How to take a Screenshot on computer?

How to take a Screenshot on computer

The ScreenShot feature is widely used to procure the content of the screen as an image. This feature was introduced in the late ’90s, and it has come a long way since then, and in today’s era, it acts as a new age artifact. This feature is utilized to quickly share the screen content with others or save it to reference later. The screenshot is helpful for professional work for maintaining records, explaining the technical support team by sharing the screenshot of an error message to avoid confusion, sharing proof for sending a mail or capturing the funny face of your friend on an ongoing video call. With many laptops, the screenshot images are directly saved in the picture folder under Local C disk. Microsoft also avails an option to store the images online in ‘OneDrive’ for free.  Many people also used Ms Paint to edit and save the images in any location for later use.

There are plenty of options in Windows and macOS to take screenshots of any screen data quickly. These options included the keyboard shortcuts, including the Print Screen key, or any other built-in tools and saving screenshots and screen recordings. Screenshots also serve in creating many instructional Video demonstrations. In this case, the random capturing feature is not capable enough to level up the game. Thus, for this purpose, many third-party apps are used to supply more firepower in the advancing screenshot feature.  Advanced Screen Capture software plays a crucial role in progressing Research automation and also for Entertainment purposes.

Let’s study the detailed ways to capture a screenshot on Windows and Mac software:

ScreenShot for Windows

  1. PrtScr Key

“PrtScr” or “Print Screen” is one for the most straightforward and commonly used method to capture the screen content. With different keyboards, this key is labeled with different names, unlike “PrtScn,” “PrntScrn,” “Print Scr,” or with some relatable name. This key is usually found on the top row aligned between F12 and insert button. With some laptops, the ‘PrtScr’ key cannot function alone, so you must press it along with the “Function” or “Fn” key. When you press this key, the screen will flicker for a second, so you got to know that the screenshot has been taken. But in many cases, after pressing the key, nothing happens, but you will notice that the screen image has been successfully saved to your clipboard.

This key can function in three different ways:

  • CAPTURE THE SCREENSHOT WITHOUT SAVING THE FILE.
How to take a Screenshot on computer

To enable this option, press the “PrtScn” key. The screen won’t flicker, but the display of the screenshot will be copied to the clipboard. The next step is to load the image over an image editor platform. Either open paint or you can use any other preferred image editor. Paste the image by using the paste keyword shortcut (CTRL + V) or Choose File > Paste. You can even edit the image as per your requirement and also can alter the shape and size. By default, the size of the image is the same as that of your desktop resolution.

This option is not preferred much as one must manually save the image, which is a cumbersome and time-consuming task.

Note: With some pcs, the PrtScr key may not work alone, and in that case, you may need to press the “ Fn + Alt + PrtScn”  keys together. For more information, refer to your system’s manual.

  • CAPTURE THE SCREENSHOT AND LATER ON, AUTOMATICALLY SAVES IT.
How to take a Screenshot on computer

This option automatically saves the image after capturing the screenshot. To enable it press the PrtScr along with the “Windows logo button” (      + PrtScr). If you are a tablet user, press the Windows logo key along with the down volume key.

The screen will flicker for a second, and the screenshot will be saved in the folder named with “screenshot” inside your default “Pictures” folder within Local C/users directory. By default, the image would be named as “Screenshot (n) where n refers to the number of screenshots taken.

How to take a Screenshot on computer

Note: With some pcs, the PrtScr key may not work alone, and in that case, you may need to press the “CTRL + Windows logo key + PrtScn” or “Function + Windows logo button+ PrtScn” keys. For more information, refer to your system’s manual.

  • TAKING SCREENSHOT FOR JUST ONE WINDOW
How to take a Screenshot on computer

This option enables you to capture only one window, unlike the window’s dialog box. Place the cursor on the title bar that you want to capture. Next, press the “Alt + PrtScn” button together. The screen won’t flicker, but the display of the screenshot will be copied to the clipboard. Paste it to your image editor and save it.

How to take a Screenshot on computer

Note: With some pcs, the PrtScr key may not work alone, and in that case, you may need to press the “Alt + Fn + PrtScn” keys. For more information, refer to your system’s manual.

  • Taking Screenshot of Part of the Screen

This option enables you to take the screenshot for only the selected part of your screen. Press together the “       + Shift + S” button. The display will immediately turn to gray, and your cursor will turn to a ‘+’ symbol. Select the part of the screen region that you want to capture, and the selected area will become white. As long as you left the cursor, the screenshot will be taken and will be copied to the screenshot. Paste the image by using the paste keyword shortcut (CTRL + V) or Choose File > Paste and save the file.

