8 Methods to Take Screenshots on Windows 10

| Updated on February 13, 2024

Screenshots are like our personal gallery, only we know their importance, and what they mean to us; Be it some gossip, or be it something important with stats. We all know how to take one, don’t we? But that’s just the case with mobile devices; what if we have to take screenshots on some other device like Windows PC? In this case, you may ponder on how to screenshot on Windows. 

Well, nothing to worry about here. I have got your back. Continue reading, and you will get your answers on how to screenshot on pc. 

How to Take Screenshots on Windows 10? 

Here I have gathered several methods to take screenshots on PC, have a look and see which device works best for you. 

Method 1: Use the Print Screen Key

The very first and easiest way is to use the print screen key/shortcut to take a screenshot on Windows. The key to it is ‘prntscn.’ You can easily find this key from the top row of your keyboard where the Functions F# keys are located. So capture your entire screen for the screenshot, and to save it, all you have to do is press the Windows key and the Print Screen key, and you’ll have your screen captured. 

click on prtsc

Your screen will go slightly dim to indicate that a screenshot was just taken, and you can then find the taken screenshot from your ‘Pictures’ section on your device.

Method 2: Press Alt + Prt Sc.

If you are looking for ways how to take a screenshot on Windows with a single active Window, then you can easily opt for this method. 

  • For this, all you have to do is press the Alt + Prt Sc on your device. 
    alt + prt
  • For this, to take a screenshot of the currently active window, you need to first select the window by clicking on it, and then only you will be able to take a screenshot of it the way you want. 
  • Press the Alt+ Prt Sc buttons on our device. 
  • Once done, you have the image copied to your clipboard by itself; you can easily retrieve it by pasting it on some other folders. 

Here’s how to save the file on your device:

  • Press the Windows Key+ Prt Sc
  • Now by default your screenshot will be saved to the C: users< username> pictures> screenshots

Method 3: Use the Windows Logo+ Print Screen Keys 

Here’s how to take screenshots on Windows using the Windows logo + Print Screen keys; 

  • If you want to take a screenshot on Windows PC and want the file to be saved on your device automatically, press the Windows Key + Prt Sc
    click on Windows and Prtsc
  • You will notice that your screen has gone dim for a while, which indicates that a screenshot was taken. 
  • This will save the file to the Pictures &gt; Screenshots folder

Method 4: Use the Snipping Tool 

Did you know that your device already has a tool that lets you take a screenshot of any screen and any size? Well, if you didn’t, now you do. There’s a tool named the Snipping Tool on your Windows device that is solely made for screenshotting a screen. Let’s learn how to take a screenshot on Windows using the Snipping tool:

  • Simply type ‘Snipping tool’ on the search bar from the search option. 
  • Click on Snipping Tool. A rectangular box will appear on your screen. 
    click on snipping tool
  • Then, launch the screen whose screenshot you want to take and click on the ‘+’ sign from the snipping tool. 
  • The screen will go dim and you can drag the arrow down to the screen and take the screenshot. 
  • Once it’s done, you can save the file on your desired section on your device. 

Notes

Using the Snipping tool to take the screenshot on PC will not automatically save the file on your device. For this, you will have to do that manually by right-clicking on the taken screenshot

If you want to take a screenshot of a page that won’t let you press any other key, like the Gmail settings bar, you can set a timer on the Snipping tool and it will launch only after that. Here’s how to screenshot on a computer:

  • Launch the snipping tool on your device. 
  • There, from its top menu, click on the Clock icon to set the timer.
    click on the clock 
  • Select the time for how long you want to delay the snip; 2, 5, 10, or 15 seconds. 
    select the time
  • After that, when you click on the ‘+’ sign, the snap will start after the desired time that you just set. And voila, you are done 

Method 5: Use the Snip & Sketch App

snip and sketch tool

Now that you are well aware of the Snipping tool, you must also get familiarized with the Snip & Sketch app. The app recently replaced the Snipping tool on every Windows device. If you want to customize, share, or even annotate your captured screen, then Snip & Sketch app is perfect for you. Let’s have a look at how to screenshot on Windows with the Snip & Sketch app:

