As a software reviewer at PCMag, snapping screenshots is something I need to do many times each day. There’s no better way of showing readers how a program actually looks in operation than by showing screenshots. I mostly review Windows software, so I’m familiar with the various ways to capture screens on that operating system. Nearly every computer user occasionally needs to take a screenshot, if only to share what they’re seeing on the screen with a colleague.
It’s astonishing how long it has taken to perfect this simple capability. Windows has had screen-printing capabilities since the first PCs in the 1980s (their text-based option differed from today’s raster screenshots). Windows 10 introduced new ways to take screenshots, like using the Snip & Sketch utility, and taking screenshots in Windows 11 is even smarter with its version of the Snipping Tool.
Here, we're concerned with screenshots in Windows 10. Below, I walk you through the several ways to capture the Windows 10 PC screen so that you can make an informed decision on which method works best for you.
1. Use Shift-Windows Key-S and Snip & Sketch
After many years of using Snagit (see below), this has become my primary screenshot method: Press the keyboard combo Shift-Windows Key-S, and you have a choice of capturing the full screen, a rectangular selection, a freehand selection, or an individual program window. An alternative way to invoke Snip & Sketch is via the Action Center's Screen Snip button.
After using this keyboard shortcut, you momentarily see a small thumbnail panel notification at the lower right that says Snip Saved to Clipboard. Tap this to open the Snip & Sketch window. In this, you can crop the image and mark it up with a pen, pencil, highlighter, eraser, ruler. Then you can save the image to a folder of your choice, or share it using the standard Windows Share menu. That lets you send it to Instagram, Messenger, Mail, or any other app that accepts the file type. It also lets you send it to a nearby PC with Nearby Sharing enabled.
A couple things I wish Snip & Sketch had are text overlay and basic shapes, including the ever-useful arrow. If you only want to use this tool, you can go into Windows’ Settings app and choose Ease of Access > Keyboard and choose Use the PrtSc Button to Open Screen Snipping. Note that this requires restarting Windows.
2. Use the Print Screen Key With Clipboard
This is the longtime classic method of screenshotting in Windows 10. It’s especially useful for shooting apps that change appearance when you hit a keyboard combination. Often a menu will collapse as soon as you tap a shift key. Hitting the Print Screen or PrtSc key copies the entire screen to the Clipboard; adding Alt together with Print Screen copies only the active window rectangle.
You do need to take extra steps to open and save your image in an application that deals with images, such as Paint, Paint 3D, or even Photoshop (unless you take advantage of the next tip). Simply paste with Ctrl-V when you’re in a new document in one of those apps, and then you can go to town with editing, and finally, save the image to the folder of your choice.
Comments