How to screenshot specific area on windows

A screenshot is an easy way to take a 'photo' of your computer screen. It's useful when saving a purchase confirmation, to document something for online banking, or just to send someone a funny picture. But how do you take a screenshot like that? We'll explain how it works on a laptop with a Windows operating system below.

1. Different types of screenshots
2. Take a screenshot with the Print Screen key
3. Take a screenshot with the Snipping Tool.

Different types of screenshots

First decide what your screenshot should look like. Do you want a screenshot of your entire screen? Do you need a screenshot of 1 window or program? Or do you want to select part of the screen yourself and take a screenshot of that?

Take a screenshot with the Print Screen key

Do you want to take a screenshot of the whole screen, or only a part of the window? Follow these 3 steps.

Step 1: look up the Print Screen key

On the keyboard, you can find a button which says PrtScn key (short for Print Screen), or Print Screen. That's often one of the keys above the arrow keys on the keyboard. You can simply take a screenshot of the screen by pressing the Print Screen key. Does the key say Print Screen in blue? Press the Fn key and Print Screen key at the same time. You won't see anything happening, but you just took a screenshot.

Step 2: use the screenshot in a text file

Do you want to use your screenshot in a text file? Open the file and click the location where the screenshot should appear. Press the Control key at the bottom left of your keyboard and then press the 'V' key. Your screenshot will now appear in your chosen file.

Step 3: save the screenshot

Do you want to save the screenshot on your hard drive? Open photo editing software like Paint first. After you open the program, press and hold the Control key at the bottom left of your keyboard, and also press the V key. You can then choose if you want to crop the photo or not. Are you happy with the image? Click 'File' and 'Save as' and choose a name and folder for your image. You have saved the photo to the chosen folder, so you can close Paint.

Take a screenshot with the Snipping Tool.

Do you want to quickly take a screenshot of a part of the screen? Use the Snipping Tool, which is installed on Windows by default.

Step 1: open the clipping program

Click the Windows start button at the bottom left of your screen. In the menu that pops us, there's a search bar at the bottom. Enter 'Snipping tool' in the search bar. Click the search result 'Snipping tool'. You can see the logo of that program in the image on the right.

Step 2: select the right part of your screen

Your cursor will change into a cross. You can use the cross to select the part of the screen that you want to take a screenshot of. Click the left mouse button and hold it while you move the mouse to select something. As soon as you left go of the left mouse button, the screenshot will be made.

Step 3: save the screenshot

Your screenshot will appear in a new window. You can save it by clicking the 'floppy disk' button. It's the purple icon like the one in the picture on the right. Name the screenshot and select where you want to save it.

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David Laptop Expert.

• To take a screenshot in Windows 10 or Windows 11, you can use the Print Screen button or apps like Snipping Tool.
• If you want to take a screen recording, you can use the Game Bar by pressing the Windows Key + G.
• Third-party apps offer even more features, like automatically uploading screenshots to the internet.

If you need to capture a screenshot of something on your computer, both Windows 10 and Windows 11 offer a variety of methods for doing just that. 

Whether you want to save the entire screen or just a piece of it, we've rounded up all the best ways to take a Windows screenshot.

The Print Screen button

The easiest way to take a screenshot on Windows 10 or Windows 11 is with the Print Screen (PrtScn) key. To capture your entire screen, simply press PrtScn on the upper-right side of your keyboard. 

In Windows 10, the screenshot will be copied to your clipboard. To save the file, paste the screenshot into any program that allows you to insert images, like Microsoft Word or Paint.

In Windows 11, pressing the PrtScn button will save the screenshot to your computer's dedicated Screenshots folder — you can find it by opening the File Explorer and clicking Pictures on the left side. And if you have it enabled, it'll also save the screenshot to your OneDrive.

The Windows key + Print Screen

To take a screenshot on Windows 10 and automatically save the file, press the Windows key + PrtScn. Your screen will go dim and a screenshot of your entire screen will save to the Screenshots folder.

In Windows 11, pressing the Windows key + PrtScn will save a picture of your entire screen to the Screenshots folder and copy the picture to your clipboard. This will let you immediately paste the picture onto a social media post, art app, and more.

Alt + Print Screen 

To capture only the active window you're working in, press Alt + PrtScn. In Windows 10 this will copy it to your clipboard, so you'll need to paste it into another program to save it; in Windows 11, it'll both copy and save it to the Screenshots folder right away.

Windows 10's Snip & Sketch is the best way to screenshot on Windows if you're looking to customize, annotate, or share your screen captures. 

To activate Snip & Sketch, use the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + Shift + S. Your screen will dim and a mini menu will appear at the top of your screen, giving you the option to take a rectangular, free-form, window, or full-screen capture. 

With these Snip & Skitch options, you can choose how you'd like to take a screenshot: 

After you capture the screenshot, it'll be saved to your clipboard and a preview notification will appear in the lower-right corner of your screen.

Click on the preview notification to open the Snip & Sketch app and save, share, or edit the screenshot with the available drawing tools.

The Snipping Tool exists in Windows 10, but it's not usually the screenshot tool you'll want to use. But in Windows 11, the Snipping Tool got a major upgrade, and it's now the best way to take custom screenshots.

To start the Snipping Tool in Windows 11, you can search for it or just press the Windows Key + Shift + S. Like with Snip & Sketch, your screen will dim and a toolbar of screenshot options will appear at the top of the screen. This toolbar will let you take a rectangular, freeform, full-window, or full-screen capture.

Once you've taken your screenshot, it'll be copied to your clipboard so you can share it right away. And if you click the preview that pops up in the bottom-right corner of your screen, you'll be able to save and edit it.

The Game Bar 

The Game Bar is an overlay you can use within most Windows apps and games to take screenshots and record video. To open the Game Bar, press Windows Key + G. 

On the overlay menu, click the camera icon to capture a full-screen screenshot. You can also record a video clip by pressing the record button, with the option to include audio by clicking the microphone icon.  

Screenshots and video clips captured by the Game Bar are saved in PNG format to the Videos > Captures folder. You can also find it through the Game Bar, by clicking "Show all captures" underneath the screenshot and recording buttons. 

Power + Volume Up

To take a screenshot on Windows 10 with a Microsoft Surface device, press the Power Button + Volume Up Button. The screen will dim, and your screenshot will save to the Pictures > Screenshots folder. 

Third-party screenshot apps for Windows 

If you're unsatisfied with any of the built-in Windows methods, there are third-party screenshot tools worth considering, each with their own extra offerings.

• Lightshot is a free screenshot tool designed for quick social sharing. When you download and install Lightshot on Windows 10, it replaces the Print Screen function and offers more editing capabilities.
• Greenshot is another free tool that allows you to edit and customize screenshots, as well as the option to capture a complete scrolling web page.
• Snagit is a screenshot tool that allows you to create animated GIFs, take full-page screenshots, and more. The downside? The premium version costs $50. There's also a 30-day free trial, although any picture you capture during this trial will be watermarked.

William Antonelli

Tech Reporter for Insider Reviews

William Antonelli (he/she/they) is a writer, editor, and organizer based in New York City. As a founding member of the Reference team, he helped grow Tech Reference (now part of Insider Reviews) from humble beginnings into a juggernaut that attracts over 20 million visits a month. Outside of Insider, his writing has appeared in publications like Polygon, The Outline, Kotaku, and more. He's also a go-to source for tech analysis on channels like Newsy, Cheddar, and NewsNation. You can find him on Twitter @DubsRewatcher, or reach him by email at .

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