What to do if you can’t take a screenshot. Why doesn't Print screen work? If you can’t take a screenshot using the Print Screen key

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Snipping Tool in Windows 7

The Snipping Tool allows you to take a screenshot of any element on your desktop or the entire screen. The program is launched from the menu Start → All Programs → Accessories.

More details

Mac OS

To take a screenshot in Mac OS, press the keyboard shortcut ⌘ Cmd + Shift + 3. A file with a snapshot of the entire screen will appear on your desktop.

If you want to take a screenshot of a specific part of the screen, press the keyboard shortcut ⌘ Cmd + Shift + 4 and highlight the desired area of the screen with the cursor.

To take a screenshot of just the active window, press the keyboard shortcut ⌘ Cmd + Shift + 4 and then press Spacebar.

iOS

The iOS platform allows you to take a screenshot using standard tools starting from version 2.x. The resulting images are saved in the standard Photo application. The method for taking screenshots depends on the iOS device model.

iPad, iPhone SE–8 Press and hold the button for a couple of seconds On/Off and Home. iPhone X–XR Press and hold the button for a couple of seconds On/Off And Raising the volume.

Android

You can take a screenshot on a mobile device running Android in different ways, depending on the device manufacturer and platform version. The resulting images are saved in the standard Gallery application.

Android 4.x–9.0
Android 3.2 and higher
Android 1.x and 2.x
Samsung

Press and hold the button for a couple of seconds Decrease volume and Nutrition.

Press and hold the button for a while Recent Programs.

The Android platform version 2.x and below does not support taking screenshots using standard means. You must use third-party applications installed from Google Play.

Press and hold the Home and Power or Back and Home buttons for a couple of seconds (depending on your device).

Press and hold the Power and Home buttons for a couple of seconds.

If you urgently need to show something to your interlocutor or save something, the user may not know how to take a screenshot on a computer. It's time to learn this!

Why take a screenshot

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It often happens that a screenshot is simply necessary.

For example, if you need to show your screen to your interlocutor or send this data somewhere, if you need to save something that cannot be saved by clicking the right mouse button, or if you just want to catch a good moment in a video.

And these are just some of the reasons to use such a useful function on your personal computer or laptop.

For example, you find yourself in a not very pleasant situation, say, when using a virtual wallet.

And in order to prove to the administration that you are right, you will have to provide them with evidence. And here, well, you just can’t do without a screenshot.

Or you have to contact the support service of your hardware or software with a problem.

Again, it’s impossible to explain in words, so what remains to be done? Of course, take the opportunity to show off your screen.

It even happens that you want to capture messages as memories, and “Ctrl+C” alone is clearly not enough.

There are many little things that would seem easy to leave as an image on your personal computer or laptop, but doing this without taking a screenshot is simply physically impossible.

In fact, the ability to take screenshots can be useful at any time, and therefore it is important to know how to properly take a screenshot of your screen or a selected window, or maybe just some part of it. Yes, you can even select one phrase or picture.

Well, doing this is actually quite simple, and in order to take a screenshot, you need to put in a minimum of effort. It's very simple, done in a few clicks, and even a child can do it.

Print screen using a button

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To begin with, the print screen is the same, only with different letters. The name, by the way, comes from the first method of creating screenshots - the PrintScreen button.

This button may also sometimes be called PrtScr, and is usually located on the right side. Its location depends on the type.

So, this button is the fastest and easiest way to take a screenshot of your screen in a matter of seconds.

You just need to press it to save the screen image to the clipboard. That is, so that you can insert it literally anywhere.

Nothing extra, just one button, and then you can edit the screenshot in any image editor.

You can do this using Paint, Paint.net, GIMP, or any other editor you have.

It's important to remember that a screenshot taken using the PrintScreen button captures the entire screen, and if you send a screenshot to someone, that person will see all your browser tabs, running programs, absolutely everything. Therefore, editing the print screen can be very important if you do not want others to see more than necessary.

