Windows 10 takes screenshots of the screen. Dedicated Print Screen key
In this guide, we will look at the tools built into the OS, with which you can take a screenshot in Windows 10, and for free and without using third-party programs. Some of them will also work on previous versions of Windows.
How to take a screenshot in Windows 10
There are three ways to take a screenshot in Windows 10. Let's start with the simplest and most traditional method - the Print Screen (PrntScr) key. Next, let's take a look at the OS built-in, simple and slightly updated Scissors tool. Finally, I'll show you how to use the Xbox Game Bar feature, which can also capture screenshots. There is another tool called Microsoft Snip, which we will also cover at the end of this article.
1. Standard method with the Print Screen key
The PrntScrn key allows you to take quick screenshots and saves it as a PNG image. This works not only in Windows 10, but also in earlier versions of Microsoft OS. The key is located in the upper right part of the keyboard and can have one of the following names: PrtScr, PrntScrn, Print Screen, or something similar.
When you press it, a screenshot of the entire screen is saved into the temporary computer memory, called the clipboard, which can then be used in a text or graphics editor (Word, Paint, Photoshop or any other editor that can work with images) by executing the command from the "Paste" menu ( or hotkeys CTRL + V).
If you want to immediately save the snapshot as an image file, use the combination "Win (Windows logo) + PrtScn". Your screen will turn off for a moment, and your screenshot will be saved to the Screenshots folder, which is located in the default Pictures folder.
In case you need to take a screenshot of one window instead of the entire screen, use the Alt + Print Screen keys, having previously prepared the window on top of the others (i.e. making it active). After that, your screenshot is also placed in the computer's memory, from where you can paste it into any editor that can work with images.
2. Screenshot using the Scissors program
The Scissors program appeared in Windows in early versions of the OS, and had one small drawback: it could not capture snapshots of pop-up menus and windows, which in the new Windows 10 was fixed by the addition of a new "Hold" function.
When you press it, you are prompted to select the amount of time in seconds from 0 to 5 to delay the screenshot. For example, if you want to take a screenshot of the Start menu, open Scissors and set the delay time to 3 seconds. Next, click the "Create" button - from this moment you have 3 seconds to prepare the screen (in our case, open the Start menu). After this time, you can take a picture, depending on which shape you have previously selected (a small black arrow next to the Create button opens a list of 4 shapes).
3. Xbox game bar on Windows 10
The Xbox Game Bar, which comes preinstalled with Windows 10, also lets you take screenshots and even record videos. The app can only capture snapshots of the active window.
To get started, open the app, go to its settings and make sure the "Capture screenshots using Game DVR" option is enabled. Here you can also change the default keyboard shortcuts to your preferred ones.
When you're done adjusting the options, press Win (with the Windows logo) + G (or whatever you changed to) to open Game Bar. If prompted, click Yes, this is a game. Then you select the camera icon and a screenshot of the active window will be saved in: C: \ Users \ [your username] \ videos \ clips.
4) Microsoft Snip Tool
Microsoft recently released a new screenshot tool for Windows 10 users - Snip Editor. In many ways, the program is similar to the above-mentioned "Scissors", but unlike it, Snip is not built into the OS, you need to download it from the official Microsoft website.
In addition to working with screenshots, the program also provides you with advanced features such as annotations for screenshots, annotations and even audio with your voice with the ability to share them. You can download the program on the official website:
Once installed, Snip will be minimized at the center of the top of your screen, and will expand on hover.
Select the rectangular dotted icon to capture a screenshot of your screen. After that, if necessary, you can add annotations and voice memos. There is also a handle icon that opens the Editor, and a camera that opens the Webcam.
I have listed the best, in my opinion, ways to take screenshots on Windows 10 without using any third-party tools, which you can also explore and try. But in this article I decided not to write about them, since I think that this is a topic for a separate material. For basic tasks and most users, the above methods are more than enough.
Screenshots are a great way to capture useful information, capture a system problem, or capture a beautiful still image from a movie or game. Windows 10 has this feature, it is built-in, available for use from the moment the system is first started. There are several simple ways how to take a screenshotWin 10 .
