How to Take a Screenshot on Windows, Mac, Laptop

By ChesterUpdated on January 31, 2024

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After the pandemic, many people around the world are now working from home regularly. It's no surprise that laptops and phones have become essential for work and leisure. Having some basic knowledge of common software and technology is crucial. This leads us to the importance of knowing how to take screenshots on laptops.

While capturing screenshots is common on phones, it might seem a bit tricky with laptops. Every day, there are situations where you need to capture, share, or save content. This article will walk you through simple steps, explaining various ways to take screenshots on both Windows and Mac laptops.

CONTENTS

Part 1. Take a Screenshot on a Windows Laptop

Windows is a popular choice for operating systems that people know well. These laptops come with great features, and there are many ways to use them effectively. Windows 10/11 provides various ways to take screenshots, whether you want to capture a whole page or a specific image on the screen. In the next part, we'll look at six of these methods, so you can pick the one that works best for you.

Method 1. Take Screenshots with Print Screen (PrtScn)

Taking screenshots with the Print Screen function is a common method on laptops. It's handy when you want to capture the whole screen and save it to the clipboard. Simply using Print Screen or its variations like prt sc or prt scn copies the entire screen. If you add "Alt" to Print Screen, it captures and copies only the content of the active window you're using.

Step 1. Find the Print Screen key (or prt sc) in the top row of your keyboard, usually near the function keys.

Step 2. Once you've located this key, use it to capture an image or the entire screen. The complete screen will be automatically copied to the clipboard.

Step 3. Now, you can paste your screenshot into any programs you use, such as Paint, Paint 3D, MS Word, or even Photoshop.

Method 2. Take Screenshots with "Windows" and Print Screen

You can take screenshots using various keyboard keys, including the Print Screen key. Another method involves utilizing the "Windows" key, which was introduced with Windows 8 and remains accessible in Windows 10/11.

Step 1. Find the "Windows" key in the bottom row of your keyboard and press it along with the Print Screen option from the top row.

Step 2. This action will instantly save the screen as a PNG image. You can find the image in the "Screenshots" subfolder within the "Pictures" folder on your laptop.

Method 3. Take Screenshots with "Alt" + "Print Screen"

As explained in the second part, a screenshot from your laptop screen can be obtained by simultaneously pressing the Print Screen key and other keys. This technique involves using "Alt," the modifier key on your keyboard.

Step 1. Locate the "Alt" key in the bottom row, positioned alongside the "Windows" key. Press "Alt" + "prtsc."

Step 2. Using this method will copy the content of the active window to the clipboard, allowing you to paste it into any program you prefer.

Method 4. Take Screenshots with Snipping Tool

Taking screenshots using the Snipping Tool provides a more versatile approach to obtaining images of your choice. In this method, we move away from using the Print Screen option.

Step 1. Open the "Start" menu and click on "Snipping Tool."

Step 2. Use the "Mode" drop-down option to choose the desired screenshot shape, ranging from full screen to free form or specific shapes.

Step 3. Select "New" to freeze your screen, allowing you to use the mouse to create the desired screenshot. The image will be visible in the Snipping Tool window.

Step 4. Click on "File" and then "Save" to save the screenshot to your laptop.

Method 5. Take Screenshots with the Game Bar

The Game Bar is a tool designed for recording videos and capturing screenshots during Windows games.

Step 1. Begin playing a game from the "Start" menu. While in-game, press Windows key + G to bring up the Game Bar overlay.

Step 2. To take a screenshot, either click the icon resembling a "webcam" or use the keyboard shortcut Windows keys + Alt + PrtScn. The screenshot will be saved in the "Capture" subfolder within the "Videos" folder on your laptop.

Method 6. Take Screenshots with UkeySoft Screen Recorder

UkeySoft Screen Recorder provides an alternative approach for capturing screenshots on Windows. This software stands out as one of the top tools, offering an easy way to take customizable screenshots of your PC screen. Additionally, it supports real-time editing, allowing you to enhance your screenshots by adding text, drawing lines, inserting shapes, and more effortlessly.

