Best Ways to Take Screenshots on Windows 10

Are you looking for an effective screenshot tool? The screenshot tool on Windows 10 OS has been a necessity especially for those that work in office productivity-based and online-related jobs. And there are tons of ways on how to take a screenshot on Windows 10.

There are actually native screenshot tools inside the Windows platform. It has been there ever since the early Windows OS versions such as XP and Vista. And then there are the third-party apps that record or take a snapshot of the whole or only a portion of the screen.

Here’s a short trivia: Did you know that the Microsoft Snip or the Snip Editor available on Microsoft Store developed by Garage Team was already discontinued last May 1, 2018? Unfortunately, that means one less useful tool is out of the list to take a screenshot on Windows 10. So this article is for those who have been using the app and are left with no choice but to find an alternative.

This article is also for those people who are not happy with their current choice of screenshot tool. Here at TechBrighter, we will give you a shortlist of applications that can take a screenshot on Windows 10. Let’s start.

Ways to Take Screenshots on Windows 10

There are many tools to take a screenshot on Windows 10 that you can find online. But not all of them offer the same functionalities that you need. So we will try to provide you with the screenshot tools that are simple yet pack all the necessities that really matter to most.

Windows Print Screen

Before we start with the third-party tools, we would like to establish that Windows 10 and other Windows versions have a built-in screenshot tool. This information is, of course, for those people who do not know yet about this feature.

If this is your first time learning about this, perhaps you should halt your search first for a third-party app and see if this tool is enough for you. Here is how you can take a screenshot on Windows 10 natively.

Method 1:

• Step 1: On your keyboard, find the Print Screen or the PrtScn button. It should be on one of the buttons on the top-right corner of your keyboard.
• Step 2: Now go to the page or window on your screen that you want to screenshot.
• Step 3: Once the screen is ready, press the PrtScn button.
• Step 4: You will notice that nothing seemed to happen, but it actually saved the screenshot on the clipboard. That means it is not yet actually saved anywhere.
• Step 5: Open the native Paint app, Paint 3D app, or the Microsoft Word.
• Step 6: Once any of the apps are launched, press the CTRL + V.
• Step 7: You will instantly see the image of the screen that you screenshot.
• Step 8: If you are using the native Paint app inside the Windows platform, you will be able to crop and edit the image.

Note: The same result happens. This is if you use or press the ALT + PrtScn buttons.

Method 2:

• Step 1: On your keyboard, press the Windows button near the Spacebar and the Print Screen button.
• Step 2: The screen should dim for a second. That means that you have taken a screenshot.
• Step 3: To see the screenshot image, go to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.

If you use a Windows mobile version on a tablet or similar portable platform, you may press the Windows logo (either a physical button or on-screen button) and the volume down button on the side. You should see the sudden dimming of the screen. Find the image in the Pictures > Screenshots folder.

If there is no volume button on the side, press the FN + Spacebar buttons or the Fn + Alt + Spacebar on the keyboard instead. This is the same as just using the Print Screen button function if it is available.

Windows Snipping Tool

If you want more functionality than just getting a full-screen screenshot, the Windows OS has another tool to boast. The Snipping Tool can take a screenshot on Windows 10 and deliver extra functionalities that can prove useful for more purposes.

And since it can deliver high-quality full-screen snapshots of anything on your screen, you can also use it as wallpaper. Here’s a short guide to learn to use this app.

• Step 1: Open the Snipping Tool app if you already know where to find it. If not, use the Search function of Windows and type Snipping Tools.
• Step 2: Once it is on, you may click the New button or click the drop-down arrow next to it to show the available style of screenshots that you want to take.
• Step 3: By default, the Snipping Tool takes a screenshot in a rectangular snip. But if you click on the drop-down button, you will find four other styles available: Free-form Snip, Rectangular Snip, Windows Snip, and Full-screen Snip.
• Step 4: To take a screenshot, click on the New button. Start choosing a region of the screen that you want to save or go full screen.
• Step 5: On the Snipping Tool editing window, you may choose to add details, highlights, send to email, or save the image in JPEG, GIF, MHT, or PNG format.

Lightshot

Here is a third-party app that I have been using for the last couple of years. A Lightshot app is a screenshot tool that offers useful features. It is small, free, and light on the system resources. Perfect for taking a screenshot on Windows 10 for free.

The Lightshot app is easy to use. As soon as it gets installed on Windows, you can use it without the need for customization. But if you prefer to customize some stuff like hotkeys and image quality, you can also do it via the Options menu. So here’s a short guide for you.

• Step 1: Get the Lightshot app from this link and install it immediately.
• Step 2: Once the app is ready, you can press the Print Screen (PrtScn) button, and the screen will suddenly dim.
• Step 3: Now, point the mouse to which region of the screen you want to screenshot.
• Step 4: After you establish the part of the screen that you want to record, you will be presented with the options that you can do to the image.
• Step 5: You may add texts, highlights and draw around the image.
• Step 6: When you are done, click on the Save icon or just press CTRL + S. The image should go to Documents > Lightshot. You can also choose to save the image on the cloud using Lightshot’s dedicated server.

Greenshot

The Lightshot is, without a doubt, a great app, but the Greenshot is just a bit better in some features. It is like the improved version of the former.

The Greenshot has a share to social media feature, and you can adjust the text formatting like font size when putting text on your screenshot image before saving it. There is also a cropping feature within the editing window of the app.

Some effects are also available to enhance or give more modification before you finally save the image. Here’s a brief step-by-step guide to giving you the idea.

• Step 1: Download the Greenshot in this link and install immediately.
• Step 2: Once the new app finishes the installation process, it is ready to use.
• Step 3: To use the Greenshot, press the Print Screen (PrtScn) button and start choosing the region of the screen you want to take a snapshot of.
• Step 4: You will then present with a list of the option of what you can do for the image you just took.
• Step 5: You may choose to save the image to your preferred location, or you can opt to edit the picture first.
• Step 6: Add highlights, texts, effects, and many others.

NOTE: On some keyboards, especially laptops, you might need to trigger the Print Screen using the Function key. This is a shortcut method and a primary screenshot method by most users. You can also adjust screenshot shape and make custom screenshot settings. The screenshot functionality in windows 10 is amazing as it is easy.

Check out other articles on 2 Ways to Set Video as Wallpaper on Windows 10/8.1/7, How To Fix Windows 10 Taskbar Not Working Problems

In Conclusion

These are the ways you can take a screenshot on Windows 10 and even on other Windows versions as well. Any of these methods or apps are reliable and free. You do not have to spend more to enjoy these tools.

The Windows native screenshot tools are actually enough for those people who want just the basic functionality. And the other two third-party apps are best for those who do more in line with their work or job requirements.

So which of these methods and apps do you think will work best for you? Do you think that there are more similar apps that can do better than what is on this list? Tell us your opinions in the comment section below. We want to learn what you guys think. Ask us about snipping tool microsoft (Tool window), screen region, built-in tools / built-in snipping tool, third-party screenshot tools, screen recordings, screen grab, screen dim, full-screen shortcut, keyboard combination, window screenshot tool, default snip type, image editing tool, advanced system setting, screenshots pop-up menu, screenshot keyboard shortcut, built-in windows screenshot tool or anything from the article.

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