How to take a Screenshot on computer
  • Snippet Tool
How to take a Screenshot on computer

Snipping Tool is a screenshot utility tool that was first included in Windows Vista, and since then, it is a part of Windows. This tool helps to copy desktop words or images, make desired changes on the image easily, and later on, can save and share the snip file. The captured snip is directly copied to the Snipping Tool window. The snipping tool is used to catch any one of the below-given snips:

  1. Free Form Snip – By selecting this snip option, the user can draw a free-form shape from the screen.
  2. Rectangular Snip – As the name suggests, it draws and forms and rectangular shape around an object.
  3. Window Snip- Only selects a window, unlike the window’s dialog box, a menu, taskbar, etc.
  4. Entire-Screen- Unlike the regular Print Screen option, this option captures the snip of the full screen.

Snipping tool also provides the features to re-size, color, highlight, crop, rotate, (or may other enhancements) your snip and later can save it as MHTML file, image, or even can directly share it via email. This tool cannot capture the snips involved with cursor movements, unlike tooltips, different pop-up menus, etc. To click those movements earlier, we used the Print Screen method. Later with the invention of the “Delay” option, this problem was fixed.

SNIPPING TOOL DELAY OPTION

How to take a Screenshot on computer

Windows has never launched any new features of this tool apart from fixing the bugs. But recently, in Windows 10, a new feature known as the “Delay” option is introduced to fix the importency of capturing the snips of pop-up menus and useful tooltips. Firstly, open the snipping tool app and click on the Delay option. From the dialog box, select the seconds (for example, 5 seconds) for which you would like the screen to wait. Within 5 seconds, open any tooltip or a menu. And exactly after 5 seconds, you will notice the screen has frozen and turned to grey, and at that point, you will draw around the area you capture the snip.

STEPS TO TAKE A SNIP

  1. In the window explorer search box type “SNIPPING TOOL”. The tool will appear and double click on it to open the app.
How to take a Screenshot on computer
  • The following app will appear once you open the tool. Click on the new option.
How to take a Screenshot on computer
  • The entire screen would change grey, and the cursor would change to ‘+’ symbol. Drag the mouse pointer and select the are whose snip you want to capture. As you release the mouse pointer, the snip will be copied to the Snipping tool app screen, as shown below.
How to take a Screenshot on computer
  • You can even choose the kind of snip you want to capture. For this select the Mode, and from the drop-box, choose one of the four snip options (free-form snip, rectangular snip, window snip, and full-screen snip) and select the area of the screen that you want to capture.
  • After capturing the snip, you can annotate the image by writing, highlighting, or drawing around it with the help of pen or highlighter options. In the case of any mistake, you can use the Eraser option to omit the mistake. For advanced editing features, you can select Paint 3D. 
How to take a Screenshot on computer
  • At last, select the Save Snip button. In the Save As box, specify the file name, location, and type, and then select Save or directly share it by choosing the arrow next to the Send Snip button.

ScreenShot for MAC   

Unlike Windows, Mac also supports various shortcut keys to capture the screenshot for the entire screen, a portion of the screen, only a particular window or menu

Taking screenshot for the entire screen

How to take a Screenshot on computer
  1. To enable this option, press and hold the “shift + command + 3” keys together.
  2. The captured screenshot will be saved on the desktop as a PNG file wherein the filename will begin with the “Picture” followed by the serial number of the screenshot, unlike example Picture 1, Picture 2 …. Picture n.
  3. A thumbnail will be displayed at the corner of the screen, double click on it to further edit the image.

Capture a portion of the screen

How to take a Screenshot on computer
  1. With the virtue of this option, you can only select a portion of the screen and crop any window or pop-up. From your mac keyboard, press the three keys “Shift + Command + 4” together.
  2. You will notice the screen will freeze, and the cursor will change to the crosshair “” symbol. Drag the mouse pointer and select the specific area to capture the screenshot. If you want to move to the file, press the space bar, and drag it.
  3. To cancel the captured image, simply press the Escape (Esc) button from your Mac keyboard.
  4. As soon as long you will release the mouse pointer, and the screenshot will be captured. A thumbnail will be displayed at the corner of the screen, double click on it to further edit the image.

Capture a window or menu

How to take a Screenshot on computer
  1. To enable this option, firstly open a window or pop up that you would like to capture.
  2. Place your cursor to the heading and press the keys “Shift + Command + 4 + space bar” together. The mouse pointer will instantly change to the camera icon. Press and hold the Esc (escape) button to cancel the screenshot.
  3. Select the window or pop up menu which you want to capture. You can also exclude the window's shadow from the screenshot by pressing the Option key while you click.
  4. A thumbnail will be displayed at the corner of the screen, double click on it to further edit the image.