How to take a screenshot on a laptop

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As with any keyboard, the PrintScreen button on a laptop does not go away. It is in its place, which depends on the type of keyboard, and still performs functions.

But it happens that the user presses the button again and again, but nothing happens. So what then? Can't you take a screenshot on a laptop?

Not at all! This simply means that in addition to the key already known to the user, if you have a laptop, you need to use . And it looks like Fn+PrintScreen.

The button is labeled “Fn”, and it is located at the bottom left, not far from the space bar.

It's so easy and simple, just two buttons. Well, the screen, again, will be saved for further editing.

And if you are sure that you did everything correctly, and the screenshot still turned out, then it’s time to edit it. How to do this correctly?

How to edit a print screen

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The easiest way is to call the Paint program and cut off everything unnecessary with its help.

As you know, this is the simplest “drawing tool”, and it’s just as easy to use it to adjust the size of a screenshot.

All you need is:

Open the Start menu, you can do this using the “Win” key or by opening the menu on the left;
Select the folder called “Standard”;
Run the program from there
By pressing Ctrl+V you can paste the screenshot into a new canvas.
Then you need to select the “Select” tool, with which you mark the desired area, and “Crop”.
All that remains is to save the image.

And the screenshot is ready!

Nothing complicated at all, just a few clicks and you can send it anywhere.

In the same way, you can edit with any available program that you have at hand. Using the “paste” keyboard shortcut, the resulting screen can be placed in absolutely any application.

What if, say, there’s something wrong with the print screen button? Or is it just that nothing is clear here? What to do in this case?

Printscreen using Scissors

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In Windows 7, the PrintScreen button can be omitted altogether. Instead, there is a very handy tool called "Scissors".

It is designed to create a screen without further processing, that is, you can make a print screen of absolutely any size and anywhere on the screen.

It's easy to find and use, and it only takes a few steps:

Still the same “Start”, then in “Standard” you need to find a program called “Scissors”.
It opens instantly, all you have to do is click on the tab called “Create” and select the size and shape of the field, that is, the future print screen.
Then all that remains is to click on the “Save” button, or add an inscription to the print screen using the “Marker” tool.

Actually, nothing complicated, right?

Indeed, both ways to make a print screen are very easy and affordable.

True, in different versions of the operating system It’s not always possible to make screenshots the same way.

Printscreen on Windows 10

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There are many more ways to create and save a screenshot in the top ten.

Firstly, in some cases, screenshots are saved automatically, in a folder specially designated for this. By the way, it is located on the local disk.

Well, secondly, there are more built-in tools that allow you to take a screenshot without any problems.

And not only a screenshot, but even video recording without additional programs, all this is provided in the operating system.

There are several tricks with the PrintScreen key. When you click on it, a screenshot (of the desktop, running programs, etc.) will automatically be transferred to the clipboard, from where it can be pasted into a document or any graphic editor.

If you press the key combination Alt+PrintScreen, you can make a print screen of only the working window.

For example, an open folder, a browser, or any in windowed or even full-screen mode. For everything to work out as it should, you must first make this window active, that is, click on it.

And finally, with the Win+PrintScreen key combination, screenshots will be saved automatically.

That is, they will immediately appear in the system. When you click on these buttons, the princescreen will not move to the clipboard, but will appear as an image in a standard folder called "Screenshots" and is located in the folder "Images".

But these are only keyboard shortcuts, what about other methods?

Are there other possibilities?

CreatorsUpdate: Game Bar and Scissors

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The Windows 10 operating system, like its previous versions, is equipped with a tool called "Scissors". Yes, yes, exactly, in addition to key combinations, there are many built-in ways to take a screenshot.

This is a standard program, so finding it is very, very easy. You can find it through “All Programs” or simply type the name in the search bar and then launch the program.

In principle, the algorithm of actions does not change; it is very easy to make a print screen using this program.

As mentioned above, you just need to select the area and shape of the desired screenshot, mark this place on the screen, cut it out, add a signature if desired, and save it. Ready!