  • Activate Snip & Sketch on your Windows device by pressing the Windows Key + Shift + S or simply search for it from the main menu. 
  • When the app is launched, your screen will be dimmed a little, just like it does in Snipping Tool, and a menu will appear right on the top of your screen. 
  • You will see a rectangular free-form window or full computer screen capture which is required to take the screenshot on the device. 
  • There, you will also get an option to select how you would like to take the screenshot. Most of them are the same options that are found in the Snipping Tool- 
  • You will have a rectangular PC screen ship, FreeForm Snip, Window Snip along with a Full-Screen capture or it Snip. 
  • When you take a screenshot from it, it will copy it to the clipboard automatically
  • You can then paste the snip on any document like a word file or even Google Docs. 
  • And if you open the snip right from the app only, a new window will open with the snip. 

Since the tool is mostly like the Snipping Tool only, you can easily delay the snap by setting a timer on it. What has changed is the forms of captures you can take-

  • FreeForm snip- draw a free-form shape around the object. 
  • Rectangular snip- drag a cursor around the snip to form a shape like a rectangle. 
  • Window snip- select a window, like a window’s dialogue box, that you want to capture. 
  • Full-screen snip- capture the entire Windows screen. 

Notes

The easiest and the simplest way to capture a snip from the Snip & Sketch tool is by pressing the Windows + Shift + S keys altogether.

Plus, with Snip & Sketch, when you capture a snap, unlike the Snipping Tool, it will be automatically saved to your device. Hence, you won’t have to save the screenshot manually to your files. 

Method 6: Use the Game Bar

If you are looking for ways how to take screenshots on Windows 10, then this is it; you can easily use the game bar to take screenshots on PC. In Windows 10, the game bar allows you to record the footage of your gameplay, record the videos, and even take a screenshot of a particular screen in it, and attain many other tasks as well. In fact, you can take screenshots in the game bar even if you are not playing or not in the game at the moment; let’s see how:

  • Press the Windows Key + G to launch the Game Bar. Just make sure that you press these keys only when you are on the screen whose screenshot you want to take. 
  • Then, in the top right corner of your screen, there will be a Window labeled Broadcast & Capture. Then to take screenshots, click on the Camera Icon from there only. 
  • Now that you have taken the screenshot, it will automatically be saved in the PNG format on your device. 

Method 7: Press Power + Volume Up

Not many people know about this, but there’s one more way to take a screenshot on a PC. For this, all you have to do is press the power button and the volume button simultaneously. Just by this, your screen will go a little dim, and you’ll have your screenshot saved in the Pictures folder on your device. 

However, if you have a Surface 3 or earlier version and you are looking for ways on how do you screenshot on a computer, all you have to do is press the Windows button and the Volume button down on your device. 

Method 8: Use a Third-Party App for the Same

Well, if none of the above methods worked out for you, maybe you are locked out of your Windows 10, but before that, I have something more for you, you can always use any third-party app. All you have to do is look for a reliable and established third-party app, install it on your device, and use it to take screenshots on Windows. 

It often happens that the Windows-provided methods don’t work out in capturing screenshots, this is where third-party apps come to the rescue. They come with some integral and innovative features that make taking screenshots on any device or app easier than ever. Here are some of our top recommendations:

ScreenRec– A free Windows screen recording tool that lets you capture the screen and even record the screen for free. It also has some tools and features that let you annotate your recording.

Greenshot– Another free tool that not just lets you take screenshots but also enables you to edit and customize them in various ways. 

LightsocialOne of the most preferred and used screenshotting tools on Windows. As the name says, it is specially designed for quick social sharing. Once installed on Windows, it replaces the Print Screen functions, offering more editing features. 

And this is it; these were all the ways you can use to take screenshots on a PC. I hope one of them must have worked out for you solving your query of how to screenshot on a computer.


Khushboo Chhibber

Senior Web Writer and Video Creator


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