Screenshot via Print Screen
Print Screen is a keyboard button for saving screenshots. It is located in the block above the "arrows". Sometimes the button is labeled with abbreviated PrtScn.
When the user clicks on it, a snapshot of the entire image from the monitor is saved to the clipboard. All that remains is to insert the block, for example, into the built-in graphics editor or any other program.
There are several Print Screen keyboard shortcuts that extend the Win 10 screenshot functionality.
Pressing Alt + PrtScn at the same time will save a screenshot of the active screen area. For example, if you are working in Word, then this key combination will make an image only of the program itself, no other elements in the frame will be present.
There is another way to save a screenshot directly to the "Pictures" folder in the user's documents. This option does not require pasting a snapshot from the clipboard. It is enough to press Win + Print Screen together. This saves the entire displayed area of the screen.
Method for Windows 10 latest versions
The latest versions of Windows 10 have a new way to take screenshots. To use it, you need to simultaneously press Win + Shift + S. The mouse pointer turns into a highlight, you need to designate the rectangular area of the screen, the image of which you want to save. Everything is done with the left mouse button pressed. When you release it, the screenshot will be saved to the clipboard. It can be inserted into a graphics editor or other suitable application.
Scissors program
There is a way how to make a screen on Win 10 using the built-in "Scissors" utility. Its capabilities include saving frames from a specific area of the screen and editing them, as well as screenshots with a delay.
The utility is launched through the menu " Start". It is located in the category " Standard - Windows», Which is towards the end of the list.
The program is easy to use. Button " Create»Activates the selection of an area of the screen for later saving. There is a down arrow next to it, if you click on it, you can select the selection mode. As mentioned above, there is a delayed screen function.
When a frame from the screen is transferred to the program, it will be possible to edit it, as well as save it with a choice of format. Scissors is a great tool for taking screenshots.
In-game screens
In some games, you will not be able to take a screenshot using the methods described above. Sometimes the result is just a black frame. But do not despair and look for third-party programs to solve the problem. Windows 10 has a built-in Xbox DVR utility for interacting with games. With its help, it will be possible to take a snapshot of the gameplay in just a few steps.
Directly during the game, you need to press simultaneously Win and G... In this case, you need to enable full screen mode. If the game is in a window, then the method may not work. The utility window will pop up, there you need to select the item of the screenshot. The frame from the game will be copied to the clipboard; it remains to paste it into the graphics editor.
If the Xbox DVR window does not appear, then the utility has been disabled. You need to re-enable it. The easiest way to find it is through the search and activate it in the settings.
A little tip: it is not necessary to import screenshots into a graphics editor; for example, you can immediately insert a screenshot into a Skype dialog box or Vkontakte correspondence.
How to take a screenshot in Windows 10.
The person needed to make a screen shot. To solve the problem, he took out a tablet, photographed the image on the monitor and sent it to himself by mail. All this was done with an incredibly proud expression on his face, they say he thought of it!)Observing this situation prompted me to consider this quick guide on the topic:
How to take a screenshot in Windows 10
To begin with, I will show you a few simple ways without using additional programs.
Method 1 screenshot of the entire screen area
If you need to capture the entire area of the screen, use the keyboard shortcut Win + PrtScn
- Press and hold the Windows logo key on your keyboard, then press the PrtScn key. This is how you can take a screenshot of the screen in Windows 10 and Windows 8.
- After pressing the key combination, the image on the screen "blinks" for a second. Now open "This PC" - "Pictures" - "Screenshots". All screenshots taken with the above method are saved in this folder.
Method 2 screen of a separate window
This method is relevant when you need to take a screenshot not of the entire screen, but only, for example, a browser window or any application. The principle is the same as in the previous method. Only now we will use the Alt + PrtScn combination
That's all. The screenshot was saved successfully. This method can be used not only in Windows 10, but also in other versions of this OS.
Method 3 scissors
Another great way to take a screenshot. In addition, this method is convenient and versatile. With the help of the "scissors" you can take a picture of both a separate area and the entire screen.
That's all. Now you know three easy ways to take screenshots in Windows 10.
The need to preserve information constantly. You can take a photo while watching a video, when you need to transfer information, and even when doing business online. In the future, the saved image is used as a separate file, or inserted into the document.