By the way, you can choose any folder for saving, and the “top ten” now has a delay function, that is, the program can count the required amount of time before taking a screenshot.

Another innovation was the CreatorsUpdate system, that is, improved and expanded key combinations and minor improvements to the operating system. One of these combinations can be used to make a screenshot, and this is Win+Shift+S.

Often the user gets lost when searching for a key called “Win”.

In fact, this is just a button with which you can go to the desktop or launch “Start”, and there is a flag on it.

And finally, the game bar. This is another way to take a screenshot on Windows 10 without using any third-party programs or applications.

Game Bar is a pre-installed program that is very easy to launch, especially when using various applications.

Initially, it was created for recording video from open applications and programs, but with its help you can also capture a print screen.

To do this, just first open any program you need for the print screen, and then press the key combination Win + G.

It also happens that the game bar is not installed, so you will need to turn to some drivers that are responsible for this extension.

Many people probably already know how different these operating systems are from each other.

And if in Windows making a screenshot is as easy as shelling pears, in the case of Linux you may have to try more than one method until the right one works.

The thing is that not in all versions of this operating system the already well-known PrintScreen button works as it should.

And sometimes it doesn’t work at all, and even the usual key combinations for the same “windows” simply don’t work.

But it’s still worth trying this key, because sometimes when you press it, the system even automatically offers to save a screenshot. That is, it opens a window for selecting a save folder.

In the same way, you can try the key combination Alt+PrintScreen, which will allow you to take a screenshot of the active window, or Shift+PrintScreen, to pre-select the area of your future print screen.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but either way, it's worth a try. Here you don’t even need to use third-party editors or a clipboard, the system will save everything for you.

But what if the button and key combination don't get a response? In this case, you should use the built-in utility Gnome Screenshot.

It is located in the folder "Accessories", and is called by double-clicking the left one.

With this program, you can pre-select the size and area of the future screen, turn the pointer on or off, or even activate a delay to prepare the perfect print screen.

All this is very easy and convenient, and will not take much time or effort.

True, using the printer screen button is not always convenient, or the user may simply not have the opportunity to do it.

And the same “Scissors” or “Gnome Screenshot” may not be at hand, not to mention the ability to remember key combinations.

Then third-party programs will become very useful, which you can use, and which are not inferior to the ease of working with the PrintScreen button.

Print screen on a computer without a button

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It would seem that making screenshots using a button is the easiest way. So I took it, clicked it, clicked it some more, pasted it, edited it... But it also happens that you can’t do this.

Therefore, various programs and applications will come to the rescue.

With their help, you can take a screenshot in a few clicks, save it in a predefined folder or select a location, immediately edit it or select a print screen area.

Most programs are free and take up very little space, are easy to install and are as easy to use as a button, and their choice is very, very large.

You can download a program that combines the functions of a photo and video editor; you can find an application from the manufacturer or from a developer who has included functions not only for creating a print screen, but also for recording video.

It all depends on the user, and, of course, on the choice of programs that are best suited for creating a screenshot.

The list of such most suitable programs includes Snagit, Greenshot, Snippy, Jing and others, which allow even the most inexperienced user to intuitively understand the work and easily make a screenshot.

You can find them using a search engine; there are different versions and versions of programs on the Internet. But how to use such programs correctly?

Well, proven folk wisdom does not age as quickly as our smartphones and laptops go out of fashion. “It’s better to see once than to hear 100 times”.

Have you tried to explain to someone through correspondence how to set up a WI-FI router? Then you probably understand that it would be better, indeed, for a person to see 1 time than to hear 100 times or read 100 messages! That's why many people ask how to take a screenshot on a computer.

A few words of theory

The word screenshot was exactly transferred into the Russian language from international English. It means an exact image of the user's screen, a screenshot. A shortened version of this concept, “screen,” is in common use.

How to take a screenshot on Windows

Actually, here are the main groups of solutions:

standard Windows tools;
online services that allow you to take a screenshot on a computer;
special programs.

