If you are tired of searching for how to take screenshot in laptop, then you are in the right place. When working over the Windows 10 OS, there are several ways that one can take a screenshot. Similarly, one can also take a screenshot of a section of the screen as and when required.
The quickest way to go about it is to press the PrtScn button over your computer. However, there are several key combos available as well, for taking screenshots of specific sections of the screen.
The Snipping Tool is also available. This may be used to take a custom screenshot. The Snipping Tool is used to draw on the images as well.
Screenshots can be taken in Windows 10 while playing games as well. For the same, a video gamer will open the Game Bar using the Windows + G shortcut.
Let us take a look at the different methods available for taking a screenshot in Windows 10 using the PrtScn key.
PrtScn stands for Print Screen. In most keyboards, it is the second last key from the right in the topmost row of keys.
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On desktops, the PrtScn key works when you press it. But in the case of some laptops, the PrtScn key needs to be triggered by holding the function key.
By pressing or triggering the PrtScn key, the entire computer screen is copied onto the clipboard. A user can paste it elsewhere, such as a word or an excel file.
However, several modifier keys exist that can bring about a change in this mechanism.
Table of Contents
Press PrtScn
This will copy the entire screen over the clipboard. The image of the screen can be pasted over any editing software such as MS-Paint, saved on the desktop, or pasted directly onto MS Word.
Press Alt + PrtScn
The active window will be copied to the clipboard. This can now be pasted into another program.
Press Windows key + Shift + S
Here, the screen dims and the mouse pointer changes. Now, the user drags the mouse pointer for selecting a portion of the screen that he wishes to capture. The screenshot is then copied over the clipboard and it can be pasted over a different program. But, this shortcut is only going to work if the latest version of Windows 10 is installed on your system. The latest Windows 10 version is dynamic and is known as Windows 10 Creator Update.
Press the Windows key + PrtScn
The entire screen will now be saved as an image file. This may be found in the Pictures folder, in a subfolder known as Screenshots.
Different ways of taking screenshots in Windows 10 using the Snipping Tool
Snipping Tool is a reasonably more flexible facility made available in Windows 10 for taking screenshots. Using the Snipping Tool, a user can easily capture a screenshot and save it as an image file as well. There is no requirement to paste the image into another program immediately.
- Select the Snipping Tool from the Start menu.
- Then, go to the Mode drop-down menu, and choose the shape of the screenshot that you intend to capture. The choices available here are several, such as rectangular or a free-form shape.
- When you click on New, your screen freezes. Now, the screenshot can be created by dragging the mouse pointer. The screenshot then appears in the Snipping Tool window.
- If you intend to include something such as a tooltip, it will present itself after the mouse moves. A user can also specify the duration to wait before capturing a screenshot. This is done using the delay menu.
- In case you intend to do so, you can also use the drawing tools over your screenshot after capturing it.
- When you are finished with the task, click on File -> Save As. The completed screenshot will now be saved on your computer.
- If you click the copy button over the Snipping Tool menu, the image will be copied over the clipboard.
As an overlay, the Game Bar can be used in several Windows games for taking screenshots and recording videos. Here’s how we go about it:
- To start a game, go to the Start menu or Xbox Console Companion Program.
- When you play the game, press the Windows key + G. The Game Bar overlay is likely to appear. Over the Game Bar, a gamer comes across a screenshot tool. This appears as an overlay, which is at the top of the game.
- By clicking on the camera icon, a gamer can take a screenshot. One can alternately use the keyboard shortcut for the same as well, which is Windows key + Alt + PrtScn.
The screenshot captured will now be saved in the Videos folder. The subfolder is Captures.
In case you are playing the video game over Steam, then pressing F11 will also deliver a screenshot. Over your screenshots folder on Steam, the screenshot will be added.
How to Take Screenshot in Laptop FAQs
How do I take a screenshot?
A screenshot may be captured by using the inbuilt functionality of the operating system of your device.
Windows
When using Windows Vista or Windows 7, using the built-in Snipping Tool is a feasible arrangement. You can find the Snipping Tool at Start > Accessories > Snipping Tool.
For taking a screenshot:
1. While you view the desired page, Press the PrtSc key. This is towards the keyboard’s top-right corner. A screenshot of the entire screen is captured, even if a user does not see it happening.
2. Next, open Microsoft Paint or Microsoft Paint 3D. This is done by opening the search box adjacent to the Start menu and then entering paint.
