Learning how to accept a screenshot on Windows systems is the simplest style to preserve or share any visual content from a website, program, or video game. You lot tin can take it and send information technology via email, social media, or file-sharing sites with just a few clicks.

This article will show you how to screen-capture whatever webpage, plan, and even full-screen video games using a wide variety of methods. You'll learn how to capture not just static screenshots just also record videos.

We'll too explore the differences in screenshotting between the well-nigh contempo Windows versions: seven, 8, and 10.

Check Out Our Video Guide to Taking a Screenshot on Windows (7, 8, ten)

The Basic Windows Method: Impress Screen Key

This method works on any version of Windows, including Windows XP and 95.

Standard keyboards for Windows computers include a dedicated key to capture your screen. It looks something like this:

Print screen key on the keyboard,
The PrtSc fundamental on the keyboard.

The print screen key says "Print Screen," "PrtSc," or "PrtScn," depending on your keyboard and country. It'south typically in the top correct corner beside the final F12 key.

Note: On some newer keyboards, specially on laptops, yous need to hold downwardly the "Fn" or "Office"  key while pressing "PrtSc" to capture the screen.

When y'all use this method, the OS copies the entire screen automatically to the clipboard. From at that place, you lot tin can directly paste information technology into an email, social media platform, or messaging app. Y'all can even start editing it in an prototype editing software like Photoshop or even MS Paint.

A basic full screen screenshot in Windows.
A basic full-screen screenshot in Windows.

Annotation: 1 disadvantage of using this method is that it automatically captures the unabridged screen, including the toolbar and tab bar of your screen. Manually cropping can lead to inconsistent screenshot sizes.

Quickly capture any webpage, program, and fifty-fifty total-screen video games in Windows with help from this guide 📸 Click to Tweet

How to Save and Share the Screenshot

One of the easiest means to save a screenshot taken with the print screen key is to paste it into your photo editing software of choice. For example, you can use Microsoft Paint, which comes free with all relevant versions of Windows.

Open up up Paint and printing Ctrl + V to paste the screenshot. You can also correct-click and select Paste from the dropdown carte du jour.

Screenshot in MS Paint.
Screenshot in MS Paint.

From there, you can edit the file as you want before saving information technology (Ctrl + S) in the image format you lot prefer.

If you use Windows ten, you can also apply Paint 3D. But if you want to apply a more powerful prototype editor, nosotros recommend a specialized tool.

It'southward also possible to paste the screenshot directly into an electronic mail or a social media message.

Inserting a screenshot in Gmail.
Inserting a screenshot in Gmail.

It's 1 of the fastest ways to share what'due south on your screen without jumping on a call. Press the impress screen key, paste it in, press Send, and information technology's on its way.

If you want more control over your screenshots, like capturing a tab, you tin use the built-in Windows "Snipping Tool" or other third-political party apps or software.

That manner, yous won't have to ingather away the toolbar or other elements manually.

How to Take Screenshots in Windows 7, viii, x with the Snipping Tool

All recent versions of Windows, including 7, viii, and 10, include the Snipping Tool. Y'all can easily open it by searching for it in the toolbar search.

Press the Windows primal to open the toolbar and leap to Windows search. Alternately, you can also use the Windows + Southward shortcut to summon Windows search. However, note that in Windows 7, you must manually select the search field before you lot can type out the keyword. Type in "Snipping Tool" and printing Enter.

Note: At that place's no keyboard shortcut to open up the Snipping Tool. It would exist best if you did that manually. In Windows 10, the updated version of this app tin can be opened with a shortcut—more on that later.

The Snipping Tool in Window's Start menu.
The Snipping Tool in Window's Starting time carte du jour.

Pressing the Enter key afterward typing the correct phrase will open the plan automatically.

It has various modes, including costless-form screenshots, but the basic course is a rectangular screenshot shape. Merely at to the lowest degree it gives you more flexibility than but pressing the print screen cardinal.

Once you initiate the "Snipping" by clicking the "New" button, the whole screen goes gray. You lot can and then select the area you desire to capture and save.

Windows Snipping Tool screenshot example.
Windows Snipping Tool.

Y'all can now edit the screenshot with the pen, highlighter, and eraser tools. Information technology too offers a few unique options compared to copying and pasting something into Pigment, such as the Filibuster mode for taking delayed (timed) screenshots. You can also highlight something in the screenshot and email it directly from the Snipping Tool.