Method 1. Screenshot on Windows using system tools.

If you look at the top left of your keyboard, you can find a button there PrtScr. The name of this button comes from English Print Screen- screen printing. Previously, by pressing this button, the printer would print the active screen. Now, when we click this button, the screen image goes to the clipboard. All that remains is to insert the image into some program from which it can be saved.

Honestly, on a laptop, this button can be anywhere on the right side of the keyboard. Sometimes, as in the example below, for this button to work you need to start a button with it Fn(Functions - this is usually located on the lower left side next to the button Ctrl) and without releasing it, press the button labeled PrtScr.

To action: press PrtScr, go to the Paint program, it is available in any Windows operating system and click “Insert”.

You can access Paint through the Start menu → All Programs → Accessories → Paint.

The Start menu differs depending on the version of Windows; the screenshot below shows how to open Paint in, because I use this particular operating system.

In the Paint program you need to click "Insert" and our screenshot ends up here. If necessary, it can be edited using the program or simply saved using the button "File" and than "Save" or t.

IMPORTANT. When you press just the PrtScr key, a screenshot of the entire computer screen is copied to the clipboard. When you press the Alt+ PrtScr combination, the active (selected) window is copied. If you use the Win+ PrtScr combination, the image of the entire screen is saved in the c:\Users\Username\Pictures\Screenshots\ folder. It can be easily found from the Computer menu. In the left column, click the “Images” menu item and then select the “Screenshots” folder.

So, to take a screenshot on Windows using the system, you need to press the PrtScr key, go to any image editing program, for example Paint, and click the “Insert” button.

Method 2. How to take a screenshot on a computer using an online service

It happens that a screenshot needs to be edited and it is often more convenient to do this using some kind of website than an installed program. For example, let's take 2 such services. They are united by the general principle of how to take a screenshot. Press the button PrtScr(if you don’t know where it is, see the first method just above). We go to the site and click Ctrl+V.

And, as we are advised, we press Ctrl+V.

We see that the screenshot has been inserted into the site window. If you need to save it, then click on it, it opens in a new browser tab.

Congratulations! The image is saved on the computer.

So, to take a screenshot on your computer using an online service, you need to press the PrtScr, or Alt+ PrScr key, go to the service that we have chosen, press Ctrl+V to paste the image and save it to your computer.

Method 3. How to take a screenshot on a computer using special programs

It is worth saying that there are actually a huge variety of programs that allow you to take a screenshot of your computer screen. If you look at the Softportal service, the request “screenshot” returns 181 applications.

Of course, each of them has its pros and cons, but often people use such programs out of habit. Once installed, figured it out and that’s it. There are especially powerful applications, even paid ones, that allow you to quickly not only create a screenshot, but also edit it. For example, you can add arrows, frames, and other effects.
One of the decent and free options is the Joxi program.

You can download it from the official website joxi.ru.

After installation, an icon for this program appears in the taskbar. The first time you launch it, in the bottom right corner you'll be given the option to choose whether you want to capture the entire screen, a snippet, or other options. Subsequently, after clicking on the icon, you can select the area of the screen that you want to save and after selection, the program looks like this:

Notice the blue icon in the top right corner. By clicking on the small arrow on the right, you can select:

Conclusions from our “screenshot production”

If you make a resume, there are 3 main solutions that allow you to take a screenshot on a computer

Use Windows tools;
Online services;
Special programs.

Here, as they say, who likes what and for what purposes. Try it, experiment.

Personal computers have great capabilities that many users are not even aware of. This article will discuss the function for taking screenshots on Windows. You will also find the answer to the question of why Print screen does not work.

General information

A screenshot is a screenshot. This function allows you to save some operating moments of the system. Typically it is saved in a graphical format. To take a screenshot, you must press the “PrtSc” key. After this, the screenshot goes to the system clipboard. To see the picture, you need to open any graphics editor (for example, Paint) and click the “Insert” button. After this, save the file in any location convenient for you. This is exactly how things should happen ideally. But many users encounter a problem when the Print screen does not work. The following will provide general recommendations for solving this problem.

