You have to “photograph” your PC screen but, not being very practical in terms of computer science and new technologies, you don’t have the slightest idea how to do it? Do not worry: if you want, I am here ready to provide you with the information you need to achieve your goal.
If you allow me a few minutes of your precious time, in fact, I can explain how to take a screenshot with Windows using the functions already included in the Microsoft operating system or, if these are not to your liking, with some third-party software. I assure you that this is child’s play in any case.
Read, therefore, what I have to explain and you will be able to capture both the entire desktop of your PC, and portions of it or individual windows. The choice is yours on how to proceed. You will also have the possibility to export the final result in various formats and share it as you prefer. Happy reading and good luck for everything!
Index
- How to screenshot in Windows
- How to take a screenshot on Windows 10
- Capture and Annotate Tool
- Take Edge Web Screen
- How to take screenshot in Windows 8
- How to take a screenshot on Windows 7
- Programs to take a screenshot with Windows
How to screenshot in Windows
As I told you at the beginning of the guide, to take a screenshot with Windows you can first make use of some features included in the operating system. In this regard, if you prefer the use of keyboard shortcuts , you will surely be pleased to know that you can easily capture “snapshots” of what is displayed on your computer screen in this way.
More precisely, if you are using an updated version of Windows (from Windows 8.x upwards), to take a screenshot, all you have to do is use the following key combination: Win + Stamp . If that doesn’t work, you can try using the following alternative key combinations: Win + Ctrl + Stamp or Win + Fn + Stamp . If you are using a tablet or 2-in-1 device, instead, use this combination: Win + Volume key (-) .
In case you don’t know, the Win key is the one with the Windows flag that you find at the bottom left of the keyboard. Instead, the Stamp key is the one located at the top right and, moreover, on some keyboards it is indicated as Prnt , Prt Scr , Prnt or Print and sometimes it is located on a multifunction key (so to be able to use it you must also press the Fn key ) .
In all cases, in conjunction with the correct typing of the keyboard shortcut, you will see a rapid darkening of the desktop. The screenshots obtained will be saved in PNG format and you can view them by accessing the Windows Images \ Screenshots folder . If you prefer, however, you can change the destination path of the screenshots captured by right-clicking on the Screenshots folder , then choosing the Properties item from the context menu, going to the Path tab in the window that opens and pressing the Move button .
If you are using an older version of Windows or in any case as an alternative to as I have already explained to you, you can also make sure that the captured screenshots are copied only to the clipboard without being automatically saved in the images folder, so that you can then paste them in any other application.
How you do it? Nothing could be simpler: if you want to copy a screenshot of the entire desktop to the OS clipboard, press the Stamp key , while if you want to copy a screenshot of the foreground window to the clipboard, use the Alt + Stamp combination .
You can then paste the screenshot obtained in any application you want (eg. Paint ), by simply clicking on the button Paste attached to the window of the program in use or using the key combination Ctrl + V .
How to take a screenshot on Windows 10
If what you are using is a computer with Windows 10 installed , I inform you that to take a screenshot you can also resort to the use of additional tools included “standard” in the operating system. Here they are.
Capture and Annotate Tool
To take a screenshot with Windows 10 , you can use Capture and annotate : a program that is pre-installed in the operating system (if removed, it can be downloaded for free from the relevant section of the Microsoft Store ) and has been specifically designed to take screen captures and add annotations to the latter.
To use Capture and annotate, first start the tool in question by clicking on the Start button (the one with the Windows flag ) located at the bottom left of the taskbar , typing “capture and annotate” in the field search and selecting the first relevant suggestion in the menu that opens.
Once the main window of the tool is displayed, to take a screenshot, click on the New button located at the top left. If you deem it necessary, you can also set a timer between selecting the area to be captured and the actual creation of the screenshot, by clicking in advance on the adjacent button with the down arrow and selecting the Capture in 3 seconds option or the Capture between option. 10 seconds from the menu that appears.
Next, click on the buttons on the toolbar that appears at the top to select the capture mode you prefer. More precisely, by pressing the button with the rectangle you can make a screenshot of a rectangular shape; pressing on the one with the curved design you can make a screenshot by drawing a custom shape; pressing on the one with the two overlapping rectangles you can make the acquisition of a specific window, while clicking on the button depicting a rectangle with the corners in evidence you can take a screenshot of the entire desktop.
If the mode you have selected requires it, then proceed to trace the capture area of the screenshot, by clicking on the starting point and, continuing to hold down, moving the pointer to the point of your interest.
After the acquisition, you can view the image obtained through the program editor which will open automatically. Through the latter, you can also crop the image, add annotations, strokes and highlights using the appropriate buttons at the top.
