What is Difference between screenshots and photos?
Both a screenshot and a photograph are images, that is visible impressions obtained by a device, or displayed on a computer or video screen. But a photograph is always a picture made using a camera. And a screenshot is an image of the data displayed on the screen of a computer or mobile device.
Ways to take screenshots in windows
If you want to take a screenshot on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer, there are several methods you can use.
Whether you want to save the entire screen or just a piece of it, we’ve rounded up all the best ways to take a Windows screenshot.
First Way by Using Print screen button
In Window 10 or 11 by pressing Window Key + Prtscn, file will be save automatically to Screenshots folder. your screen will be dim and your entire screen will be saved in folder
Tips:-You can access Screenshot folder directly by pressing Windows Key + E and clicking Pictures in the left side panel (navigation pane).
By Pressing Alt + Prtscn
To only capture the active window you’re working in, press Alt + PrtScn. The screenshot will be copied to your clipboard, and you’ll need to paste it into another program to save it.
The Snip & Sketch tool in Windows 10
Windows 10 Snip & Sketch is the best way to screenshot on Windows if you’re looking to customize, annotate, or share your screen captures.
To activate Snip & Sketch, use the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + Shift + S. Your screen will go dim and a mini menu will appear at the top of your screen, giving you the option to take a rectangular, free-form, window, or full-screen capture.
With these Snip & Skitch options, you can choose how you’d like to take a screenshot:
| Mode | Functions |
|---|---|
|
Rectangular |
Size a rectangle for your screenshot.
|
|
Free-form |
Draw free-hand with your cursor.
|
|
Window |
Choose a specific window to capture.
|
|
Full-screen |
Grab an image of your entire screen.
|
After you capture the screenshot, it’ll be saved to your clipboard and a preview notification will appear in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
Click on the preview notification to open the Snip & Sketch app and save, share, or edit the screenshot with the available drawing tools.
The Snipping Tool in Windows 11
Although the Snipping Tool exists in Windows 10, it’s not usually the screenshot tool you’ll want to use. In Windows 11, the Snipping Tool got a major upgrade and it’s now the best way to take custom screenshots.
To start the Snipping Tool in Windows 11, you can search for it or press the Windows Key + Shift + S. Like Snip & Sketch, your screen will go dim and a toolbar of screenshot options will appear at the top of the screen. This toolbar will let you take a rectangular, freeform, full-window, or a full-screen capture.
Once you’ve taken your screenshot, it’ll be copied to your clipboard so you can share it right away, and it will be saved to the Screenshots folder. If you click the preview that pops up in the bottom-right corner of your screen, you’ll be able to save and edit it.
The Game Bar
The Game Bar is an overlay you can use within most Windows apps and games to take screenshots and record videos. Follow the steps below to open and use it:
1. Press Windows Key + G.
Quick tip: If the Game Bar doesn’t open, make sure it’s enabled. To do that, press the Windows key + I to open the settings app and head to Gaming > Xbox Game Bar. Then, turn on the toggle to enable Game Bar for “recording game clips, chatting with friends, and receiving game invites.”
2. In the overlay menu, click the Capture button – the camera icon – in the top menu to bring up the Capture menu.
3. In the Capture menu, click the camera icon to take a screenshot. You can also record a video clip by pressing the record button, with the option to include audio by clicking the microphone icon.
Screenshots and video clips captured by the Game Bar are saved in PNG and MP4 format and you can find them in the Videos > Captures folder in File Explorer. You can also find them through the Game Bar’s Gallery, by clicking Show my captures > See my captures underneath the screenshot and recording buttons in the Capture menu.
Power + Volume Up
To take a screenshot on Windows 10 with a Microsoft Surface device, press the Power Button + Volume Up Button. The screen will go dim, and your screenshot will save to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
Important: To take a screenshot on a Surface 3 or earlier, you’ll need to press the Windows Logo + Volume Down Button.
Third-party screenshot apps for Windows
If you’re unsatisfied with any of the built-in Windows methods, there are third-party screenshot tools worth considering, each with its own extra offerings.
- Lightshot is a free screenshot tool designed for quick social sharing. When you download and install Lightshot on Windows 10, it replaces the Print Screen function and offers more editing capabilities.
- Greenshot is another free tool that allows you to edit and customize screenshots, as well as the option to capture a complete scrolling web page.
- ScreenRec is a free Windows recording tool that allows you to capture and share videos and screenshots. It also provides tools for annotating your recordings and screen grabs, as well as instantly creating a link that you can share with others so they can view them.
