A screenshot is a snapshot of your laptop screen. You can take a screenshot of the entire display or a part of it. Windows has several built-in tools that can be used to take a screenshot. Moreover, there are many free third-party programs. We will tell you about all possible tools to create a screenshot on your laptop.
What is a screenshot needed for?
Screenshots on a Laptop may be necessary in the following cases:
- System failures. It is much easier to explain the error to a system administrator visually rather than over the phone;
- Visual instructions. If you need to tell someone about the order of settings on a personal computer, you can take a screenshot of each step;
- Save information. You can find valuable data during web surfing. It’s easier to take a screenshot with this data than to search for it on the Internet;
- Forwarding messages. If you want to forward a message or add a joke from a message on your Facebook page, a screenshot of your laptop can help;
- Illustrations. You can use a screenshot to add a picture to an article. It is helpful for blogs, cooking recipes, and master classes;
- Protected confirmation. It is impossible to fix text or a picture on a screenshot of your laptop if you don’t have much experience in graphics editors or the ability to work with the source code. A screenshot can be a report of an operation, such as a confirmation or money transfer;
- Save program settings. If you have started to study any program, a screenshot of the laptop screen will help you master it. You can save the settings and the steps of the work done.
How to take a screenshot in Windows?
There is a key for taking a screenshot of the screen on the keyboard of any laptop. PrtSc or PrintScreen may sign it. This button is located in the F1-F12 key row.
- Press PrtSc. There will be no sound and no new window.
- Next, you need to open the Paint program. You can find it in the Start menu.
- In Paint, right-click on the white space, select “Paste,” or use the Ctrl+V key combination.
- A screenshot of your laptop will appear immediately. If it doesn’t appear, you need to use keyboard shortcuts to take a screenshot on your laptop. Go back to the window you want to take a screenshot of. Then press Alt+PrtSc. If this combination doesn’t work, press Fn with PrtSc. To capture only the active window, press the Fn+Alt+PrtSc key combination.
- Go back to Paint and press “Paste.” To save a screenshot on your laptop, you need to click on the “Menu” button. It is located in the upper left corner.
- Then click on the “Save” or “Save as” line. Select “Image.” You can select the format and set the path to save the screenshot on your laptop in the menu that appears. In Paint, you can edit an image, e.g., add a picture of any effect or erase an unnecessary detail with an eraser.
There is another combination to take a screenshot of your laptop screen. This is the Windows+H key combination. It can be helpful if you want to send a screenshot by email or to the cloud immediately. After pressing the keys, you will see the window where you can choose how to edit your screenshot. This key combination does not work in all versions of Windows.
Snipping Tool
This is another built-in tool that can take a screenshot of the entire laptop screen of its part. Users prefer the Snipping Tool because it allows them to take a screenshot of any size and edit it. This tool works as follows:
- Go to the “Start” menu. Snipping Tool is located in the list of the standard Windows programs.
- Open Snipping Tool.
- Click “New.” You will see a pointer. You can move it around the area you want to capture. Please right-click on the desired fragment and release it. You will see a screenshot of your laptop screen. Now you can edit your screenshot using a pen, marker, and eraser.
- To save a screenshot of your display, click “File” in the upper left corner. A menu will appear where you need to select “Save as”. Here you can set a format or a path to save the screenshot of your laptop screen.
Snip & Sketch
This program is almost similar to Snipping Tool. To take a screenshot, do the following:
- Press the “New” button.
- Right-click on the part of the display you want to capture.
- Take your finger off the mouse and go back to the program window.
You can edit the fragment using the following tools:
- Text;
- Pen;
- Pencil;
- Marker;
- Eraser;
- Ruler;
- Cropping.
Windows 10/11 Special Features
If you have a modern Windows 10/11 installed, you can create screenshots. We will consider several ways.
Way №1
Press the Win+PrtScn key combination: the screen should darken for a split second and then return to its original state. Everything that was on the screen at that moment will be captured on a screenshot and saved in the “Images/Screenshots” folder.
Way №2 (for screenshots of games)
- First, run the needed game.
- Press the Win+G key combination to open the game menu.
- Press the “Take screenshot” button in the game menu.
After that, the screenshot will be saved on the disk. To find it, open the Windows settings, go to the “Games” section, and open the “DVR for games” tab. You can see where your screenshots are saved in this folder by default. You can change it or just open it.
Various services can be installed for free. They allow you to take screenshots on your laptop. Most programs have built-in editors to create captions, crop images, and draw different objects. Let’s consider the most popular programs.
Joxi
This is a very user-friendly and multifunctional utility. A screenshot can be created in just two clicks. Moreover, the program has a large set of services, such as a screenshot of a part of the screen, and the ability to draw arrows, lines, and shapes, fading and blurring. A screenshot is automatically sent to the clipboard. You will see your screenshot on the Joxi website when you open the link. You can save and copy the image and share a link to it in any messenger.
Gyazo
A unique feature of this program is that screenshots of the display are saved in cloud storage. You can access it from any device, such as a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Gyazo allows you to create a free or paid account. If you use this program for free, screenshots are saved for just one month. A paid account allows you to extend the storage period of screenshots of the laptop screen. Moreover, you will have access to the editor.
Microsoft Snip
It is not just a program for taking screenshots. Microsoft Snip is a multimedia program with various useful features. It allows you to take screenshots and record videos with image editing. A soundtrack accompanies a video. This is very convenient if you want to explain to someone how to use the program or configure the settings on your laptop.
FastStone Capture
It is a simple utility to take a screenshot of the entire display or a part of it. The program interface is minimalistic. When you run this program, you see a window where you need to select the following action. The created screenshot of the laptop screen can be edited. Changes in size and format are available. You can also correct colors, add effects, etc.
Lightshot
It is another user-friendly program for creating screenshots of the display. You just need to press the Print Screen button to take a screenshot of the entire screen or its part. You will see a pointer that can be used to select the area you want to capture. The utility has built-in image editing tools, such as a marker, arrow, fill, crop, text, etc.
Screen Capture
It is another user-friendly service to create screenshots on a laptop. Just press Print Screen to take a screenshot. As in other similar programs, you will see a pointer that can be used to select the area for the screenshot. After that, the image will be sent to the Internet. You can share a link to this image or save it.
You can set the place where you want to save a picture. To do this, click on the program icon in the lower right corner of the screen. A menu will open where you must select the “Save in” item. You can choose your desktop, folder, clipboard, or the Internet. Moreover, you can set the format of an image. Screen Capture has a disadvantage: a large installation file. Otherwise, the service is excellent.
JShot
This is an easy-to-use and multifunctional utility with the ability to edit screenshots. You can also use various valuable functions, such as cropping, color changing, drawing, etc. The interface of this program is very similar to Paint.
Clip2Net
This is a very convenient program with a wide range of functions. You can take a screenshot of the entire display or a part of it. After that, the program will offer to send the link to the Internet or edit the image. The function of drawing and writing texts on a screenshot is built in.
Screenshot Creator
It is probably the lightest utility for taking screenshots on a laptop. Its size is only 0.5 MB. After installing the program, you should select a hotkey to create screenshots. Press the hotkey, and you will immediately get to the window with the screenshot. The utility will offer to save the image. Then you need to select a folder and the name of the file. Like other similar programs, Screenshot Creator has a function to take a screenshot of a part of the screen.
Screenpresso
This is a unique program. It has a rare function of zooming the screenshot. You can also record videos in Screenpresso. Otherwise, this utility is similar to the previous programs. Like other services, Screenpresso allows you to edit screenshots and share them on the Internet to send links to them later. You can crop images, round their corners, add shadows, make reflections, etc.
Shotnes
This is a friendly program to take screenshots on a laptop. You can save a screenshot on the hard drive or the Internet. The program has built-in editing functions, such as drawing, cropping, arrows, and frames. Shotnes has one interesting feature: it can turn color into code. This is a handy feature for programmers.
EasyCapture
A screenshot can be created in one click. The program has a mini image editor. Its interface is very similar to Paint. It allows you to mirror the image, make a caption, draw a frame, etc. Therefore, this program is very similar to all the programs mentioned above.
Nimbus Capture
Nimbus Capture is a plugin for browsers used to take screenshots of web pages. In addition to ordinary screenshots of an entire screen, a window, or a selected fragment, it also allows you to capture the full length of a page even if it does not fit on the screen. Nimbus Capture also allows you to edit images and save them in Google Drive. Moreover, the plugin can record videos on the screen.
PicPick
This image editor is very similar to Paint with its function of creating screenshots. PicPick can take screenshots of the entire screen, any selected area, or a selected window, including scrolling. The editor has essential functions, such as adding text or markup, and additional features, such as adjusting the color of images and applying various effects.