All Ways to Take Screenshots in Windows 11

There are several ways to take a screenshot in Windows 11. Most screenshot shortcuts are the same as in Windows 10 , but there are a few additional screen capture features that are unique to Windows 11.

Print screen shortcuts

Let’s start with the most obvious method: the Print Screen key (abbreviated to “PrntScrn” on some keyboards), which is a dedicated button for taking a screenshot on the keyboard.

Full-size keyboards usually have a dedicated Print Screen key, but on smaller keyboards and laptops, the Print Screen key is often used as a secondary function elsewhere (usually on the F12 key), in which case you need to press the “FN” key and press the Print key at the same time Screen.

There are several ways to use this key to take screenshots, but the most common are:

• Press the Windows key + Print Screen key to save an image of what is currently displayed on the screen in the Pictures> Screenshots folder.
• Another common Windows screen capture method is to simply press Print Screen (or FN + Print Screen ) to copy the current desktop image to the clipboard. After copying the screenshot, open any image editing application or word processor that supports images and paste it ( right click> Paste or press Ctrl + V ), then save the document.
• Press Alt + Print Screen to copy a screenshot of only the window or application you are actively using to the clipboard. Before clicking the shortcut, make sure you click on the window of the application or folder you want to capture. Remember to paste and save the screenshot in another program.
• If your keyboard does not have a Print Screen key at all, the Windows + FN + Space key combination will also copy the screenshot to the clipboard.

Screen Snipping & Snip & Sketch Tools

Along with the standard print screen shortcuts, Windows 11 also has two built-in applications that allow you to click and drag to select specific areas for a screenshot: Screen Capture and Clip and Thumbnail.

Technically, both applications integrate with each other; you use the Snip & Sketch to take a screenshot, then the Snipping Tool to crop, edit or paint over the selection and save it directly as an image. The Snipping Tool menu also includes a capture delay, so you can choose the time to capture the screenshot three, five, or 10 seconds later.

The easiest way to get started is to find “Scissors” in the Start menu and open it from the search results.

Alternatively, you can change the Print Key function to open the Snipping Tool instead of taking a screenshot. This is done in the Windows 11 settings menu:

1. Go to Settings> Special. Features> Keyboard.
2. Turn on the Use Print Screen Button to Reveal Screen Sections option .
3. Close the settings menu, then click Print Screen to open the Snipping Tool.

Here’s how to take a screenshot with the tool after opening it:

1. Click New from the Scissors pop-up menu, or press Windows Key + Shift + S to start a new snip & Sketch capture. You can also adjust the capture delay if you like.
2. A tiny menu pops up at the top of the screen and your desktop dims a little.
3. The menu includes four icons that will change the shape of your snippet: the first icon on the left is a rectangular selection, the second is a free-form selection, the third is for the currently selected application or folder window (for example, Alt + Print Screen). and the rightmost icon is a full-screen screenshot (for example, pressing the Print Screen key or the Windows + Print Screen key).
4. Click the type of selection you want, then click and drag to select the portion of the screen that you want to save as a screenshot.
5. The image will open in the Snipping Tool menu. There will be several editing options, including pen tools, image cropping, and other settings that you can use if you like.
6. Click the Save icon to save the image in Pictures> Screenshots .

You can also use Snip & Sketch without using the Snipping Tool (I know this is confusing):

1. Press Windows + Shift + S anytime you are not using the Snipping Tool to open Sketch & Snip instead. This skips the Snipping Tool menu for setting delay timers and takes you straight to the screen capture menu.
2. Once the screenshot is taken, it will be copied to your clipboard so you can paste and save it elsewhere.
3. You can also click the toast to open the screenshot in the Snipping Tool to edit and save as an image.

Among the many keyboard shortcuts and built-in Snipping Tool and Sketch & Snip apps, there are plenty of ways to take a screenshot in Windows 11 … for now, anyway. Windows 11 is still in beta, so there is always the possibility that some of these methods might change, merge or disappear in later versions of the OS, or new screenshot options might be added. We’ll make sure to update this guide if this happens.

[ How to Geek ]

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