How To Print Screen On Keyboard

Sometimes abbreviated as Prscr, PRTSC, PrtScrn, Prt Scrn, PrntScrn, or Ps/SR, the Print Screen key is a keyboard key found on most computer keyboards. When pressed, the key either sends the current screen image to the computer clipboard or the printer depending on the operating system or running program. Back in the days of DOS, the PrtScn key used to print the screen. But in all versions of Windows, this works differently, and the name of the key is now an anachronism. The key does.not. print the screen. PrtScrn captures the whole screen, and Alt-PrtScrn captures the active window. Keyboard shortcut for print screen Windows 10 Depending on your hardware, you may use the Windows Logo Key + PrtScn button as a shortcut for print screen. If your device does not have the PrtScn button, you may use Fn + Windows logo key + Space Bar to take a screenshot, which can then be printed.

This article shows how to take screenshot in Windows 10. Windows 10 has given a lot of new features and millions of users are currently using this new OS. Taking a screenshot in Windows 10 remains the most useful feature as almost everyone of use needs it on daily basis.

You will discover the many possibilities of taking screenshots in addition to snapping just the half or quarter of the screen. Included are some useful programs to accomplish screenshot taking.

How to Take Screenshot in Windows 10 Using Keyboard Shortcuts

You can take a screenshot in Windows 10 by just pressing the Print Screen button (sometimes labeled as Prt Sc) from your keyboard. The entire screen will be copied to your clipboard. In order to view and manipulate this screenshot, open the default Paint program on your computer and paste it in.

Other programs that allow you to paste in screenshots are OneNote and Word. You can paste in your screenshot by pressing CTRL+V (the paste command) on the keyboard or simply use the paste option found within the program.

Take a screenshot of a Window

If you only want to capture the Active Window, and not the whole screen, just press ALT + PRTSCN and the active window will be saved in the image. An active window is the current program you are running. For example, if you do ALT + PRTSCN while browsing a website, it will take a screenshot of just the browser and not your entire desktop. This can be quite useful!

Automatically save a screenshot

If you wish to quickly save entire screenshots without editing them, there is a quick way of doing it. Simply press the windows key (a button with the windows logo) and the print screen key. This will save your entire screenshot to a folder named 'Screenshots'. To locate this folder, open up file explorer or any folder. In the address bar you have to type the following:

'C:UsersUSERNAMEPicturesScreenshots'

How To Print Screen On Keyboard

Replace USERNAME with your actual username on Windows. In the image above you can see our path highlighted. The username is 'VK', therefore the path is 'C:UsersVKPicturesScreenshots'.

Note: Folder paths are cap sensitive!

Share your Screenshot

Sharing a screen shot in Windows 10 is made easy! Hit the Windows key + H on the keyboard. Doing so will prompt your computer to take a snapshot of your screen. The following window should pop up on the right side of your screen:

If you have social media apps like Twitter and Facebook installed on your computer, you should see them as one of your options as well. Choose where you wish to share the screenshot and it will insert it for you.

Taking Screenshot on Your Surface Tablet

If you are using a Windows 10 mobile device like Surface or Windows 10 mobile, you can press Windows Button and volume down button to take the screenshot. The screenshot will be saved in your screenshots folder located in Pictures.

Useful Free Programs to Take Screenshot With

Snipping Tool

You can also use the Snipping tool to take the screenshot in Windows 10. Snipping tool is a free tool that has come with Windows for many years. Just write 'Snipping Tool' in Windows 10 search bar, locate and open the app, press 'New' and capture the whole screen. The useful part of this program is that you can choose what exactly you want to take a screenshot of.

Lightshot

If compared to the Snipping Tool, Lightshot is a lot better for taking screenshots. After you install it, your print screen button on the keyboard will now initiate Lightshot. The program is always running in the background, so you can utilize the button on the keyboard to quickly get to it. This is what makes it better then the Snipping Tool.

When you hit the PRT SCRN button, your screen becomes gray. Move your cursor where you want to take a screen shot and drag it across the desired area. Then you have a few options to choose from. You can save it to the web, save it to your computer, or simply share it via any social network. Lightshot is very useful!

Greenshot

Another useful screenshot program that is better then the Snipping Tool is Greenshot. This software allows you to capture the entire webpage that you are looking at.

This means that you can take a screenshot of the whole website when it has scrolling. However Greenshot stands out because it allows you to easily write on the screenshots. It can be a very useful tool when creating presentations.

