If you have ever needed to document a process or information for records there is a good chance that a screenshot would be very helpful. After all, they say that a screenshot is worth a thousand words. I think that’s right! Anyway, like almost anything in life, there are a few ways to go about capturing a screenshot in Windows 10. We will go over what a screenshot is and a couple of methods to capture one. We will then go into detail for each of the methods that we are covering here.
A screenshot is simply an image capture of the data displayed on a computer screen. This can be a PC, Mac, phone or tablet. This article will cover the methods for capturing a screenshot on a Windows 10 PC. Here are related articles for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android. Now, with that bit of preparation out of the way lets get started.
Screenshot Methods
There are a lot of ways to go about capturing a screenshot in Windows 10, but we are going to stick to the free and simple ways that are build right into Windows. The two built-in and free methods are the “Print Screen” key and the “Snipping Tool”. It is also worth noting that these methods go back to at least Windows 7 and should work just fine. These methods are great for occasional use and can even be used if you need them daily but there are paid options with added features that professional may be interested in. However, we will not be covering paid options in this article.
Screenshot Windows 10 with Print Screen
The most basic way to capture a screenshot is definitely simple but may not always be the easiest. To use the Print Screen key, you just press the “PrtSc” key on your keyboard. If you are familiar with copy and paste, you just copied the image of your entire screen and you can now paste it into a document editor such as Microsoft Word. As you can see, it doesn’t get much easier than that. You can also press Alt+PrtSc to capture only the active window. If you are using Windows 8, 8.1 or 10 you can also save your screenshot directly to your default Pictures location by pressing Win(
)+PrtSc.
Once you capture your image you can paste or open it in a program like paint to edit it. For example, you may want to crop your screenshot down to focus on a certain area. You may also want to use a more advanced program such as Photoshop or Gimp to add effects. You you can also paste straight into Word but beware that some programs, especially web based ones will require you to save your image first and then upload/import it. If you use the windows key to save the screenshot it should be stored in your Pictures directory.
Using The Snipping Tool In Windows 10
If you are looking for some additional features you can use the Snipping Tool in Windows 10. This utility has actually been around since Windows 7. In addition to the capture options provided by the PrtSc key you gain the “Free-form” and “Rectangular” snip. They function just like you might imagine. The free-form snip works like the lasso tool that you may be familiar with from other applications. It allows you to draw a free form selection pattern around an area of the screen to capture or snip. The rectangular snip allows you to draw a selection box with straight edges around an area of the screen to capture.
No matter which snip mode you use your captured image will be displayed in the snipping tool application window to allow further action. You can highlight, draw or annotate on the captured screenshot. To do this use the pen, highlighter and eraser buttons. Once you have captured and edited your screenshot you can save or share it. Microsoft has detailed instructions for the tool here.
Other Screenshot Options
If you are wondering about other options with more features, they do exist. There are other free options as well as paid options. I may consider writing a review of these other options at a later time but for now this should serve as all you need to accomplish the task.