Solution

First you need to decide why the Print screen does not work. Here are the possible reasons:

Mechanical failure. The keyboard may have been damaged. And as a result, the “PrtSc” button stopped working. To check the functionality of all the keys on your keyboard, you can use auxiliary programs, for example, KeyboardTest. The software is intuitive, so there should not be any problems with it. Or you can connect the keyboard to another computer and test it on it.
Technical breakdown. If you have tested your keyboard and the test shows that all keys are in working order, then the problem is with the computer system. In this case, you need to check all installed programs on your PC, as some of them have a function for intercepting screenshots. These are basically photo-taking programs that have an automated interface. Of course, there is no need to delete everything at once. You can simply disable them through the Task Manager program.

additional information

Let's look at other cases when Print screen does not work. Win 7 currently ranks first among the most popular operating systems. As a rule, it is installed on many laptops. And in these devices the built-in keyboard is different from the usual one. It contains a special system key “Fn”, which is necessary to change computer settings. It is possible that to take a screenshot, you need to simultaneously press this key and the “PrtSc” button. By the way, in Windows 7 you can use the alternative built-in program “Scissors”, which can help if the Print screen does not work. The XP system in some devices uses the key combination “Alt + PrtSc”. You can also contact your device's support service, which will provide instructions for taking screenshots.

Conclusion

If the Print screen is not working, try to figure out what exactly the problem is first. If this is a mechanical failure, then you will have to buy a new keyboard. If there is a system error, then it is enough to check all installed programs. You can always find help specifically for your device. This is especially helpful when you have a non-standard keyboard layout or a computer with a non-standard operating system.

The Android operating system has a function for creating screenshots. They are done by simultaneously pressing the “power off” + “volume down” keys for a few fractions of seconds. Almost always this manipulation works and the screenshot is saved. However, some users under certain circumstances may see the following message when attempting to take a screenshot: " Failed to save screenshot. The drives may be busy“We’ll try to figure out how to fix this problem below.

The first reason why Android may complain about the drives being busy when trying to take a screenshot may be that they are simply filled to capacity. That is, there is no space in the internal memory of the smartphone/tablet and on the memory card to save the picture.

The second reason is not so obvious. Android may also display a message about storage occupancy when there is no folder in the file system provided by the system for saving the corresponding files. Yes, it usually creates the Screenshots directory automatically if it is missing, but something can go wrong. How to fix the message “The screenshot could not be saved. The drives may be busy" further.

How to fix the error with taking a screenshot on Android

Fixing the problem with saving a screenshot on Android is quite simple. First of all you will need check if there is enough space on the medium on which screenshots are saved. This can be done in any file manager (including standard ones). If the drive is full to capacity, you will need to delete some files to free up space. To do this, you can check the system for garbage using the CCleaner application or delete the application cache (Settings - Applications - Clear cache). You can also remove a couple of unnecessary files or programs.

If you have enough free space on your drive (not much is needed to take a screenshot), then the problem is likely missing folder. In this case, to fix the problem in order to take a screenshot, you will need to perform the following series of actions:

Go to the file manager;
Find the Pictures folder and open it;
Check if there is a Screenshots directory in it;
If the Screenshots folder is missing, you will need to create it;
Reboot the device.

After completing all these manipulations, creating screenshots using standard system tools should work. If Android still reports an error “The screenshot could not be saved. The drives may be busy.", then try, for example, take any photo. If it persists, then the problem is not with memory and you can breathe a sigh of relief. The fact is that the phone’s flash memory (and, in particular, memory cards) sometimes breaks, which is why the system cannot write new files to it.

Next step- go to the Google Play Market and download from it any application you like for creating screenshots. Read the instructions describing how to use the program and take screenshots using it. This is the easiest and most guaranteed working method that allows you to take screenshots when the corresponding standard Android function does not work.

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