How to Take Screenshots for Windows Laptops or PCs

How to Take Screenshots for Windows Laptops or PCs

Taking a screenshot on Windows computers should not be confusing or difficult. And yet, I find the several procedures you have to go through to be confusing and frustrating. To make capturing Windows 10 or 11 screenshots simpler, I will show you some simple steps you can follow.

Before start taking any screenshots, you will need to know a few things and I will go over those first.

Clipboard

Clipboard is like a bank where you are depositing some of your Windows computer’s activities for later use. In order to access Clipboard, you need to turn it on first.

Search in the Windows search box for Clip and then go to Clipboard settings and turn on history:

Clipboard – Clipboard Settings – Clipboard History

To open clipboard and copy from it, use the Windows button + V

Files or File Explorer – This PC – Pictures – Screenshots

Search for Files and then open the Pictures folder.

Files or File Explorer – This PC – Pictures – Screenshots

You will see the Screenshots folder where screenshots you take will be saved.

Microsoft Paint (Image Editing Tool)

You will also need an image editing tool such as Microsoft Paint. Search for Paint and click on the first match for the Paint app. MS Paint will open the screenshot image once you transfer it from the clipboard.

Other image editors should work the same way, although I have never tried anything else but MS Paint. MS Paint is the default image editor on Windows computers and most users stick with the default editor that comes with their PCs.

5 Ways to Take A Screenshot on Windows 10 & 11 PC

1. Print Screen (Entire Screen)

    PrtScn or Print Scr

Press PrtScn or Print Scr on your keyboard. This button sometimes may be associated with a function button. This means that you have to press these buttons together.

Once you do so, it will take a screen shot of the entire screen and put it on Clipboard. You may not see any activities on the monitor, but the print screen is there. Bring up the Clipboard (Windows button + V) and open an image editor like Microsoft Paint. Then click on the Clipboard and this will transfer the image to the editor.

You can edit (edit to get a specific part of the screenshot) and save from the image editor and go from there. Also, you can use any other image editor.

 2. Windows key + Print Screen (Entire Screen & Saves Automatically)

      Windows + Print Screen key

This method saves the screenshot automatically and you can get it from the Screenshots folder, which I mentioned earlier.

Press the Windows + Print Screen key. You will notice the screen gets dim for a second. Once you obtain the full screenshot from the folder, you can edit it to your preference.

3. Alt + Print Screen (Active Window)

      Alt + PrtScn.

The difference between the #3 method and #1 and #2 is that here you are only screenshotting the active screen. Your Active Window is the window which you are currently working on or your primary main window.

Once you press Alt + PrtScn, you need to use the Clipboard to retrieve this screenshot and edit it by using an image editor like mentioned above.

4. Snipping Tool

Access via the search bar

This is an old method to take a screenshot and Microsoft has been saying it won’t be available in the future, but looks like it’s still hanging in there for us to use, including in the new Windows 11. 

Snipping Tool is not listed in the list of apps, so you have to search for Snipping to access it. You will see 2 options: New & Mode. Click on Mode and you will see 4 options:

Free-form Snip – Lets you draw and cut a screenshot
Rectangular Snip – Rectangular screenshot
Window Snip – Active Window screenshot
Full-screen Snip – Full-screen screenshot

Choose one from above and hit New and you will get your screenshot. Snipping Tool saves one copy in the Clipboard or you can save manually from File.

5. Snip & Sketch

Windows key + Shift + S

This is the newer screenshot tool Microsoft is trying to get everyone used to. You can access it using the command Windows key + Shift + S, located in the alphabetical list of apps, located in the notification panel, or just search for it.  

When you have the Snip & Sketch tool up, you will see 4 options, which are the same 4 options as #4 Snipping Tool above. Once you take a screenshot, it saves in the Clipboard. Use MS Paint or another app to transfer from Clipboard and then you can edit and save.

These are the ways you can take screenshots in Windows. I have a video showing step-by-step all of the above, which you can watch here to visualize the above instructions.

How to Take Screenshots on Windows 10 Windows 11 PC or Laptop

Best Cloud Storage Offers Even Unlimited Backups at Ridiculously Cheap Cost

GoPro Subscription Unlimited Cloud Storage Is Hard to Beat

I was looking for cloud storage to save my video clips and pictures, especially when I travel. I wanted an additional backup in the cloud, in case I lose both my SD cards and portable hard drives.

But it’s almost impossible to find unlimited cloud storage. I had narrowed it down to either Google One or Microsoft 365. Goggle One 2 TB costs CA$139.99 per year (they don’t have a 1-TB plan) and Microsoft 365 costs CA$79.00 per year for 1 TB.

Both would work for travel needs, but they are nowhere near unlimited. Then while buying my new GoPro 10, I accidentally found a GoPro Subscription that offers unlimited cloud storage for $59.99 and other benefits such as discounts on GoPro cameras and accessories.

