How to take screenshots on your Windows PC

Screenshots can be really helpful. You can use them to show your grandparents how to use a new app. You can use them to send a shot of that strange error message to your company’s IT department. You can use them to capture tweets before they disappear through the deletion black hole. So in case you need to capture a screenshot or two, here is a quick and simple guide to take screenshots on your PC.

The current Windows 10 screen capture tool is called Snip & Sketch; you are replacing the previous Snipping Tool application. (For some reason, Microsoft decided at one point to call the screenshots “clippings”). There are a couple of ways to access Snip & Sketch.

First, you can type “clipping” in Cortana’s search box; When “Snip & Sketch” appears, click on it. You’ll now look at the main application window, which has a variety of icons at the top. The blue button at the top left allows you to take a screenshot immediately or set a delay of 3-10 seconds. Click on it to access the application’s small command bar, which will appear at the top of the screen.

The second (and quicker) way is to simply press the Windows logo key + Shift + S, which will immediately take you to the same command bar.

From left to right, the buttons on the command bar allow you to mark a rectangular area for your screenshot, a freeform area, a specific window, or a full screen capture. As soon as you have marked the area to cut or click the button of a window or full screen crop, the screenshot will be taken. It will automatically be saved as a PNG file and placed in your Images / Screenshots folder.

A thumbnail of the cutout will appear in the lower right corner for a few seconds; you can click it to take it to the full Snip & Sketch app for editing, like adding lines and text, or cropping. (If it disappears before you have a chance to click on it, just look for the Snip & Skitch app.) The application also allows you to share the image or save it as a PNG, JPG or GIF file.

You can modify some of the settings for Snip & Sketch, for example if the application should ask before saving, if you enter the application, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the application and select “Settings”.

If you’re in a hurry, you can take a full screen shot by pressing the Windows logo key simultaneously with the PrtScrn (or PrtSc) key. The image will be saved in the Images / Screenshots folder as a PNG file.

You can also make the PrtSc key display Snip & Sketch when you press it.

• Go to your computer settings by clicking on the Start button in the lower left corner and then on the settings icon that appears above
• In the search box just below the name of the “Windows Settings” page, type “prtscrn”. Somewhere around the “t”, the drop-down menu will include “Use the Print Screen key to start screen cropping.” Click on it.
• You will find yourself on the “Keyboard” page. Search for “Print Screen Shortcut” and enable it.