Capturing a Screen Shot

Written by Barry Dysert (last updated April 22, 2019)

1

Windows makes it easy to create an image of what's on the screen. PC keyboards have a "Print Screen" key, which used to actually print the screen image to an attached printer. This key may have some abbreviated variation of "Print Screen," such as "PrtScn." (It may take some creative reading to figure out which key is the correct one on your keyboard.)

Nowadays, the "Print Screen" key doesn't actually print anything. Instead it captures the screen image and places it on the Clipboard. If, instead of capturing the entire screen, you want to only capture the active window, just hold down the Alt key when you press "Print Screen." If you really want to print whatever you've captured, paste the Clipboard contents into an image-capable application (like Microsoft Word or a dedicated graphics program) and print from there.

If you are using Windows 8 or Windows 10, you should be aware that Microsoft has enhanced and modified the ability to capture a screen. You can find more information about it in this WindowsTip.

Another way to capture a screen shot is to use the Snipping Tool. One of the Snipping Tool's options is to do a full-screen snip. The Snipping Tool also has a window snip option that allows you to capture a window or dialog box.

 This tip (12560) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Barry Dysert

Barry has been a computer professional for over 35 years, working in different positions such as technical team leader, project manager, and software developer. He is currently a software engineer with an emphasis on developing custom applications under Microsoft Windows. When not working with Windows or writing Tips, Barry is an amateur writer. His first non-fiction book is titled "A Chronological Commentary of Revelation." ...

MORE FROM BARRY

Making the Mouse Pointer More Visible

Windows has a lot of features designed to make your computing experience easy on the eyes. Some of these features have to ...

Discover More

Creating a Bootable USB Flash Drive

If your hard disk becomes problematic to the point where you can't even boot from it, you'll be glad you have a bootable ...

Discover More

Modifying Your Hosts File

Your Hosts file is an important file as far as network communications go, and you can easily edit it to suit your needs. ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Forecast the Weather

Getting a handle on the weather is something that man has been dreaming of since the dawn of time. While you might not be ...

Discover More

Tagging with Photos

Memories are an important part of our lives. Keeping track of those memories is important, too. The Photos app within ...

Discover More

Use Notepad as a Journal

As you go through the day or work on a project, you may find it helpful to write thoughts or inspirations down and have ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is four minus 0?

2019-04-22 13:21:38

Allan

If you want something more than the builtin Windows Print Screen, give Gadwin PrintScreen a try (FREE).

Gadwin PrintScreen is an easy to use freeware utility that allows you to capture any portion of the screen, save it to a file, copy it to Windows clipboard, print it or e-mail it to a recipient of your choice. There are also six different image formats to choose from, and each one can be resized.

Newest Tips
Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2024 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.