How to Take a Screenshot on Windows 10

For regular PC users, knowing how to screenshot on Windows 10 is one of the most useful tools. There are a lot of ways in which one can screenshot their PC display. One can screenshot the entire screen, capture solely your active window, or even just a small portion of the screen with just a simple keyboard shortcut. Here are ways to do so:

1. Print Screen

To capture your entire screen, you can press the Print Screen (PrtScn) key located on the upper-right side of your keyboard.  The screenshot will be copied to your clipboard. To save the file, paste the screenshot, by pressing Ctrl + V. into any program that allows you to insert images, like Paint or Microsoft Word.

2. Windows + Print Screen

When you press the Windows key + PrtScn together, your screen goes dim for a while then the screenshot is automatically saved in the “Screenshots” subfolder in Pictures.

3. Alt + Print Screen

Pressing Alt + PrtScn together enables you to capture only the active window you’re working in. The screenshot is saved in your clipboard and in order to save it paste the screenshot, by pressing Ctrl + V. into any program that allows you to insert images, like Paint or Microsoft Word.

4. Snip & Sketch tool

Snip & Sketch enables you to customize and share your screenshots. To activate it, press Windows Key + Shift + S, and your screen will dim.  A mini menu will appear at the top giving you the option of taking a rectangular, free-form, window, or full-screen capture. The screenshot will then be saved to your clipboard and a preview notification will appear in the lower-right corner of your screen. Click on the notification to open the Snip & Sketch app and edit the screenshot before saving or sharing.

5. Snipping Tool

Use the search bar to search for Snipping Tool. Alternatively, you can click the Start menu > All programs > Accessories. Click on “Mode” to customize your screenshot and then “New” to start taking a screenshot. Afterward, it’ll open in a new window, where you can annotate it if needed then save it to your PC.

6. Game Bar

The Game Bar enables you to take screenshots as well as record videos. Press Windows Key + G to open the Game Bar. Click the camera icon located on the overlay menu to capture a full-screen screenshot. Screenshots and video clips captured are saved in PNG format to the Captures folder. You can also click “Show all captures” to find your captured photo.

7. Third-party screenshot apps

You can use third-party apps such as Snagit, Lightshot and Greenshot to capture a screenshot on your PC. Lightshot and Greenshot are free to use while Snagit requires a subscription in order to use.