How To Take Screenshots in Windows

Introduction

Computer owners that use a modern version of the Microsoft Windows operating system are accustomed to pressing the "Print Screen" key to get a snapshot of everything that appears on the monitor. This conventional method of capturing  screenshots is laborious for many people because they have to paste the captured image in another document. Taking a screenshot is one of the most essential functions on a PC, but for years and across many versions of the operating system, users did not have an effective tool for capturing screen shots. Nonetheless, people still continue use screenshots whether they have Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. If you have the latest version of the operating system, Windows 7, you can use a tool that will modernize your screenshots in Windows.

 

 

Step 1

Bring up the items on the monitor that you want to capture using the screenshots feature in Windows. For example, you may want to take a screen shot of a web page, as is, in an Internet browser. Open the Firefox, Chrome, or Internet Explorer browsers and navigate to that website. You can also take screenshots of moving video in Windows. So you can open the Windows Media Player, or any other application that renders video on the computer and capture a screenshot.

 

Step 2

Click on the Start button located in the bottom left hand corner of the Windows desktop. This shows the Windows Start Menu. It is necessary to access this menu so that you can open the tool for capturing screenshots in Windows 7 that is called "Snipping Tool." Type the term "Snipping Tool" in the search box on the Start Menu. Click on its icon when it appears at the top of the menu or press the Enter key.

 

Step 3

Use your mouse to click on the arrow next to the word "New" in the smaller window or box. This is your interface for the Snipping Tool that captures screenshots in Windows. Select an option, such as the Free-Form Snip.
 

Step 4

Use your mouse to drag the cursor around the small area of the screen or the full screen. This application copies a temporary image in the background for the purpose of capturing screenshots in Windows. A new window for editing the screen shot opens afterwards.

 

Step 5

Select the word File at the top. Save and name your screenshots as you capture them in the Windows operating system.

 

Tips

The Print Screen key will always work as a default tool for capturing screenshots in Windows.

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