Capture Screenshots on Your Laptop

You will need to snap screenshots on your laptop during a typical workday or during class to record your work, probably before it takes its final form. You can take still pictures of almost anything on the screen, whether you’re using a Mac or a Windows laptop/PC, and save them as JPG or PNG files for later use. However, depending on the program, there are different procedures for taking screenshots on PCs. Both Windows and macOS laptops have unique methods or instructions for taking screenshots, so if you’re not familiar with them, it might be a little difficult. But do not worry—we have you covered! The entire process for taking a screenshot on a laptop running Windows 11, Windows 10, or Windows 7 is detailed here.

How to take screenshots on Windows 10/ 11 laptops/ PCs

On laptops and desktop computers running Windows 10 or 11, there are numerous ways to snap a screenshot. On laptops running Windows 7, the process for taking a screenshot is the same. Look at this:

1. Take a screenshot on a Windows 7/ 10/ 11 laptop/ PC using the app

• To take any screenshots, Windows 10 and Windows 7 both provide a special program named “Snipping Tool.” Without first pasting the screenshot into another program, the software takes a screenshot and stores it as an image file.
• To achieve this, look for the Snipping Tool in the Start Menu.
  When the application first launches, settings like “New,” “Mode,” “Delay,” “Cancel,” and “Options” are available.
• On a laptop, users can take a screenshot in any format they like (freeform, with no predetermined dimension or shape) by selecting the New button.
• On the other hand, the ‘Mode’ option gives you the flexibility to select the screenshot shape you desire, from full screen to rectangular to free-form.
• The ‘Cancel’ button will remove the process, while the ‘Delay’ option will let you set a timer for taking a screenshot.

2. Print screen in Windows using this key

• Users of Windows laptops may also use the ‘PrtScn’ key to take a still image of what is displayed on the screen in addition to the program. On laptops running Windows 10 or 7, you can use this option to print the screen.
• The majority of the keyboard’s top-right corner is occupied by the PrtScn key.
• Press the key to capture an image of the complete laptop screen, which you can then put into Paint, Microsoft Word, or any other program that shows images, by copying it to the clipboard.
• The Function key, abbreviated as “Fn,” could be required to help the button on some laptops. On these PCs, you can screenshot by pressing Fn+Prt

3. Capture a screenshot of the active window using Alt+PrtScn

• The screen you’re now working on is the only window that this option copies to the clipboard, which you may subsequently paste into another program.
• On a laptop running Windows 7 or Windows 10, press the PrtScn button while holding down the ‘Alt’ key.

4. Windows key+Shift+S, to take a screenshot of a specific portion

• If you want to capture a specific area, press Windows + Shift + S simultaneously.
• In addition to opening the Snip and Sketch tool and changing the mouse pointer to drag, this will dim the screen.
• Choose the area you want to save.
• You may paste the screenshot into any program that accepts images by selecting it from the clipboard and pasting it there.
• For Windows 11 laptop/PC users, the choice also provides a variety of possibilities with minimal editing requirements.

5. Directly save the screenshot on PC using Windows key+PrtScn

• On your Windows laptop, utilize the Windows key+PrtScn shortcut command to save the screenshot as an image file instead of copying it to the clipboard.
• A snapshot of the entire screen can be taken by pressing the keys, and it will be saved in the “Pictures” folder in the “Screenshots” subdirectory.

6. Windows key +G

• On a Windows laptop, this option is available to gamers who want to take a screenshot.
• Pressing Windows and G simultaneously while playing the game will activate a game overlay.
• To take a screenshot, either click the camera icon or press the Windows key + Alt + PrtScn.
• The screenshot will be saved in a subfolder called “Captures” under the “Videos” folder.
• Pressing F11 will allow users of the Steam platform to snap screenshots, which may subsequently be accessed from the Steam folder.

7. Assigning Snipping Tool to PrtScn

• The majority of contemporary Windows laptops have a dedicated screenshot key at the top of the keyboard for easily taking a screenshot. If it’s not on your laptop, you can set the PrtScn to launch the Snipping Tool. How? Read on.
• On your laptop running Windows 10 or 11, go to Settings.
• Now type “print screen” into the search field.
• To enable screen snipping, choose “Use the Print Screen Button.”
• Turn the setting on.
• Simply hit the “PrtScn” key to bring up the Snipping Tool layout.

How to take screenshots on macOS laptops/ PCs

There are several different ways to snap screenshots in macOS, and each one offers advantages.

1. Command+Shift+3

It’s the easiest way to screenshot on macOS laptops/ PCs. Simply, press these three keys together, and it’ll capture a still of the entire screen.

2. Command+Shift+4

• You can select a specific area of the screen to be captured with this fairly complex command. Your cursor will change to a crosshair, which you may choose and move around the screen to capture a screenshot of.
• Additionally, if you press and hold the space bar, the crosshair will change into a tiny camera icon. To capture a window, hover the icon over it so that it highlights, then click on it or press Enter.
• With this command, you can lock in the size and shape of the selected region and move it anywhere on the screen by pressing and holding the space bar (after dragging to highlight an area but before releasing the mouse button or trackpad).

3. Command+Shift+5

• With this option, you essentially have complete control over the screenshot.
• As soon as the command is executed, a screen with a box you can customize and a number of other options appear.
• To take a screenshot of the currently selected area, simply hit “enter” or choose “Capture selected portion” from the little window below.
• Other options on the panel include “Capture Entire Screen” and “Capture Selected Window,” two video recording buttons that enable you to record your full screen or a portion of it, and an “Option” button that lets you choose the disc where screenshots should be saved and set a timer, among other things.
• The ‘X’ button on the left can be used to close the screenshot panel.