The GoPro Subscription for $59.99 has blown my mind because of the value it offers. It offers convenience, as I don’t have to manually transfer my clips from my GoPro cameras anymore. Whenever I come home and plug it in to charge, it starts saving them on the cloud automatically. Later on, I just download them from the GoPro site to my computer to start editing.

But it’s not the convenience that is causing me to continue my subscription beyond the 1st year. It’s the unlimited storage that hooked me to this. I doubt other providers would offer unlimited cloud storage even for thousands of dollars. If you look at the annual rates for any other service, you can see that it would be very expensive had they offered any unlimited option.

Sure, a GoPro Subscription has disadvantages. Some of them are that you can only save video and picture files, nothing else. It doesn’t have nice, visually pleasing layouts like Google or Microsoft. It also doesn’t have search capability or options to stash files by folders or names.

But those flaws don’t bother me. My GoPro Subscription fulfills my needs of having a backup to save my videos and pictures and it’s not only limited to GoPro files. I can save anything from my phone or computers as long as they are video or picture files.

My next trip will be a lot more efficient, as I don’t need to worry about losing my physical backups. I also don’t have to spend hours saving them manually to my portable drives, if I choose not to save them and am happy with only saving on the cloud.

Lenovo Chromebook Duet or Lenovo C340 2-in-1 Convertible Chromebook

Is The 11.6" or 10.1" Chromebook Better? | Lenovo C340 2-in-1 Convertible Chromebook Vs. Lenovo Chromebook Duet

Which one is a better option for travel and day-to-day needs: the 10-inch or 11- to 12-inch Chromebook Convertible Laptop Tablet? Today, I will answer this from my own experience, without going into too many tech details.

When I first bought my Lenovo C340 11.6" Hybrid Convertible Chromebook, my purpose was to make it a travel laptop and use it here and there, mostly when I don’t want to move my main Windows 10 Asus ASUS ZenBook Flip S UX370UA laptop.

However, 11.6 inches felt big, at least for me, and I was not using it daily as I was expecting to. It just sat there on one side of my kitchen counter and I kept charging it once in a while to keep the battery powered.

Then one day I was at Best Buy to get a set of earbuds. I accidentally saw the Lenovo Chromebook Duet 10.1-inch Chromebook. It caught my attention right away because of its smaller and eye-catching design.

I came home and did some research. I was convinced that this is what I have been looking for and ordered one the same night.

Both the Lenovo Chromebook Duet and the Lenovo C340 are hybrid convertible 2-in-1 laptop tablets. The Chromebook Duet has a detachable keyboard, which the C340 doesn’t. However, the little 1.6-inch difference in size makes a lot of difference in terms of portability and convenience.

The Lenovo Duet is so easy to carry and slips into any small bags or backpacks without weighing you down, so much so that I am using it a lot more than the C340. The Lenovo Duet can sit on a tight and challenging space so I feel comfortable using it anywhere and more often.

The Lenovo Duet also looks very high end, although its price isn’t. It offers a lot more practicality when you’re traveling and don’t want a bulky or bigger laptop or tablet.

I am surprised that now I use my Lenovo Duet more often than my Lenovo C340 and I am happy about my using experience. Currently, I am working on a review of the Lenovo Chromebook Duet and I will publish it on my YouTube channel shortly.

ADawnJournal.com Continues on AhmedDawn.com

Ahmed Dawn Dot Com

First Published Date: March 26, 2017

Please visit Ahmed Dawn Dot Com at www.AhmedDawn.com as I will be updating this new site.

Thanks.

New YouTube Banner

ADawnJournal YouTube Banner

First Published Date: January 22, 2017

If you happen to follow my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/adawn, you may have noticed that the top banner or channel art has new looks, including my name logo.

In the past, I put up a simple banner – which was just a picture of a volcano from my Tagaytay trip in the Philippines. I always wanted to make it a professional-looking banner; however, I did not have the Photoshop or graphic-designing expertise to make it happen.

After trying a few do-it-yourself banner and logo making tools online, I gave up on the idea of making a professional-looking banner and a simple name logo by myself and decided to hire someone to do the job.

The Internet has opened up endless possibilities to connect those who are seeking professional-grade work with those who are delivering it. And it’s not difficult to find a banner and logo designer anywhere in the world sitting from the comfort of my own home.

I placed an ad on one of the freelancer outsource sites to make a name logo and banner for my YouTube channel and within 24 hours I had 30 designers bidding for my work at various rates. One interesting thing to mention is that the most expensive offer was eight times higher than the cheapest.

After a massive elimination process, I decided on a young designer from Ireland who seemed to understand what I am looking for at a reasonable price. And his works met my expectations or I can even say went beyond my expectations, of course after several modifications.

I will attach the final version banner with logo with this article and you can see how it looks on YouTube by visiting my channel. As my YouTube channel traffic is going up, this modern-looking logo and banner will be a perfect fit, standing alongside with other professional-grade channels.