One time it's open, you tin also apply many shortcuts to work faster.

In the table below, we break down all the keyboard shortcuts (only available after opening the Snipping Tool):

Keyboard Shortcut What Information technology Does
Ctrl + PrtScn / Alt + N Takes a new screenshot with the Snipping Tool app (when it's open).
Alt + M Changes between different modes (complimentary-course, rectangular, window, and full-screen).
Alt + D Sets a delay for the screenshot.
CTRL + S Saves the screenshot.
CTRL + C Copies the screenshot to your clipboard.

One characteristic we miss is the ability to accept multiple screenshots with an identically sized and placed window.

All in all, it'due south not a life-changing screenshotting app past any stretch of the imagination, just it's sufficient for master use.

How to Take Windows ten Screenshots with Snip & Sketch Tool

In Windows 10, you also have admission to the new and slightly improved Snip & Sketch app.

Y'all tin can open it in the same way by searching the menu or use the built-in shortcut: Shift + Windows + Due south.

That'll automatically open the app card for taking a screen snip. Also, here, you can choose from window, free-form, full-screen, or rectangle options for your snapshot.

Windows Snip & Sketch tool.
Windows Snip & Sketch tool.

With the window snip option, it doesn't automatically capture the agile window. You tin switch tabs with Alt + Tab and then click the specific window you want to capture.

Compared to the original version, there's been a few changes:

  • Screenshots automatically relieve to the dashboard (including changes y'all make, similar highlights or annotations).
  • Automatically add outlines to snips—helpful for fractional screenshots.
  • Share the screenshot via WiFi or Bluetooth.
  • Change the settings, then the PrtScn button opens Snip & Sketch automatically.
  • You tin no longer set a filibuster for the screenshot to happen later.

Desire to upload these screenshots to your website to spice up your latest web log post?

By default, the PNG format files saved by Windows screenshotting software are unnecessarily large. Once you've taken and edited these screenshots, you should make certain to optimize the images for the web.

If you desire some actress features, like more powerful editing, automatic web optimization, or full-page website captures, you'll demand to use a tertiary-party tool.

How to Screenshot Tabs and Unabridged WebPages in Google Chrome

Google Chrome doesn't come with born screenshotting functionality, simply there are plenty of dandy, gratis extensions available.

Just go to the Chrome Web Store and search for "screenshot," filter the result by extensions, and y'all'll see for yourself. Y'all can and then cull from dozens of chrome extensions for screenshotting webpages.

Screenshot extensions in Chrome Web Store.
Chrome Web Shop screenshot extensions.

In that location are so many options that information technology tin can be hard to choose. To make things simple, we recommend whatever of the post-obit:

  • Nimbus Screenshot & Screen Video Recorder
  • Crawly Screenshot & Screen Recorder
  • LightShot (static screenshots only)

All of these tools become style across what you tin can do with Snip & Sketch. For instance, you can capture a total-folio screenshot instead of only the visible role with each of these.

In Crawly Screenshot, you lot tin fifty-fifty utilise a Ctrl + Shift + E shortcut or manually open up the bill of fare to do this.

Awesome Screenshot's menu in Chrome.
Awesome Screenshot's card in Chrome.

If you lot're wondering what that looks like, take a peek at this full-screen capture of our homepage: ane continuous shot perfectly representing what our site looks similar in a browser. It's an easy way to share what a examination site on a local server seems like if there are errors that don't show up in staging.

A full-page screenshot of the Kinsta homepage.
A total-page screenshot of the Kinsta homepage (click for bigger epitome).

Another practical feature is that y'all can screenshot just the contents of any particular tab. That means y'all don't have to crop out your 90+ tab windows or the full URL to your secret document.

In Awesome Screenshot, the shortcut for this is Ctrl + Shift + V.

It also means y'all can take screenshots with identical dimensions across multiple different pages. That's perfect if you use screenshots as part of your blogging or content marketing and desire to keep your visuals consistent.

Plus, most of these extensions, including Awesome Screenshot, come up with a better paradigm editor than what y'all'll discover natively in Windows.

You can, for case, blur out parts of the epitome, add in shapes, arrows, text boxes, and more. And these options are all available in the free versions.

Awesome Screenshot's editor.
Awesome Screenshot's editor.

These features make it easy to edit and ready tutorial-style screenshots to include in a how-to blog postal service.

(And if you want to become an even more than productive blogger, check out our list of the all-time Chrome extensions for WordPress users.)

