Don't put your trust in electronic communication and apps to save your vital records. The ability to capture a screenshot serves as a safety net in case something goes wrong.

While Windows 10 is no longer for sale, you may still use it until Microsoft ends support for it in October 2025. It will then be necessary to upgrade to Windows 11. Both operating systems have the ability to take screenshots.

If your ticket app or email is down, you may still retrieve your papers by taking a picture of your boarding pass or online purchase receipt. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 make it easy to take a picture of the whole screen or just a part of it.

Windows 10 and Windows 11 both include built-in tools and additional keyboard shortcuts for capturing screenshots, and we'll go through how to utilize them so you can choose your favorite.

Copy and paste
In comparison to the older Snipping Tool, the Snip & Sketch tool makes it simpler to view, distribute, and annotate screenshots. We were initially on Team Snipping Tool, but now that it can take screenshots of individual windows, we're switching over to it.

Windows key + Shift + S is the quickest method to launch Snip & Sketch. The Snip & Sketch app is not only accessible through the Start menu's alphabetical program list but also via the notification panel, where it is referred to as "Screen snip." If you don't want to memorize the shortcut, you can always use the search bar. (If you capture plenty of screenshots, you may want to pin the program to the taskbar.)

You may capture a rectangle, freeform, window, or full-screen screenshot by using the keyboard shortcut "print screen" or the notification button on your device. Your screenshot will be copied to the clipboard, and a brief notice will appear in the lower-right corner of your screenr the notification button on your device. Your screenshot will be copied to the clipboard, and a brief notice will appear in the lower-right corner of your screen. A screenshot has been taken and may be annotated, saved, or shared by clicking the notice to open it in the Snip & Sketch app. (If you don't see the alert, just open the notification drawer.)

Instead of the little panel at the top of the screen, the Snip & Sketch window appears by default whenever you launch the program from the Start menu or a search for it.To begin a screen capture and see the sub-menu, click the New button in the top left. This method adds a little more work, but it allows you to postpone taking a snapshot. To postpone a cut for 3 or 10 seconds, choose the time frame you'd want to work with by clicking the down arrow button next to the New button.

Snipping Tool
With Windows Vista, Microsoft introduced the Snipping Tool. The snipping tool has been in Windows 11 despite Windows' warnings that it might be removed in the near future. In spite of its removal from the Start menu, the snipping tool is still readily accessible through the search bar.

To start taking screenshots, choose the "New" option. Rectangular snips are the default, although free-form, full-screen, and window snips are also available.

Although your screenshots are instantly copied to the clipboard, they are not saved until you close the snipping tool and choose to save them.

Print Screen

The Print Screen (or PrtScn) key is used to take a screenshot of the whole screen. A file will not be created from your snapshot; instead, it will be placed in the clipboard. You may then save the file by opening an image editor (like Microsoft Paint), pasting in the screenshot, and saving the changes.

In addition, you can make the PrtScn button launch the Snip & Sketch tool by activating the Use the PrtScn button to open screen snipping option under Print Screen Shortcut in Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard.

Windows key + Print Screen

Using the Windows key plus the Print Screen key will take a snapshot of the whole screen, which will then be saved to your computer. When you capture a screenshot, the screen will fade out for a second to let you know, and the image will be stored in the Photos > Screenshots folder.

Print Screen Shortcut: Alt + Print Screen
Use the Alt + PrtScn keyboard shortcut to take a screenshot of the current window.Selecting this will take a screenshot of the active window and paste it onto the clipboard. To save the picture, open it in your preferred image editor.

Where is the "Print Screen" button?
Microsoft has provided an alternative keyboard shortcut in case your machine lacks a PrtScn key. Take a screenshot by pressing the Fn key, the Windows logo key, and the space bar simultaneously. The screenshot will be saved to your computer in the Images > Screenshots folder.

Arcade bar
The Game bar can be used to take a screenshot whether you're in the middle of a game or not.To begin utilizing the Game Bar, go to the options menu and activate the Record game clips, snapshots, and broadcasts using the Game Bar option. Once it's enabled, you may access the game bar by pressing the Windows key in combination with the letter G. To take a full-screen screenshot, either click the corresponding button in the game bar or press the Windows key plus Alt + PrtScn on your keyboard. Go to Options > Gaming > Game Bar to customize the hotkey for taking screenshots from the Game Bar.

Windows Logo + Reduced Volume
It's possible to capture the full screen using the physical (or semi-physical) buttons on a Microsoft Surface device, just like you would with any other smartphone or tablet. You can lower the volume on your Surface by holding down the Windows logo touch button at the bottom of the screen and pressing the physical volume-down button on the side of the tablet. In a flash, the display will go dark, and the image will be saved to the Photos > Screenshots folder.