A button labeled “Print Screen”
Pressing the Print Screen (PrtScn) button on your keyboard is the quickest way to capture a full screen in Windows 10 or Windows 11.
It will copy the snapshot to the clipboard. Simply copy the screenshot and paste it into an image-editing tool like Microsoft Word or Paint to save the file. To take a screenshot in Windows, press the Windows key plus the Print Screen
Pressing the Windows key plus PrtScn will take a screenshot in Windows 10 or Windows 11 and save it to the Screenshots folder. When you take a screenshot, your screen will go dark and the image will be saved in the specified location.
Alt + Prt Scrn
Windows 10’s Snip & Sketch feature
If you want to take screenshots in Windows and edit, annotate, and share them, then you should use Windows 10 Snip & Sketch.
Press the Windows key plus Shift plus S to bring up Snip & Sketch. The screen will dim, and a little menu will appear at the top of your display, from which you may choose to capture a window, a portion of the screen, the entire screen, or a rectangle area. You can snap a screenshot in a variety of ways with the help of Snip and Skitch.
| Mode | Function |
| Rectangular | Size a rectangle for your screenshot. |
| Free-form | Draw free-hand with your cursor. |
| Window | Choose a specific window to capture. |
| Full-screen | Grab an image of your entire screen. |
Once the screenshot has been taken, it will be copied to the clipboard and a preview will be displayed in the lower right corner of the screen.
Preview notifications can be clicked to launch the Snip & Sketch app, where the screenshot can be saved, shared, and edited using the in-built sketching tools.
Windows 11’s Snipping Tool
Even while Windows 10 includes a screenshot tool called the Snipping Tool, you probably won’t want to use it. The Snipping Tool in Windows 11 is the superior method for creating personalized snapshots.
You may either type “Snipping Tool” into the search bar or press the Windows Key + Shift + S to launch the Snipping Tool on Windows 11. The interface will darken like in Snip & Sketch, and a menu bar with screenshot controls will appear. You can capture a rectangle, free-form, full-window, or full-screen image using the options on this toolbar.
Your screenshot will be saved in the Screenshots folder and copied to the clipboard after you capture it, making it easy to share straight away. The preview will appear in the lower right corner of your screen; click it to save or make changes.
Alternative Windows screenshot software
If you’re not happy with the built-in Windows options, there are additional programs for taking screenshots that are worth looking into.
Lightshot is a no-cost screenshot app made for instant uploading and sharing online. Lightshot is an alternative to Windows 10’s Print Screen feature that adds more editing tools to your toolkit once downloaded and installed.
Greenshot is another free program that gives you the ability to record a full-scrolling web page and edit and adjust screenshots.
ScreenRec is a free program for Windows that records your screen and lets you share what you’ve recorded. It also lets you rapidly generate a link to share with others so they can watch your recordings and screen captures, and it includes annotation features.
You can snap full-page screenshots, make animated GIFs, and more with the help of Snagit, a screenshot application. What’s the catch? There’s a $50 premium version available. You can try it out for free for 30 days, but any photos you take will have a watermark on them.
Screencast-O-Matic allows you to create and share screencasts online, and it also functions as a video editor. It also features a screenshot feature; all you have to do is join up for a free account. A premium account with additional features is available for an affordable $4 per month.