How to Screenshot in Microsoft Edge (Full Page)

One interesting thing nigh Microsoft Border is that the latest version has built-in screenshotting.

You don't need to install any additional plugins. But open up the browser, and start taking screenshots. Use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Southward to open the "Web Capture" overlay.

You tin can and so choose between gratuitous choice or capture the whole page.

Microsoft Edge menu showing the location of
Microsoft Edge carte du jour showing the location of the "Web capture" option.

The full-page capture doesn't rely on multiple partial screenshots and scrolling. And then a floating bar won't ruin your screenshot.

Once you lot've captured the page, you can then use the bachelor describe and erase tools to highlight items on the page or make annotations.

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A full-page screenshot in Edge.
A full-page screenshot in Edge.

Beyond that, you can share, copy, or save the screenshot (the default screenshots folder is /User/Downloads/).

The features are rudimentary, but the tool works perfectly to share a webpage with a friend or coworker.

How to Screenshot a Game (or Anything Else) with Xbox Game Bar

In Windows 10, the Xbox Game Bar is installed and active by default (even if you don't own an Xbox). You tin open it at any time past pressing the Windows central + Grand.

Although information technology was congenital into Windows as a feature to screenshot and record video games, it works only as well for capturing movies, websites, or the content of any other program.

After opening the Xbox Game Bar, y'all tin either printing the camera push button in the top-left corner or accept a screenshot without opening the carte du jour past pressing the print screen shortcut keys: Windows primal + Alt + PrtScn.

Xbox Game Bar Terraria screenshot.
Xbox Game Bar Terraria screenshot.

In one case you open up the Game Bar, you can evidence recent screenshots by clicking the "Show all captures" button.

Xbox Game Bar screenshot gallery.
Xbox Game Bar screenshot gallery.

From here, you can browse and share all contempo screenshots on Twitter. There's even a super basic "meme editor" that lets you add a large cake text to the top and bottom.

The Xbox Game Bar saves files to the /User/Videos/Captures/ folder by default. It has some unique features, like the ability to scale the screenshots up to 4K.

Note: You don't have to exist playing a video game to use the Game Bar to have screenshots.

How to Screenshot in PowerPoint

If you lot have the latest version of PowerPoint in Windows 10, it supports capturing screenshots.

Instead of using the PrtScn cardinal and pasting it in, you can capture other windows while inside PowerPoint.

Taking a screenshot through PowerPoint.
Taking a screenshot through PowerPoint.

It will automatically insert a screenshot of the window you cull into the slide. If information technology's a full-sized window, it'll comprehend the entire page.

The newer versions of PowerPoint ship with a adequately powerful prototype editor. Yous can change colors, saturation, and even remove the background with a magic wand.

Y'all tin also customize the screenshot with shapes, borders, and text inside PowerPoint and save the slide as an paradigm.

Editing a PowerPoint screenshot.
Editing a PowerPoint screenshot.

Combined, that probably makes PowerPoint the virtually potent official Microsoft screenshotting tool.

How to Screenshot with LightShot (and Other Third-Party Apps)

Lightshot is a lightweight—surprise—and easy-to-use screenshotting software. To employ third-political party software like LightShot, the starting time thing you need to do is download the program.

Visit the download page on the official website, and download the Windows version using the appropriate button or link.

LightShot screenshot tool's download page.
LightShot screenshot tool'south download folio.

Once installed, it automatically overrides the regular PrtScn key command. Every time y'all press that key, now you open up the LightShot interface.

Yous can select an area of the screen to capture and add unproblematic text, rectangles, or arrows. You lot can edit the thickness of the lines and elements by using your mouse scroll. If yous don't take a mouse plugged in, try swiping 2 fingers on your touchpad.

Taking a screenshot with LightShot.
Taking a screenshot with LightShot.

To save the files, yous tin either press the save icon or utilise the Windows standard Ctrl + S shortcut. It keeps the files in the /Documents/Lightshot/ folder by default. Just you can alter that folder and easily salvage files in other locations.

It's non super powerful, merely it's fast and effortless to use.

How to Have a Screenshot on Microsoft Surface Devices

On a Microsoft Surface with Windows ten installed, you tin can already utilise whatsoever of the ways we mentioned and so far.

As if that'south not plenty, there's as well a custom way to have screenshots—because it's technically also a tablet.