Guide: How to Take Screenshots on a Windows Laptop

Step 1. Open Screen Recorder
Open UkeySoft Screen Recorder and choose the "Screen Recorder" option.

Step 2. Select "Take Screenshot" Mode
Click on the downward arrow adjacent to the Record button, then choose "Take Screenshot."

Step 3. Output Image Format
Additionally, you can access the settings by clicking on "Settings" to open the settings window. Navigate to the "Screenshot" option in the left panel. UkeySoft program provides the flexibility to save snapshots in "JPG, PNG, BMP" image file formats. To capture a screenshot, simply press the F8 hotkey.

Step 4. Check Screenshot History
After completing the process, navigate to the "Video list" on the main interface. You can then use its media player to view the captured screenshots.

Part 2. Take a Screenshot on a Mac Laptop

This part is intended for Mac users seeking to crop a screenshot on their devices. Similar to Windows, Mac offers various methods for achieving this goal, please explore more in the following.

Method 1. Take a Full Screenshot on a Mac Laptop

On a Mac, you have the option to take screenshots of the entire screen, a specific portion, or even a window.

Step 1. Simultaneously press the keys Shift + Command + 3.

Step 2. A thumbnail will appear in the corner of your laptop screen. Click on it to edit your screenshot and save it to your desktop.

Method 2. Take a Portion of the Mac Laptop Screen

To capture a specific part of your screen using keyboard shortcuts:

Step 1. Hold down Shift + Command + 4.

Step 2. Watch as your cursor turns into a crosshair. Drag it to select the area you want to capture.

Step 3. Adjust the selected portion by holding the spacebar. Press Escape (Esc) to cancel if needed.

Step 4. Release the mouse to capture the chosen section. Edit and save the screenshot using the thumbnail in the corner, as in the previous method.

Method 3. Take a Screenshot of a Window/Menu on a Mac Laptop

This method is quite similar to the last one. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Open the Menu or Window you want to capture on your laptop.

Step 2. Hold down Shift + Command + 4 and the space bar simultaneously. Your mouse pointer turns into a camera icon. Press Esc if you want to cancel.

Step 3. Click on the Window or menu to capture it. Holding the Option key excludes the Window's shadow from the screenshot. You can also edit the image using the thumbnail and save it to your preferred folder.

Conclusion

Taking screenshots has become essential in our tech-driven lives, acting as a digital memory aid to recall tasks and details. In this article, we've covered different methods like the Game Bar, Snipping Tool, and UkeySoft Screen Recorder for capturing screenshots. Choose the one that fits you best. We trust this will be helpful and revolutionize your screen-capturing experience.

Chester

Justin Sabrina has over 10 years of content writing experience. She specializes in product reviews, how-to guides, tips and tricks, top lists, etc. on data encryption, multi-media conversion, screen recording and iOS unlocking. At UkeySoft, she performs in-depth research SEO copywriting and collaborates with our R & D team to offer effective software solution, most of her articles on software are helpful and easy to read, helping our reader easily solve problems through using software or apps.

Chester

Li Zhang is a sophisticated editor for UkeySoft in tech blog writing, as well as a SEO and content marketing expert. She has been writing related article about multimedia conversion, streaming music and streaming video since 2018. Also, she's starting to write article about data security, including articles about file lock, USB encryption, DVD encryption, etc. Each helpful tutorial and solution is based on her practical tests, she is aways energetic and trustworthy in this field.

Chester

Chester is an experienced editor for UkeySoft focused on tech article writing, software & hardware produce review and tutorial. He specializes in composing posts about music conversion, video downloading, video conversion, screen recording and other tech knowledge tips. He always understands user needs and pain points and familiar with all kinds of multimedia conversion software and streaming music downloader on the market. So far, he has published 400+ helpful tech articles of software reviews, how-to guides to help reader in need.

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