- Snagit is a screenshot tool that allows you to create animated GIFs, take full-page screenshots, and more. The downside? The premium version costs $50. There’s a 30-day free trial option but any picture you capture during the trial will be watermarked.
- Screencast-O-Matic is a web-based video editor and screen-sharing tool for recording your on-screen activities. It also has the ability to take screenshots, you’ll just need to sign up for a free account. You can also upgrade to a premium account to unlock advanced features, starting at $4 a month.
If you own any kind of modern Mac — including MacBook laptops, iMac all-in-ones or Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktops — there are three basic ways to take a screenshot with keyboard shortcuts. MacBook Pro owners can use the Touch Bar for a fourth method. Apple’s MacOS software also gives you a fair number of options to easily save, delete and open the screenshot for markup.
These tips also apply to the latest Macs, such as the recently updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with a new M2 chip and the M2 MacBook Air. We’ve also tested these tips to confirm they work in MacOS Ventura, the latest operating system update.
1. Cmd+Shift+3
This keyboard shortcut captures a screenshot of your entire screen.
2. Cmd+Shift+4
Use this keyboard combo to turn your cursor into a crosshair, which you can drag to select a portion of your screen to capture. Release the mouse button or trackpad to take the shot.
You have a number of other options after hitting Cmd-Shift-4:
Press and release the spacebar: The crosshair turns into a little camera icon, which you can move over any open window. Click on your desired window to take a screenshot of it. A screenshot captured by this method features a white border around the window with a bit of a drop shadow.
Press and hold the spacebar (after dragging to highlight an area but before releasing the mouse button or trackpad): This locks in the shape and size of the selection area but lets you reposition it on the screen. It’s very handy if your initial selection area is off by a few pixels; just hold down the spacebar to reposition it before releasing the mouse button to snap a screenshot.
Hold down the Shift key (after dragging to highlight an area but before releasing the mouse button or trackpad): This locks in each side of the selection area made with the crosshairs save the bottom edge, letting you move your mouse up or down to position the bottom edge.
Without releasing the mouse button, release the Shift key and hit it again to reposition the right edge of your selection area. You can toggle between moving the bottom edge and right edge by keeping the mouse button or touchpad engaged and pressing the Shift key.
4. Cmd+Shift+5
A shortcut command introduced way back in MacOS Mojave in 2018, Cmd-Shift-5 calls up a small panel at the bottom of your display with your screen capture options. There are three screenshot buttons that let you capture the entire screen, a window or a selection of your screen.
Likewise, the two video-recording buttons let you record your entire screen or a selection of it. On the left is an X button to close the screenshot panel, but you can also just hit the Escape key to exit out.
On the right side is an Options button. It lets you choose where to save your screenshot — Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview or Other Location, and set a 5- or 10-second delay so you can line up items that might otherwise disappear when you engage your screenshot tool.
By default, the Show Floating Thumbnail option is enabled, which puts a little preview thumbnail of your just-captured screenshot in the lower-right corner of your screen, similar to the screenshot procedure with iOS. Unlike on your iPhone, you can turn off this preview thumbnail on your Mac. Lastly, you can choose to show your mouse pointer in a screenshot or video.
If the screenshot panel is in your way, you can grab its left edge and drag it to a new spot on your screen.
If you’ve got an older MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, you can also take a screenshot of what’s currently showing on the Touch Bar. Just hit Cmd-Shift-6 to take a very wide and skinny screenshot of your Touch Bar.
Easy annotation
If you embrace the Floating Thumbnail, you’ll gain quick access to Markup tools to annotate your screenshot. You can swipe the Floating Thumbnail away or just let it slip away on its own and it’ll be saved to the spot you last saved a screenshot. Click the Floating Thumbnail and it’ll open in a Markup View preview window (but not Preview) with all of the markup tools you get in Preview.
You can right-click the Floating Thumbnail to:
- Save the screenshot to your desktop, Documents folder or clipboard
- Open it in Mail, Messages, Preview or Photos
- Show in Finder
- Delete
- Open it in the Markup preview window described above
- Close (and save)
Longtime Mac screenshotters may be slow to adopt the Cmd-Shift-5 shortcut, but I find myself using it more for the ability to annotate screenshots without needing to open Preview, and quickly delete screenshots that I know immediately I messed up. The 5- and 10-second delay options are also useful and appreciated additions.