How To Take Screenshots On Windows

MSI MS-16W1 — What's the best manner to capture that Windows ten or Windows 11 screen? We'll show you.
Sarah Tew/CNET

Whether you're downloadingWindows 11 (notice out how to download Windows 11 for costless) or sticking withWindows x for a while longer, it's piece of cake to take a screenshot to capture part of or the entirety of your brandish. Perhaps you want to save an online receipt, or maybe you want to capture a particularly noteworthy gaming feat to testify off to your friends. Windows ten and xi offer the same born tools (Snip & Sketch and Snipping Tool), and several keyboard shortcuts will allow you take a screenshot in an instant.

Hither, nosotros'll walk you through how to use both born Windows screenshot tools and other shortcuts for taking screenshots in Windows x and Windows eleven, so y'all tin decide which yous similar all-time.

Plus, here are more top Windows 10 tips and tricks, how to utilise all of the new features in Windows 11 and what y'all need to know about upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

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Snip & Sketch

The Snip & Sketch tool is easier to access, share and comment screenshots than the old Snipping Tool. And it can at present capture a screenshot of a window on your desktop, a surprising omission when the app was get-go introduced that kept us on Team Snipping Tool until recently.

The easiest way to phone call upwards Snip & Sketch is with the keyboard shortcutWindows key + Shift + S. You can also discover the Snip & Sketch tool listed in in the alphabetical list of apps accessed from the Commencement button as well as in the notification console where it listed every bit Screen snip. Or you can only search for information technology if you don't commit the keyboard shortcut to memory. (If you're a frequent screenshot taker, nosotros recommend pinning the app to the taskbar.)

snip-and-sketch — The built-in Snip & Sketch app has finally won united states of america over and is now our become-to method for taking screenshots in Windows x and 11. So long, Snipping Tool.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

Either the keyboard shortcut or the notification button volition dim your screen and open a tiny menu at the top of your screen that lets you choose which blazon of screenshot yous want to take -- rectangular, costless-grade, window or full-screen. In one case you accept your screenshot, it will exist saved to your clipboard and bear witness upwards momentarily equally a notification in the lower-correct corner of your screen. Click the notification to open the screenshot in the Snip & Sketch app to annotate, relieve or share it. (If y'all miss the notification, open the notification panel and you'll see it sitting in that location.

If yous open Snip & Sketch from the Starting time menu or by searching for it, it will open the Snip & Sketch window instead of the small-scale console at the top of the screen. From here, you need to click the New button in the upper-left to initiate a screen capture and open up the small panel. It'south an extra step to proceed this way, simply it too lets you delay a screenshot. Click the downwardly-arrow push button next to the New button to delay a snip for 3 or 10 seconds.

Snipping tool

The Snipping tool has been around since Windows Vista. Windows has warned for a couple years that the Snipping Tool is moving away, but it's yet kicking around, including in Windows 11. The Snipping Tool has been delisted from the list of apps from the Start menu, only information technology's hands accessible via the search bar.

Click theNew push button to begin the screenshot process. The default snip type is a rectangular snip, merely you tin also take complimentary-form, full-screen and window snips.

The Snipping Tool does non automatically salve your screenshots -- you will need to manually save them in the tool before you go out -- and information technology does automatically re-create your captures to the clipboard.

Print Screen

To capture your unabridged screen, tap the Impress Screen (sometimes labeledPrtScn) key. Your screenshot will non be saved as a file, but information technology will exist copied to the clipboard. You'll demand to open an image editing tool (such as Microsoft Paint), paste the screenshot in the editor and save the file from there.

You tin besides set the PrtScn button to open the Snip & Sketch tool by going toSettings > Ease of Access > Keyboard and toggling on Apply the PrtScn button to open up screen snipping under Impress Screen Shortcut.

pnt-scn-shortcut — Screenshot past Matt Elliott/CNET

Windows key + Print Screen

To capture your unabridged screen and automatically save the screenshot, tap the Windows key + Print Screen key. Your screen will briefly go dim to indicate that you lot've only taken a screenshot, and the screenshot volition be saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.

Alt + Impress Screen

To take a quick screenshot of the active window, use the keyboard shortcut Alt + PrtScn. This will snap your currently active window and copy the screenshot to the clipboard. You'll demand to open up the shot in an image editor to save it.

Game bar

You can employ the Game bar to snap a screenshot, whether you're in the middle of playing a game or not. Striking theWindows key + Grand key to call upwards the Game bar. From here, you lot tin click the screenshot push in the Game bar or use the default keyboard shortcutWindows key + Alt + PrtScnto snap a full-screen screenshot. To set your own Game bar screenshot keyboard shortcut, toSettings > Gaming > Game bar. Backing upwards a bit, you'll also need to enable Game bar from this settings page by making sure you've toggled onRecord game clips, screenshots and broadcasts using Game bar.

Windows Logo + Volume Down

If y'all're rocking a Microsoft Surface device, you can use the physical (well, sort of physical) buttons to take a screenshot of your unabridged screen -- similar to how you would take a screenshot on whatever other phone or tablet. To do this, concord downwardly the Windows Logo bear on button at the bottom of your Surface screen and striking the physical volume-down button on the side of the tablet. The screen will dim briefly and the screenshot volition exist automatically saved to the Pictures > Screenshots binder.

Desire more Windows info? Check out every large difference between Windows 10 and Windows 11 and every feature we wanted in Windows 11 simply didn't get.