3. When Microsoft paint will open, pressing Ctrl + V will paste the screenshot onto Paint.
4. Then, on the File menu, select Save as.
5. After naming the file, select the format as .PNG or .JPEG. Now save the file over your desktop.
Mac OSX
1. Navigate to the computer screen of which you intend to take a screenshot.
2. When the desired screen is on display, Press ⌘ + Shift + 4. Now, use crosshairs for dragging and capturing the area.
3. The screenshot should now automatically save over your desktop, as “Screen Shot [timestamp].jpg.”
Chromebook
1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Switch Window (or Ctrl + Shift + F5).
2. Click the mouse pointer at the desired location. Now use crosshairs for dragging to capture the area.
3. In your Downloads folder, the screenshot will be saved.
How do I take screenshots over macOS laptops?
Over the macOS laptop, a user has several options to take a screenshot. The easiest way to go about it is to press Command + Shift + 3. When these three keys are pressed together, a still of the entire screen is captured.
For capturing the screen’s specific portion, Command + Shift + 4 are used.
One can also capture a screenshot over the macOS laptop by using the keys Command + Shift + 5. This delivers a free hand for the user over the screenshot. For the same, all one needs to do is press enter or select the option, ‘Capture selected portion’ from the small panel below.
Similarly, Command + Shift + 6 can also be used. But, this option becomes useful only for the MacBook version that has a touch bar
Whenever a screenshot is captured over the MacBook, it is by default saved over your desktop.
What is a screenshot?
A screenshot is sometimes known as a screengrab or a screen capture as well. As a digital image, it will exhibit the contents of a computer display.
It is either the operating system that creates a screenshot or the software that runs over the device and powers the display.
What are the different types of screenshots?
It is likely that we have all used screenshots for work or recreation-related purposes. Screenshots enhance the quality of communication.
Let us consider the different types of screenshots
Screenshot
The definition of a screenshot is a single picture of a tablet, smartphone, or computer screen, which is saved in an image file after being captured.
For taking a simple screenshot, no special applications or software are required. Instead, this functionality is a quintessential part of all Mac and Windows computers. It is nowadays a part of smartphones as well.
Screenshots are frequently used for applications such as supporting troubleshooting and bug reporting.
Screen Capture
The meaning of screen capture is to get either the entire part or only a section of the current screen, and then turn it into a video or image.
The screenshot and screen capture may appear to be similar. But in reality, both are different. A screenshot refers to a static image alone. But, screen capture is different because it pertains to grabbing anything that may be on your computer screen.
Screen capture is likely to involve capturing videos, animated GIFs, or images. So, an end-user may either capture a screenshot or a screen capture. It depends on the end result that he is looking for.
Screen captures are gotten using screen capture tools. They capture beyond what is visible on your screen. They also capture the areas that are not visible over the screen and need to be scrolled to be visible over the screen. This includes spreadsheets that are wide and long or pdfs that are lengthy or multi-page. Scrolling maps can also be captured using screen capture.
Using a screen capture, all data that you are looking for in a single image can be gotten. Reworking the different screenshots that you may have clicked is not required.
Animated GIFs
An animated GIF is a moving picture that is in GIF format. Herein, an animated sequence is created using a series of image frames.
Creating GIFs is a useful, yet underutilized way of sharing screen content.
When animated GIFs are used for sharing the screen content, individual screenshots are not required for sharing a process. Instead, a single animated GIF will do the needful.
An advantage that comes with using animated GIFs to share screen content is that they are lightweight file sizes. On sites such as Trello, JIRA, and Slack, the animated files are easy to share.
Animated GIFs come to be useful for sharing processes such as Walkthroughs, Onboarding, or submitting helpdesk tickets.
Screencast
Screencast implies transforming screen content into a video for teaching an application. Screencasts may alternately be used to promote products by sharing a demonstration of features.
Screencasts are the right option to go ahead with when a user is looking to achieve additional depth over what may be made available by a screenshot or an animated GIF.
We are most likely to have come across a screencast at some time in our lives, in particular, if we have accessed help for a piece of software or an application.
A typical screencast is characterized by a video that shows the changes or developments over your computer screen. This is accompanied by a narration that helps you walk through it.
An important example of screencasts includes polished videos created by professional trainers. Video lessons and SlideShare presentations are some other top examples of screencasts.
