How To Screenshot On A PC: 9 Easy Ways

How To Screenshot On A PC In 9 Easy Ways

If you don’t know the technique for capturing screenshots on your PC, then you’re not alone! I did not have a clue about it either. So, I read up a lot about it, and guess what? I found that learning how to screenshot on a PC a piece of cake!

Taking screenshots is an easy way to keep track of useful information. Don’t you think so?

Suppose you’ve completed an online payment and your invoice hasn’t been generated yet. So, you have proof of your transaction until your receive your receipt. You can easily take a screenshot of the confirmation message that pops up right after you’ve completed your payment.

9 Ways To Take Screenshots On Your PC

But, how to take a screenshot on your PC? Let me show you 9 simple ways in which you can do it easily.

Please note that the process of taking screenshots on PCs is different for different operating systems. If you’re a Windows user, you have to follow a particular series of steps. But if you are a Mac user, you’ll have to follow a different set of steps to take a screenshot.

How To Screenshot On A PC Running On Windows OS

If you use Windows OS, you can continue reading to learn how to screenshot on a PC. The following sections discuss 9 ways to take screenshots on desktops and laptops.

Take A Screenshot Of The Entire Screen Using The Print Screen Button

You can easily capture the entire screen with the print screen button. This is probably the commonest way of taking a screenshot on a Windows PC. Please follow the steps discussed in the following section:

1. Looking closely at your keyboard, you’ll find the print screen or the PrtScn button towards the upper right corner. Using this button, you can take a full-screen screenshot.
2. Once you press this button, the entire screen will be captured.
3. Now, where to find this screenshot? Well, the moment you press PrtScn, the image is copied to the clipboard. Yes, the process is automatic!
4. All you have to do now is open an application like MS-Word or Paint and paste it there. To do so, you can press Ctrl followed by V. Or; you may right-click on the screen and select Paste from the pop-up menu.

It doesn’t end there! You also need to save the image. The keyboard shortcut Ctrl + S will allow you to save the image. Or, you can select the tiny floppy disk icon on the top left corner of the screen. You can then save your screenshot to the desired location on your PC under a suitable file name of your choice.

Capture The Active Window Using Alt+PrtScn

To take a snap of only the active window on your PC, press Alt and then use the PrtScn key. Then, you may paste and save it in the manner that I discussed just now.

Use Windows+PrtScn For Taking Screenshots And Saving Them Automatically.

Pasting and saving screenshots on your PC after taking them might seem a bit tedious to you. Well, in that case, I have good news for you. Your screenshot will be automatically saved if you press the Windows key and the print screen key together! You can find it in the Pictures folder on your PC. Just go to Pictures and then to Screenshots. You can use it for full-screen captures.

Use The Snipping Tool

There is a one really useful tool on Windows OS that you can use while taking a screenshot. It’s called the Snipping Tool. You can use it for partial screen capture. Users of Windows 7, 8, 10, and even Windows Vista can use this tool.

You may be now be wondering how to screenshot on a PC using this amazing tool. Let me explain it to you in the given steps:

1. Go to start and then write “snipping tool” in the search bar. You will find the search box on the taskbar.
2. Once you have done that, choose the snipping tool from the displayed results. If you’re using Windows 10, choose the “Mode” option from the small window that appears. Users of Windows 7 and 8 should select the “New” option.
3. From the drop-down list, select the type from among four options, namely:

• Full-screen capture snip: As its name suggests, you can use it to take a screenshot of the whole screen.
• Window snip: It lets you capture a particular window that you wish to capture.
• Free-form snip: You can be a little creative here. You can draw any shape around the part of the screen you wish to capture.
• Rectangular snip: You can draw a rectangle using your mouse around the area on your screen that you want to capture.

Once you finish, save the image. You may go to the File menu and then choose “Save As” from there. You may even click on the floppy icon. The keyboard shortcut Ctrl + S will also work. Save it anywhere on your PC with a filename of your choice.

Use The Snip & Sketch Tool (Can Be Used On Windows 10 Only)

If you’re using Windows 10 on your computer, you will come across the upgraded and enhanced form of the snipping tool. It’s called the Snip & Sketch tool.

Now, this tool has some really cool features. If you use this tool, you’ll be able to highlight portions of your screenshot using the highlighter or pen tool. You can also crop or annotate it. What’s more exciting is that it comes with a ‘Delay’ feature. This feature allows you to delay your screen capture by a few seconds.

It’s very simple to use too. If you press the Windows key, Shift key, and S together, your screen will turn gray, and a tiny menu will appear on top of your computer screen. This means that you have successfully activated Snip & Sketch.

Now choose any of the types of snips that I have discussed in the previous section. Next, capture what you wish to capture, edit it if you like, and save it!

Some keyboard shortcuts to use while using the snipping tool

Something is interesting that I wish to share. While learning how to screenshot on a PC, I read a lot about the snipping tool. When I learned how to use the snipping tool, I also learned about some keyboard shortcuts. I have listed them below:

• Instead of using the “Mode” option, you can press Alt and then M.
• To select a particular type of snip, you may press Shift and the arrow keys together.
• Pressing Ctrl and C at the same time will help you copy the image on the clipboard.
• Alt + D will help you to delay your screen capture by about 5 seconds.

You Can Use Free Third-Party Apps To Take Screenshots

If you didn’t know, you could even use third-party screenshot apps on Windows to take a screenshot. You can easily install free applications like Greenshot and Lightshot on your PC.

So, Windows users, I hope I could help you understand how to screenshot on a PC. 

How To Screenshot On A PC Running On MacOS

Although I’m not a Mac user, I have some tips for Mac users too! Users of MacOS must also be curious about how to screenshot on a PC. So, if you use MacOS, do give the following section a read:

Press Command+Shift+3 to Take Screenshots Of The Whole Screen

To take a screenshot of the entire screen, you must press the Command key, the Shift Key, and 3 simultaneously.

Press Command, Shift, And 4 Together To Capture Parts Of The Screen

For partial screen capture, press the Command + Shift + 4. Once you do this, your cursor will take the form of a crosshair. When you see the crosshair, use your mouse to take a screenshot. If you wish to take a better screenshot, you can use the Esc or Escape key to abort the previous operation.

Press And Hold Command, Shift, And 4, And Then The Space Bar Key to Capturing A Window Or A Menu

Now let me tell you how to take a screenshot of a window on your PC. You should press Command followed by Shift, and 4. Your cursor will become a crosshair, and then you need to press the space bar. As soon as you press the space bar, the crosshair will take the form of a tiny camera. You can use this tiny camera for taking a screenshot of a window or PC. In this case, as well, the Esc key will help you cancel the operation.

Where To Find Screenshots Taken On A Computer Running On MacOS?

In each of these cases, you can find your screenshot on your desktop. Your PC will automatically save the image in a png format. The date and time of capture will be a part of the filename. However, in later versions of the MacOS, users will change the default location using the Screenshot app.

So, these are some of the methods to take screenshots on your personal computer. If you carefully follow them, you will know how to screenshot on a PC. As I had pointed out before, the methods depend on the operating system that you’re using. Therefore, you must choose the one which is convenient for you.