How To

A Primer on how to take Screenshots using Windows 10

Windows 10 is slowly becoming ubiquitous all over the PC world. Microsoft is dropping support for their previous versions such as Windows 7 and 8. They are betting on Windows 10 and striving to make the OS uniform across various devices with disparate screen sizes such as Mobile, Xbox and Holo lens.

Screenshots using Windows 10

Screenshots are pretty useful. They are the digital photographs and can be used in many ways. Usually, people take screenshots for review, feedback and confirmation purposes. Taking a screenshot was never easier and with the invent of smartphones, it has become a norm.

There are many ways you can use your PC or mobile running windows 10 to take screenshots and we will discuss each one of them in detail below.

  1. Printscreen: This is the keyboard button that comes with every keyboard. On windows 10, you can save a screenshot just by pressing the button which is usually found hiding between F12 and Pause break in the first row of the keyboard. On some laptop keyboards, this button may not be present physically but you can access it using the Function (Fn) button. The screen won’t show any signs of being captured when you press this button but it will be saved in your clipboard, which you can use to paste on other programs such as Word. These can be used for many secret purposes and can come in handy any day. If you want to take a screenshot without letting the other person know, Printscreen (Prt Sc) is your savior.
  1. Windows + Prt Sc: This is another way to take a screenshot. If your motive is not to take a screenshot secretly, then this the option for you. Pressing the windows button simultaneously with the Prt Sc button will dim the screen for a second and your screenshot will be saved in your PC. You can find it in the pictures folder under screenshots. This has been the default way of saving screenshots since long and continues with windows 10. Most of the laptops support this function. Some of the laptops may have different combination of keyboard buttons for taking a screenshot and you may have to check online or your laptop’s manual for that information.
  1. Take a screenshot of only a part of your screen: To take a screenshot of only a part of your screen, press Ctrl + Shift + S. The screen dims and appears gray. Yu can drag on whatever part you want to capture and save the image as a screenshot. This can come as very handy when you want only a part of your screen to be captured. Again, this may be different key combination for different laptops, depending on the OEM and you may want to check out your laptop’s manual.
  1. The iconic Snipping tool: This feature has been present since a long time on windows devices. This feature is unknown to an average user and I find it really awkward that people are not aware of such a useful feature. Once you open the snipping tool, which can be searched for in windows 10, you will be greeted with a small toolbar that has various options. Once you press the new button, you can select the rectangular option and you can drag on any part of the screen to take the screenshot. With windows 10, there is an option to delay screenshots by a few seconds so that you can capture the pop ups. This feature is useful and it can be edited and shared using mail and other apps.
  1. Take screenshots using Gamebar: Gamebar is a new feature Microsoft has added to Windows 10. They are integrating it with Xbox and it allows all the gamers to stream their games to others. It has various other uses. If you are a hardcore gamer and a windows 10 user, there was never a more exciting time. You can record your games and the screenshots are saved in PNG format. Under the setting in Xbox app, you can set your own keyboard shortcut to take the screenshot. This is a great and most requested feature from PC gamers that has been fulfilled with windows 10. You can access all the saved screenshots under Xbox > Game DVR > On this PC for your various purposed.
  1. Use third party apps: You can capture the screenshots using third part apps made by developers just for this purpose. Snaggit is such one app. If you don’t mind spending a few bucks, there are a lot of screenshot apps with amazing new features. You can even create short videos using this and the editing capabilities in this app are insane. There’s a free trial if you want to check out before buying the app.
  1. Taking screenshots on your Windows 10 mobile device: Windows 10 mobile devices are also a part of the Windows 10 ecosystem. If you happen to have a windows 10 mobile device, you can take screenshots using the Power + Volume Up buttons. The screen is captured and will make the click sound. Sadly, there is no alternate option and people who want to take secret screenshots just like in the PC may be disappointed knowing that it’s microsoft’s own platform.

Continuum mode, which lets people use their Mobile as a PC connected to a dock also supports screenshot functionality. You can use the power + volume up to take the screenshot even while using continuum. Hope Microsoft adds more functionality and features to mobile users in the near future.

Conclusion: These were the many ways you can capture screenshots using Windows 10. Screenshots are extremely useful for all the professionals working in white collar environments. You can use any of the method above, whichever is more useful to you for capturing a screenshot. If you are a hardcore gamer or depend on screenshots for a living, we highly recommend using third party apps as they have more features.

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