To take a screenshot on your Surface device, press and hold the Windows push button and simultaneously press the Volume Down push button. When it takes a screenshot, the screen will become dimmer.

Yous'll observe the screen capture files in the /User/Pictures/Screenshots folder.

Some Surface owners complain that this option doesn't work for their computer. If information technology doesn't piece of work, you tin can either troubleshoot the settings or use any of the 8 other ways we've covered so far.

If yous fabricated it here, we've shown you all nine ways to accept screenshots on your Windows figurer. We'll cover how to capture video from your calculator screen in the adjacent department.

4 Ways to Capture Video in Windows

Not satisfied with static images? Want some movement?

We're not surprised. Video is oft a meliorate fashion to showcase tutorial steps, share gameplay, or give feedback on something.

Here are four different tools you can use to capture video in Windows.

Check Out Our Video Guide: How to Screen Tape on Windows (vii, 8, ten)

one. Xbox Game Bar

Recording the screen is just as piece of cake as taking a screenshot. You lot can use the shortcut Windows central + Alt + R, or open up up the Game Bar, to outset recording.

Once the game bar is open (Win + G), y'all can press the recording button to start recording the screen.

Xbox Game Bar record screen.
Xbox Game Bar record screen.

Easy, correct? It stores all video files in the /User/Videos/Captures/ folder.

But before y'all upload a stride-by-step video tutorial to your site, be warned. Video files are huge. You lot're much improve off using i of these video hosting solutions instead.

2. PowerPoint

Yous might exist surprised to see PowerPoint in this article once again, but information technology has a screen recording function, too. The merely thing is, it has a minimal utilize case.

Screen recording in PowerPoint only works for your presentation. You can record yourself going through the slides, including your vocalization and web camera footage.

Head to the Slide Evidence card, and click the Record Slide Evidence button to start recording.

PowerPoint's Slide Show menu.
PowerPoint'due south Slide Show carte.

It'll so tape your voice and camera, and y'all can employ drawing tools to aid your explanations.

Recording a PowerPoint presentation.
Recording a PowerPoint presentation.

Note: If yous don't accept a powerful computer, fancy animated transitions in PowerPoint presentations tin can crusade a lot of lag and a choppy concluding video. Keep animations to a minimum to avoid choppy results.

three. Dedicated Screen Recording Software

You lot can as well use a dedicated third-party software solution to tape your screen.

For beginners, nosotros'd recommend a simple tool like Snagit or Zappy. However, you're probably just also off with the already-installed Xbox Game Bar (if yous're on Windows 10).

For advanced users and experienced video editors, yous may desire more functionality and customizability.

Camtasia is a powerful screen recorder and video editor in ane, making it piece of cake to create detailed tutorial videos from scratch.

Camtasia screen recorder app.
Camtasia screen recorder app.

At $300, it'south probably out of the budget range in non-professional apply cases.

If you desire a little bit more than functionality than Zappy or the Game Bar without having to pay, we've got you covered.

The concluding option on this listing is 100% free. Plus, information technology'south an splendid fit for a range of professional person uses.

4. Loom Chrome Extension

Loom is a simplistic, like shooting fish in a barrel-to-employ screen recording tool that you can download equally a Chrome extension. Information technology records your screen, voice, and face for up to five minutes (in the free version).

You can open Loom up by clicking on the icon in the start menu or using the Alt + Shift + Fifty shortcut.

Loom screen recording Chrome extension.
Loom screen recording Chrome extension.

It's the perfect tool for sharing feedback or communicating difficult things with remote coworkers, clients, or business concern partners.

If you lot install the desktop version, yous tin can even apply a confetti effect with Ctrl + Alt + C to congratulate someone on a job well done.

What makes Loom unique is that it isn't just a screen capture tool. It's a free SaaS solution that automatically uploads your screen capture videos with shareable links.

You can hands install it by visiting the Loom Chrome extension page.

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Summary

Whether y'all're working with an old version of Windows 7, or the newest version of Windows 10 on a brand-new Surface laptop, you accept tons of options for taking screenshots.

You can utilise the built-in keyboard central shortcuts, Windows tools like Snip & Sketch, or a tertiary-party app in Chrome. Fifty-fifty PowerPoint has a built-in role for taking screenshots and including them in your presentation.

Similar with Windows, the same holds for taking a screenshot on your Mac.

Static screenshots are only the beginning. You can even capture videos showing what you're doing step-past-pace and instantly sharing information technology online, including commentary.


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