Windows 10 is no longer available from Microsoft, but you may still use it until October 2025, when Microsoft will stop offering support for it. After that, you must change to Windows 11. Both operating systems have a few different ways to snap screenshots, which is one thing they both have in common.
Making sure you have access to your papers in case ticket applications or your email stop working is possible by taking pictures of critical documents, such as tickets for flights or receipts for online transactions. There are a few simple ways to snap screenshots of your entire (or selected portions of your) screen, whether you are using Windows 10 or Windows 11.
Here’s how to take screenshots in Windows 10 and Windows 11 using built-in tools and other shortcuts so you can pick which you prefer.
Snip & Sketch
Compared to the previous Snipping Tool, the Snip & Sketch tool makes it simpler to access, share, and annotate screenshots. It can now take a snapshot of a desktop window, a feature that was unexpectedly missing when the software was initially released and forced us to use Team Snipping Tool until recently.
The easiest way to call up Snip & Sketch is with the keyboard shortcut Windows key + Shift + S. You can also find the Snip & Sketch tool listed in the alphabetical list of apps accessed from the Start button as well as in the notification panel where it’s listed as Screen snip. Or you can just search for it if you don’t commit the keyboard shortcut to memory. (If you’re a frequent screenshot taker, we recommend pinning the app to the taskbar.)
You may pick between taking a rectangle, freeform, window, or full-screen screenshot by selecting one from the little menu at the top of your screen using the keyboard shortcut or the notification button, which will also dim your screen. The screenshot you just took will be saved to your clipboard and will shown as a notice in the lower-right corner of your screen after you snap it. To edit, save, or share the screenshot, click the notification to open it in the Snip & Sketch app. If you missed the notification, you may see it by opening the notification panel.
If you open Snip & Sketch from the Start menu or by searching for it, it will open the Snip & Sketch window instead of the small panel at the top of the screen. From here, you need to click the New button in the upper left to initiate a screen capture and open the small panel. It’s an extra step to proceed this way, but it also lets you delay a screenshot. Click the down-arrow button next to the New button to delay a snip for 3 or 10 seconds.
Snipping Tool
Since Windows Vista, there has been the Snipping Tool. Although Windows has been warning for a few years that the Snipping Tool will no longer be supported, Windows 11 still includes it. The Snipping Tool is no longer included in the Start menu’s list of programmes, but you can still quickly find it using the search bar.
Click the New button to begin the screenshot process. The default snip type is rectangular, but you can also take free-form, full-screen and window snips.
Snipping Tool does not automatically save your screenshots — you will need to manually save them in the tool before you exit — and it does automatically copy your captures to the clipboard.
Print Screen
To capture your entire screen, tap the Print Screen (sometimes labeled PrtScn) key. Your screenshot won’t be saved as a file, but it will be copied to the clipboard. You’ll need to open an image editing tool (such as Microsoft Paint), paste the screenshot into the editor and save the file from there.
You can also set the PrtScn button to open the Snip & Sketch tool by going to Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard and toggling on Use the PrtScn button to open screen snipping under Print Screen Shortcut.
Windows key + Print Screen
To capture your entire screen and automatically save the screenshot, tap the Windows key + Print Screen key. Your screen will briefly go dim to indicate you’ve just taken a screenshot, and the screenshot will be saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
Alt + Print Screen
To take a quick screenshot of the active window, use the keyboard shortcut Alt + PrtScn. This will snap your currently active window and copy the screenshot to the clipboard. You’ll need to open the shot in an image editor to save it.
No Print Screen key?
If your computer doesn’t have the PrtScn key, no worries, Microsoft has another keyboard shortcut for you. You can press Fn + Windows logo key + Space Bar to take a screenshot. It will then be saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
Game bar
You can use the Game bar to snap a screenshot, whether you’re in the middle of playing a game or not. First, you’ll need to enable the Game bar from the settings page by making sure you’ve toggled on Record game clips, screenshots and broadcasts using Game bar. Once enabled, hit the Windows key + G key to call up the Game bar. From here, you can click the screenshot button in the Game bar or use the default keyboard shortcut Windows key + Alt + PrtScn to snap a full-screen screenshot. To set your own Game bar screenshot keyboard shortcut, to Settings > Gaming > Game bar.
Windows Logo + volume down
If you’re rocking a Microsoft Surface device, you can use the physical (well, sort of physical) buttons to take a screenshot of your entire screen — similar to how you would take a screenshot on any other phone or tablet. To do this, hold down the Windows Logo touch button at the bottom of your Surface screen and hit the physical volume-down button on the side of the tablet. The screen will dim briefly and the screenshot will be automatically saved to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
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