buttons on the keyboard.
On some laptops, you will need to press Fn + PrtScn + Windows logo key or Ctrl + PrtScn + Windows logo key. Since the screenshots key combinations differ from one laptop to another, you will have to consult the manual for the laptop.
After pressing the right key combination, your desktop or laptop will dim temporarily and the screenshot will appear as a file saved in a folder and the folder will be titled «Screenshots» and saved in your «Pictures» folder.
Also, the saved screenshot will be allotted a number automatically as the file name. However, the temporary dimming of the screen will only occur if you have turned on the «Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing» in your computer’s visual effects.
You can turn on this setting from the visual effects by following the steps below:
- Go to System
- Then click on Advanced System settings
- Next click on Click the Advanced tab
- Next, navigate to the Settings under the Performance section and click on it
How to Take screenshot without saving
First of all, press the Print Screen button on the keyboard. This will automatically copy the screen you want to copy on the clipboard. After this, open your preferred image editor or any other program into which you want to copy the screenshot. Next, you should choose Edit.
Then select Paste. This will get the screenshot pasted on the page where you want to paste it.
The copied image will have the same dimension as the resolution of the desktop. The process may differ on some laptop computers and you may need the combination of “Fn + PrtScn + Alt” to capture the screenshot without saving.
You can check the manual of your laptop to know how to carry out the screenshot process using that laptop.
Taking a screenshot of your screen
You can equally take a screenshot of your computer screen on Windows 10 by pressing S + Shift + Windows. The screen will look grayed out and the cursor of the mouse will change. You can select any part of the screen by clicking and dragging your mouse on the screen. This will automatically copy a region of the screen you have taken as a screenshot in a clipboard. You can then paste the screenshots by following the steps below:
- Select Edit
- Press Ctrl + V to paste or simply press Paste
Bear in mind that the method described above can only work in the Creators Update of Windows 10.
The shortcut is a part of the OneNote application on Microsoft in older versions of Windows. Microsoft, however, has this shortcut integrated into Windows 10.
Using snipping tool to take a screenshot
One other way to take screenshots on Windows 10 is by using the Snipping Tool. In fact, Snipping Tool is a very important part of Windows 10. It has been part of other versions. The first version of Snipping Tool was first installed on Vista. It was no updated aside from the fixing of few bugs.
You can use the Snipping Tool to take screenshots directly on your desktop or open Window, the entire screen, free-form area or rectangular area. Your snips can be annotated using a highlighter or colored pens. You can also email the image to a friend, save it as an MHTML file or as an image.
While the Snipping Tool may have many benefits, you must take note of its limitation also, especially on Windows 7, 8 and Vista. The limitation is that Snipping Tool in any of these Windows fails to capture a screenshot involving mouse movement.
In such a situation, you will be confined to using the Print Screen method for capturing tooltips, pop-up menus and the like.
In Windows 10, however, the Snipping Tool includes a new feature labeled «Delay» that permits the end-user to easily capture tooltips and pop-up menus as screenshots.