Whether it is for business, school, or good old-fashioned fun, screenshots have become a staple of everyday life in modern society. While most people know how to take a screenshot on their phone or mobile device, taking a screenshot on a Mac or Windows PC is a little more difficult.
Knowing how to take a screenshot can save you time and frustration. This is especially true if you are trying to describe something to someone like how to navigate a website’s interface.
Continue reading to learn how to take a screenshot with a Mac and a Windows 10 PC.
Taking a Screenshot with Windows 10
There are multiple methods for taking screenshots with Windows. The first method involves using the print screen to take quick screenshots.
Print Screen Screenshots
If you take a screenshot with the print screen option, you have the choice of saving the screenshot, taking the screenshot without saving it, or taking a screenshot of only one window.
You’ll need to use the Print Screen button on the keyboard. On some keyboards, it is labeled as “PrtScn”, “PrntScrn”, or “Print Scrn”. You’ll start by hitting the Windows key + the Print Screen Key.
After you’ve hit those buttons together you will see the screen dim momentarily. Once that has happened you will see your screenshot in the file folder titled “Screenshots”.
The screenshot is automatically labeled with a number. It will also be sorted by the date on which it was taken, in numerical order.
Screenshot Part of Your Screen
You can also screenshot part of your screen when using a computer that has Windows 10. If you press Windows + Shift + S your screen will appear greyed out. Your mouse cursor will also change.
From there, you can drag the box on your screen to select what you want to capture. The screenshot that you take is then copied to your computer’s clipboard.
To paste it, all you need to do is select “edit” and then “paste” in any application. “Control” + “V” will also allow you to paste the image. From there you can save it to the file of your choice.
Snipping Tool
The snipping tool has long been a feature of the Windows operating system. The snipping tool can take screenshots of all different kinds and offers the most versatility.
It can take a free-form, open window, rectangular area, or entire screen screenshot. When taking a screenshot with dual monitors on Windows 10, the snipping tool is the best route for you to take.
Another benefit of the snipping tool when taking a screenshot with Windows is that you can annotate your screenshot. This is really useful for business and school purposes.
The Windows 10 snipping tool has an extra cool feature called “Delay”. This feature allows you to capture screenshots of pop-up menus and toolbars. This is great if you’re instructing someone on how to navigate a menu or how to use certain tools in Windows.
Keyboard Shortcuts via Game DVR
Windows 10 comes with a cool feature that allows you to use DVR abilities to capture gameplay footage as well as take pictures while in-game. To use this, you assign a shortcut to your keyboard and enable it through the Xbox app.
From there, any time that you want to take a screenshot hit the keyboard shortcut and it will capture what is on your screen for you. It may cause a prompt to pop up that you’ll select “Yes, this is a game” on.
If the screenshot is successfully taken and saved, Windows 10 will send you a notification to tell you that the screenshot was captured.
Taking a Screenshot With a Mac
There are a couple of different options to choose from if you want to take a screenshot or a recording with your Mac computer. One way is through keyboard shortcuts. The other option is the Screenshot app.
Using the Screenshot App
In order to use the Screenshot app, you need to press Shift-Command-5 or use Launchpad, which will open the Screenshot display tools on your screen.
From there, you’ll have the choice of which tools you want to use to capture or record your screen. Those options are:
- Capture entire screen
- Capture a window
- Capture a portion of the screen
- Record the entire screen
- Record a portion of the screen
From there you’re able to access different options for if you want the screenshot to be delayed as well as where you’d like the saved screenshot to go.
If the goal is to capture the entire screen then pressing the capture button is all that is required. You can edit what is captured by moving the cursor and changing the margins.
For recordings, all that is needed is to press the “Record” button and let it run for as long as you need in order to produce the desired screen recording. Once you’re done recording hit the button again and the screen recording will be complete.
Using Keyboard Shortcuts
There are many keyboard shortcuts that come with a Mac computer for taking screenshots. The files will automatically save to your desktop so moving them to the file you want them in is a task that comes with this choice.
Some of the keyboard shortcuts are:
- Capture entire screen = Shift-Command-3
- Capture a portion of screen = Shift-Command-4 and use the cursor to determine what is capture
- Capture window or menu bar = Shift-Command-4 and then press Spacebar. Then move the cursor over the menu bar or window.
- Open screenshot = Shift-Command-5
- Capture Touchbar = Shift-Command-6
If you choose, you can customize these keyboard shortcuts by selecting the Apple menu, going to System Preferences, Keyboard, and then hitting Shortcuts.
Any Apple screenshot that you take is saved as a .PNG file while screen recordings automatically save as .MOV files. Both screenshots and screen recordings save to your desktop.
Add Screenshots and Screen Recordings to Your Toolbox
Screenshots and screen recordings are a great resource, no matter what you do for work or what type of computer you have. A screenshot is perfect for demonstrating how to navigate a webpage or providing step-by-step instructions.
Now that you know how to take screenshots and recordings on Windows 10 and Mac computers you’re at the tip of the iceberg of all of the valuable information that is out there to learn.
For more useful tips on navigating the world of technology and business be sure to explore more EasyWork blog posts.
