Taking a screenshot is not a complicated process. All of us are familiar with at least one way to do it. However, there are several ways to capture your screen for a frame.
We made this article to show you all the different ways you can grab your screens. If you are a Microsoft Windows or Apple iOS user, check this article out to learn all the different ways how to snip screen on your laptop.
How to Snip Screen on your Laptop on Windows?
There are four unique ways to take a screenshot on your Windows 10 and 11 computers. The following Windows tools will allow you to capture a screenshot of your entire screen or a part of them.
- Windows Snipping tool
- Printing the Screen
- Print Screen Shortcut (H4)
- Copying the Screen to your clipboard (H4)
- Saving the Printed Screen (H4)
- Xbox Game Bar
- Application Overlays
Windows Snipping Tool
Windows has a built-in tool to clip screens. You can not only take a picture of the entire screen but also do a free-form grab with the Windows Snip & Sketch tool. This feature is very useful if you are trying to capture a specific portion of the screen.
The Snipping tool can take these four different types of screenshots –
- Rectangular
- Free-form
- Open Window
- Fullscreen
These options can be chosen from the Snipping tool main window.
If you are a Windows 10 or Windows 11 user, you can access this feature.
- Push the Windows + Shift + S keys on your keyboard. This will automatically open the Snip tool, covering the full screen. You will see an overlay at the top of your screen.
- Alternatively, you can search for the Snipping tool and click on the + New option when the window appears.
- When the Snipping tool is up, start by clicking and dragging your cursor to select it. Make sure to be very precise as removing your finger from the button will save it.
- If you wish to edit the image, click on the Notification tray. This is available on the right corner of the taskbar.
- The newest notification would be the image you snipped. Click on the notification to open the sketch tool allowing you to edit the image.
In this window, you will be able to save or copy this image. Options for minor editing like using brushes and highlighters are also available. If you choose to copy the image to your clipboard, it will be saved in the Pictures directory on your File Explorer.
Printing the Screen
By far, the print screen method is the most popular way to take a screen of a Windows computer screen. Though a lot of people know that they can use the PrntScrn button to take a full screenshot, it is also helpful to know the little variants of it.
Print Screen for a Window
If you are trying to take a screenshot of a window, up to its borders, push the Alt + PrtScn keys. You will have to paste the screenshot to a medium that can support media files pasted on it. The copy-pasting doesn’t work with File Explorer.
Copying the Screen to your clipboard
- Make sure that you are on the page or window you want to capture an image of.
- Push the Print Screen key on your keyboard. This is generally located on the top-right part of the keyboard panel. This action gets the screenshot automatically copied to your clipboard.
- Now, open a medium where you can save your screenshots. This could be a text or image editor like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or even MS Paint.
Note: If you want to see the image on your clipboard, you can press the Windows key + V.
Saving the Printed Screen
Taking a screenshot and saving it is very simple. You just have to push the Windows and Prt Scn keys together. The screenshot will be indicated by a sudden drop in the screen brightness.
When you are done, you will be able to find the screen capture in this directory –
C:\Users\(UserName)\OneDrive\Pictures
Note: If enabled, the screenshots will also be backed up to the OneDrive cloud.
Xbox Game Bar
The Xbox Game Bar is primarily used to manage games and optimize visuals. Users can get this free overlay user interface with an installation and activation of the Windows Operating System (OS). Not only will you be able to use this to capture screenshots, but you can also record gameplay in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
- Launch the Windows settings app using the Windows key and I button.
- Move to the Gaming settings and find the Xbox Game bar option.
- Enable this toggle switch to be able to bring the overlay up.
- Push the Windows + G keys to launch the Game bar overlay.
- When it comes up, click on the Capture button in the Capture section.
- Now, click on the camera icon to snap a screenshot.
The pictures are saved in this directory –
C:\Users\(UserName)\Videos\Captures
Application Overlays
There are several third-party applications for screenshots and screen recording. These tools can be downloaded from the internet. However, if you have a laptop with a dedicated NVIDIA graphics card, you’re in luck. The NVIDIA GeForce Experience overlay has the feature to take screenshots of the same display resolution and quality.
Users with an NVIDIA GPU, check the steps out below –
- Download the GeForce Experience application first.
- Right-click on your desktop and choose the NVIDIA Control Panel option.
- Under the Manage 3D settings tab, click on the Program Settings tab.
- Unfold the Select Program to customize option and find the application you want to take a screenshot of.
- When it is selected, use the drop-down menu to change the preferred graphics processor. It should be set to High-performance NVIDIA processor.
- Save these changes and exit the NVIDIA Control Panel window.
- Open the Application window you want to take a screenshot of.
- Push the Alt and F1 keys to take a screenshot.
You’ll see a small pop-up indicating that the screenshot has been taken on the top-right part of the screen. The images you snap with the GeForce overlay can be accessed in the Videos folder on File Explorer.
Taking Screenshots on a MacBook
MacBooks are different from Windows laptops, in terms of software and hardware. This also means that the methods to take screen captures are also different.
There are four different keyboard shortcuts to take different screenshots.
Shortcuts to take screenshots on a MacBook
Cmd + Shift + 3
This shortcut is the most basic screenshot command. Pushing this combination of buttons simultaneously will take a screenshot of the entire screen.
Cmd + Shift + 4
Pushing Command, Shift, and the 4 keys together will allow the Mac user to make a freeform screenshot. When these buttons are pressed together, you will notice that your cursor shifts into a crosshair. The user just has to select the area to capture the chosen part.
This does not end here; There are other options for the user to use, specifically.
Tapping the spacebar
When you push the spacebar once, the crosshXzV6XBMJ8Vair becomes a tiny camera icon. When this camera is navigated over an open window, it can be used to capture only a window. The indication for this action is signed by a small, white border around the window.
Push and hold the Spacebar
Holding the Spacebar will lock the rectangular snip area in position. However, you will be able to select the part of the screen you want to take a screenshot of. This can come in handy when you are trying to avoid tiny portions of pixels.
When the user holds the shift key down, the selected area remains the same after you select it with your crosshair cursor. You can simply move the mouse up or down to reposition the selection area. To adjust the right side of the chosen area, you can tap the Shift button once.
Cmd + Shift + 5
The Cmd + Shift + 5 shortcut is the macOS equivalent of the Snipping tool on Windows. Not only will you get options to take a screenshot, but also record the screen. When it comes to taking screenshots, there are three options –
- Full-screen screenshot
- Selected window
- Custom selection area on the screen
You can adjust options like storage directory for the images and set the time delay. This overlay can be moved around on your screen, unlike the Snipping tool panel.
Cmd + Shift + 6 (Only for MacBook Pro models)
For users with a MacBook that has the touch bar, a screenshot of it can be taken too. Pushing the Cmd + Shift + 6 keys on your keyboard will capture it. You will get a long, thin screenshot of the touch bar saved to your device.
Users can find other third-party screenshot tools to take pictures of their screens. If you have further queries, you can contact Microsoft Windows or macOS support for more information.