Once the changes are completed or in any case to save the image obtained, click on the button with the floppy disk located at the top right and decide the position, name and format for the final file. You can also copy the screenshot to the Windows clipboard, so you can then paste it where you see fit, by clicking on the button with the two sheets that is always found at the top of the Capture and annotate editor.
If it interests you, know that you can also invoke the tool captures and logs using this key combination: Win + Shift + S . I would like to inform you that you can also arrange for the aforementioned tool to be called up by pressing the Stamp key . To do this, click the Start button on the taskbar , select the Settings icon (the one in the shape of a gear wheel ) in the menu that opens and click on the word Accessibility in the window that appears on the desktop; then select the Keyboard item from the menu on the left and move the switch under the heading to EnabledStamp link located on the right.
Take Edge Web Screen
If you need to take a screenshot of a web page – in its entirety or a single portion -, you can use the Take Web Screenshot feature included in Edge , which is the default browser in Windows 10.
To be able to use it, start your browser, go to the Web page of your interest, click on the button (…) located at the top right and choose the Acquire Web Screen option from the menu that opens.
Now, if you want to capture a snapshot of a portion of the Web page, check that the Free Selection option is selected on the toolbar at the top (otherwise you can, by clicking on the appropriate wording), then draw the rectangle for capturing the screenshot, by clicking on the starting point and, continuing to hold, moving the crosshair displayed on the screen to the point of interest.
Now, through the menu you see appear, decide whether to copy the screenshot obtained to the clipboard or whether to add annotations to it, by clicking, respectively, on the Copy or Add notes item . Finally, save the image obtained by pressing the floppy disk icon .
If, on the other hand, your need is to capture the screenshot of an entire Web page, after calling the browser screen capture tool, choose the Full page option located on the toolbar at the top and wait for it to be created the snapshot. Subsequently, add any annotations and / or proceed with saving the file as I explained earlier.
I point out, too, that you can quickly recall the use of the function to make screenshots of Edge Web pages also using the following keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + S .
How to take screenshot in Windows 8
Also on Windows 8 there is a default tool for taking screenshots. It’s called the Snipping Tool and it allows you to capture individual portions of the screen, specific windows or the entire desktop. You can also edit the resulting images by adding highlights, annotations, and various other elements to them.
You ask me how you can use it? First of all, start the tool by clicking on the Start button , then on the button with the magnifying glass in the upper right part of the Start Screen , typing “capture tool” in the search field that appears and selecting the relevant suggestion .
Afterwards, you will see a small toolbar appear on the desktop. To capture your screenshot, click on the New button attached to it and then use the pointer to draw a rectangle including the screen area you want to “capture”, by clicking, continuing to hold down and releasing the “grip “Up to the point of your interest.
If you want, you can also capture a screenshot in a different format by first clicking on the down arrow button in the Snipping Tool toolbar and choosing one of the following options from the menu that appears: Capture Free Format (to take a screenshot by drawing a custom shape), Capture a single window (to take a screenshot of a specific window) or Capture Full Screen (to take a screenshot of the entire desktop). To reset the default capture format, instead, choose the Rectangular Capture option .
Once the capture has taken place, you will be shown the screenshot in the program editor, through which you can make all the necessary changes to the image using the tools to add strokes and highlights. Once the changes are complete and / or to save the screenshot, click on the button with the floppy disk located at the top left and indicate the position, name and format you want to assign to the final file.
How to take a screenshot on Windows 7
Are you using a computer with Windows 7 installed and would like to understand how to take a screenshot? I inform you then that, even in this case, you can do it by using the tool called Snipping Tool , the one I already told you about in the previous step regarding Windows 8 . Operation is identical.
Programs to take a screenshot with Windows
The “standard” solutions to take a screenshot with Windows that I have already told you have not convinced you in a particular way and, therefore, would you prefer to turn to the use of third-party programs ? I’ll settle you immediately! Below, in fact, you will find a list of those that, in my humble opinion, represent the best software in the category for Microsoft operating systems that you can consider turning to.
- SnapCrab– free software and fully functional with all versions of Windows, which allows you to take snapshots of the entire desktop, single portions of it or specific windows. The images obtained can be saved locally, but if necessary they can also be shared online using a special feature.
- Greenshot– free and open source program that behaves almost similar to the default screenshot capture tool, but in an enhanced way. It also offers integration with services such as Dropbox and Imgur through special plugins and provides its users with a practical editor for editing the resulting images.
- FastStone Capture– program that looks like a small toolbar always accessible from the desktop, through which it is possible to capture screenshots of the entire screen, single windows or customized portions. It is at no cost.
- ShareX– is another software, free and of an open source nature, through which it is possible to take a screenshot with Windows in various ways. It supports various image capture and saving modes and the built-in editor interface is customizable.