The ones you create are a captured screenshot of an area of the screen. Despite the simplicity of this process, with the update of each sequential version of the operating system, the options for creating copies of the image from the monitor change sequentially. Along with connecting third-party programs for taking screenshots, they use internal functions inherent in the operating system.
The choice of the method for taking a screenshot in Windows 10 depends on the subsequent use of the image.
How to take a screenshot with keyboard keys
The most common option to take a picture from the monitor is to use the keyboard shortcut.
Press the key combination "Win" and "PrintScreen / SysRq". Taking a picture can be fixed by the fact that the monitor darkens for a while. At this point, the information is saved in a separate folder as a file.
Screenshot buttonsIf you need to search for an image in order to edit the saved file, we move along the following path:
- go through the shortcut "My Computer" into a folder named "Pictures";
- find a folder named "Screenshots";
- we can select the saved file and process it in any editor.
If it is necessary to make a screen from the screen without further editing it, use the "Print Screen / SysRq" button without combining with other keys. The snapshot is transferred to the clipboard for subsequent insertion into a text document.
When working with a document, a Paint presentation slide or email, insert the prepared image. You do this step by clicking the right mouse button and choosing the "Paste" command.
To get an answer to the question of how to take a screenshot of a separate window, without having to take a screenshot of the entire screen, use a slightly different keyboard shortcut:
- activate the desired browser window;
- press the combined key combination "Alt" and "Print Screen / SysRq";
- insert a snapshot into the created document.
Quite often, users ask themselves the question: how to take a screenshot of the screen on Windows 10. Depending on what you need a screen for and what quality will be acceptable, the method is chosen. To get started, you can use the "Print Screen" key or a keyboard shortcut. An alternative to this would be to use software.
Screenshot programs for Windows 10 come in different difficulty levels. They range from simple ones available on the Internet for free downloads to quite complex ones on a paid basis.
Screenshot software overview
Let's review the software for creating screenshots, which are presented on the Internet for free.
- HoverSnap. This software can be downloaded free of charge and taken a screenshot of the Windows 10 screen. The website is http://www.softportal.com/software-16620-hoversnap.html. No installation required to run. The required format data are set in the menu; the place where you plan to save this image, as well as other settings
After which the program is minimized. For the subsequent creation of screenshots, you can use certain key combinations, depending on which screenshot you need to take:
- screen - "Print Screen";
- active window - "Alt" + "Print Screen";
- specific area - "Ctrl" + "Print Screen".
The question remains:? In the settings, set the folder. Saves in BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF formats. Among the disadvantages are: limited set of functions;
- Screenshot program for Windows 10 MWSnap
Available for download at http://www.softportal.com/software-19331-mwsnap.html. One of the main differences from the previous one is that it requires preliminary installation on a computer. Capture functions:
- fixed rectangle;
- an arbitrary triangle;
- open dialog boxes or active menu;
- desktop;
- replay of the last capture.
Allows you to create:
- reflection and rotation of the image;
- frame.
Besides BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF formats, TIFF format can also be used. Among the shortcomings can be noted the lack of an option to overlay text on the screen.
- Picpick software
Download on the site http://picpick.ru. The functions of this program for capturing have something in common with the program MWSnap, but at the same time there are additional features, namely:
- capturing a window with the ability to autoscroll;
- selection of the selected area in the form of a rectangle;
- selection of some kind of fixed area;
- selection of an arbitrary area (that is, it can also be a curve).
Among the main additional features, the Windows 10 screenshot program is equipped with:
- built-in editor for correcting the resulting image;
- enlargement of the window. This is where the "magnifying glass" function takes place;
- using a ruler with a fairly decent amount of settings;
- built-in goniometer, which allows you to take measurements between two straight lines;
- crosshair function, which is designed to help measure the height and width of an arbitrary shape;
- the use of a slate board makes it possible to draw all kinds of lines, arrows, rectangles on the desktop, as well as over an open window, which is especially important for creating instructional material.
For viewing the received screenshots it is best to use it under the name "Photos".
- Another popular screenshot program is Lightshot. An overview of it can be viewed below: