How to Take Screenshot in Windows 10/11

Do you want to know how to take a Screenshot in Windows in different ways?

Do you want to take a screenshot of the full or part screen?

Do you want to automatically save the screenshot or edit it before saving it?

If you need to do any of the above, then you’ve landed in the right article which covers all of these. Here in this article, you will find different ways of taking a screenshot on Windows.

These methods apply to all the latest versions of Windows operating systems such as Windows 10 or Windows 11.

However, if any method doesn’t work for a particular windows version, I’ll prompt and suggest alternatives.

Also see: How to take screenshot on Macbook

All of the methods are built-in features of the Windows operating system and you need not download any software or a third-party app.

You can choose to let the screenshot be saved automatically in a folder or copy it to the clipboard to edit it with your favorite photo editor before saving it as the final version.

Why do I need to take a screenshot at all?

I have my own reasons and you will have different reasons.

It is my habit that whenever I do any financial transaction (payment through CC or Digital Wallet), I take a screenshot of the final payment confirmation page for future reference.

This screenshot is useful in case the merchant claims that it didn’t receive my payment.

In that case, I can show them the screenshot which generally has transaction numbers and other details of the payment made.

You can have other reasons.

For example, you want to take a screenshot of the score you have achieved in a game and want to share it with your friends on Facebook or other social media websites.

So the reason for taking a Screenshot could be anything, and if you are on Windows and want to learn different methods of taking a screenshot, continue reading this article till the end.

By the end, you will be able to take a screenshot through different methods on different versions of the Windows operating system.

In case one method doesn’t work for you, the other will.

How to Take a Screenshot in Windows 10/11

So in this post, I’m going to discuss several different methods of taking a screenshot in Windows. If any method doesn’t work with a particular version, I’ll mention it. Take a look

Method:1- Take a Screenshot of the entire window and copy it to the clipboard

STEP:1– Open documents/pictures you want to take a screenshot of.

STEP:2– Press PRTSC button as shown in the below image. The screenshot will be copied to the clipboard.

STEP:3– Open your favorite photo editor. I use a built-in application- a paintbrush! Open the paintbrush and click Paste > Paste as shown in the below image. Edit the image if you need to and hit the save button to save the screenshot.

Method: 2- Take a Screenshot of the entire window and save it automatically 

This method is ideal if you want to take a screenshot of the whole window and automatically save it in a folder.

In this method, the screenshot is not copied to the clipboard that you could further edit like adding a callout button or text.

It gets saved in a folder just as you press the keys for taking a screenshot.

STEP:1– This method again will capture the whole window, so make sure you open only those documents or images that you want to take a screenshot of.

STEP:2– Press “Windows” + “PRTSC” buttons. You will notice the computer screen gets dimmed for a second which confirms your screenshot is saved.

STEP:3– Now go to PC > Pictures > Screenshots and you will find the screenshot that you have just taken. The name of the screenshot should be “Screenshot(number).png“.

So if you have taken a screenshot for the first time, the name of this first screenshot would be “Screenshot(1).png” and the number will keep on increasing with each new screenshot.

By default, the file is saved in .png format which is considered one of the best formats for pictures.

You can always open this file with a picture editor and edit it. You can also change the format with saving as an option.

Windows 10 Users can find the file by opening the Photo app and then selecting Folder > Pictures > Screenshots as well.

Method:3- Take a Screenshot of the active window and copy it to the clipboard

This method can be used for taking a screenshot of the active window. Here again, the screenshot will get copied to the clipboard.

STEP:1– Open files/ documents you want to capture in the screenshot. It will take a screenshot of the active window.

STEP:2– Press Alt + PntSc keys and the screenshot will get copied to Clipboard.

STEP:3– Open the paintbrush and click Paste > Paste. Check the below image. If you use other photo editors than a paintbrush, press Ctrl + V.

You can again edit the screenshot with a photo editor or save it in other formats.

Method:4- Take a Screenshot of the entire/part window with the snipping tool

The snipping tool is a built-in application in all the modern versions of the Windows operating system.

If your machine runs Windows 10, you can take a screenshot with this application with ease.

Unlike the above methods where you don’t have control over the area to be included in the screenshot, this method allows you to select the area manually.

For example, if you have several windows open on the screen and you want to take a screenshot of only a particular window, you can do that! How? I’ll show you below.

Once you take a screenshot it opens in the Snipping tool itself where you can do some basic editing stuff like crop, adding a solid square block, or text. Take a look.

How to find the Snipping Tool?

If you are a Windows 10 user, click the windows icon at the bottom left corner and type “Snipping tool” in the search box as shown in the below image.

The snipping tool will appear in the search. Click to start it.

How to take Screenshot with Snipping Tool

STEP:1– Open the snipping tool and click the “New” button as below image. The moment you press this button, the screen will go fade and the mouse cursor will change into a crosshair. The faded screen means you are ready to select the area.

STEP:2–  Press and hold the mouse right-click and drag it from one point to another. To put in a simpler term, select the area you want to capture in this screenshot.

I’ve shown in the below image how it can be done. You can see the selected area as I’ve highlighted it with the red dotted rectangle.

STEP:4– Release the click. The screenshot will be taken and opened in the Snipping tool itself. You can either save the screenshot as it is or edits it with edit tools available.

This method comes in handy as you need not press any key (sometimes you don’t have those shortcut keys on the keyboard) and it also gives you the flexibility to select the area you want to capture in the screenshot.

Method:5- Take a Screenshot of the selected area and autosave (without editing tool)

If you are among those who like shortcuts including me, then this option is pretty cool for taking a screenshot with the flexibility to select the area and autosave the screenshot.

(NOTE: this method will work with Windows 10 only)

STEP:1– Open the document or picture you want to take a screenshot of.

STEP:2– Press “Windows” + “Shift” + “S” and the mouse cursor will change to a crosshair.

STEP:3– The screen will go faded which means you are ready to select an area to be captured.

STEP:4– Click and hold and select the portion you want to take a screenshot of.

STEP:5– Release click and the screenshot will be copied to the clipboard. Open your favorite picture editor and press Ctrl + V.

Edit or save the screenshot as per your need.

Method:6- Take a Screenshot on Microsoft Surface Tablet

If you are trying to take a screenshot on the Microsoft Surface tablet, use this method. Here again, the screenshot will include an entire window and will be saved automatically.

STEP:1– Pick Surface Tablet and press the Windows button on the bezel as below.

STEP:2– Press the volume decrease button. When you do that, the screen will go dim for milliseconds that confirming the screenshot is taken and saved.

STEP:3– Go to PC > Pictures > Screenshots and find the screenshot. The screenshot will be saved as “Screenshot(number).png“