PicPick

How To Use The Print Screen Key

A self proclaimed all in one tool for taking screenshots, PicPick not only allows you to take a screenshot but lets you edit it as well. The program does the typical screen capture, as well as scrolling windows. The unique thing about this program is that it has a built in image editor so you can add text and shapes to your screen shot. You can also add in some effects. Sharing the screen capture is made easy by allowing you to send via email and drop box, as well as sharing on all of the popular social medias.

If you are new to the Mac operating system, you may be wondering how to print screen on a Mac. You may have already noticed the lack of a 'Print Screen' button on the keyboard. This should not make you feel that the process is complex. By using keyboard shortcuts, you can print screen on a Mac. You can capture specific windows or select an area to capture. What they call 'Print Screen' in Windows is known as screenshots or screen capture in Mac. Depending on the screen capture action you need, there are several keyboard combinations to use.

You can pick one of the methods to capture screens and get used to it for everyday use. So let's get started and see what are the 7 different ways to print screen on a Mac.

Method 1: Capture the entire screen

Windows 10 How To Print Screen On Keyboard

Step 1: press keys Command + Shift +3 simultaneously.

This will save a copy of your screen to the clipboard awaiting other actions. You can repeat the key combination without the 'Command' key to save the screenshot as a PNG file on your desktop.

Method 2: Capture a selected area

Step 1: begin by pressing the key combination of Command + Shift + 4 simultaneously.

Step 2: the mouse pointer will turn into a crosshair, use it to select the region you are interested in capturing.

Step 3: the spacebar will let you take a full-screen capture.
The selection will be copied to the clipboard. If you press the key combinations without the 'Command' key, your selection will be saved to the desktop as a PNG file.

Method 3: Using the Touch Bar

With a MacBook Pro featuring a touch Bar, you can use the Touch Bar to pick from 'Selected Portion,' 'Window,' or 'Entire Screen' after you have simultaneously pressed the Command, Shift and 4 keys simultaneously. You can also take screenshots of the Touch Bar display using Shift + Command + 6 or just simply to touch the Screenshot Icon.

Method 4: Take screen shots with grab

If you have no time to memorize keyboard shortcuts, you can use Grab. This program is pre-installed on all Macs and will assist you in creating screenshots from the menu bar. Grab can let you take time-delayed screenshots in case you want to set the stage before you start.

Step 1: launch Grab from the utilities housed within the applications folder. Once launched, its icon will display in your dock, you can also pin this icon for quicker access later.

Step 2: you can either use the Capture menu system or the keyboard shortcuts detailed alongside the respective command.

Method 5: Timed screen shots with Grab

Grab gives you the option to capture screenshots on a Mac of the entire screen, an individual window, or a selection of the window. You can do this with a time delay of ten seconds. This gives you some time to properly position your mouse or open the right window before the shot is taken.
Begin by opening Grab, then select 'Timed Screenshot' or press the shortcut Command + Shift + Z, note that the mouse cursor will not show on the capture but you can change that in the preferences.

Method 6: Using the preview

Preview is well known for its functions like opening photos, PDF and other files on Mac. Print screen on Mac is its other hidden feature you should know about. Open preview then highlights the file in the menu bar; the drop-down menu will give you the option to take the screenshot from where you can select 'From window' or 'From entire screen.'

Even though the keyboard shortcuts methods are faster, the Preview method allows you to choose where the screenshot ends up. You can make edits of the screenshot using Preview before saving with the desired file name and at the preferred location.

Method 7: Capture selection and save to clipboard

This method is more advanced but is very useful. It helps you print screen on mac with options like a selected area, opened applications, menu bar, parts of a desktop and anything else.

Option one: capture selected area and save to clipboard. Press Command + Control + Shift + 4 then drag with the mouse to select and save to clipboard. This will change the mouse cursor to +with pixel coordinates. Once you click and drag selection as desired, it will save the area to the clipboard for use in other apps.

Option two: capture selection and save on desktop.
Use the Command + Shift + 4 keys simultaneously then drag with the mouse to select the desired area. When you release the mouse button, the selected area will save on the desktop as a PNG file if not specified otherwise.

Conclusion

When you print screen on a Mac, it will be sent to the clipboard or time-stamped then save on the desktop as a PNG file depending on the method used. You do not need to memorize all these keyboard shortcuts.

Just one or two that are easiest for you then practice on them and you will find it very easy to print screen on a Mac.