
Whether you are downloading Windows 11 (Discover How to download Windows 11 for free) or stick to it Windows 10 For a longer time, it’s easy to take a screenshot to capture part or all of your screen. Maybe you want to save an online receipt, or maybe you want to pick up a particularly unique gaming action to show your friends. Windows 10 and 11 offer the same built-in tools (Snip & Sketch and Snipping Tool), and several keyboard shortcuts will let you take a screenshot in an instant.
Here, we’ll guide you on how to use both the built-in Windows screenshot tools and other shortcuts to take screenshots in Windows 10 and Windows 11, so you can decide which one you prefer.
Plus, here’s more Top tips and tricks for Windows 10And the How to use all the new features in Windows 11 And what do you want to know about him? Upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11.
clip and draw
The Snip & Sketch tool is much easier to access, share and annotate screenshots than the old snipping tool. It can now take a screenshot of a window on your desktop, a surprising omission when the app was first introduced that made us use the Team Snipping Tool until recently.
The easiest way to invoke Snip & Sketch is by using a keyboard shortcut Windows key + Shift + s. You can also find the Snip & Sketch tool listed in the alphabetical list of applications accessed from the start button and also in the notification panel where it is listed as Screen clip. Or you can just search for it if you haven’t installed the keyboard shortcut in memory. (If you frequently take screenshots, we recommend pinning the app to the taskbar.)

The built-in Snip & Sketch app finally won us over and it’s now our favorite method for taking screenshots in Windows 10 and 11. For a long time, the Snipping Tool.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Either a keyboard shortcut or a notification button will dim your screen and open a small menu at the top of your screen that lets you choose the type of screenshot you want to take: rectangular, freeform, window, or full screen. Once you take your screenshot, it will be saved to your clipboard and momentarily appear as a notification in the lower right corner of your screen. Click the notification to open the screenshot in the Snip & Sketch app to annotate, save or share it. (If you missed the notification, open the notification panel and you’ll see it sitting there.)
If you open Snip & Sketch from the Start menu or search for it, the Snip & Sketch window will open instead of the small panel at the top of the screen. From here, you need to click new The button is on the top left to start the screen capture and open the small panel. It’s an extra step forward with this method, but it also allows you to delay the screenshot. Click the down arrow button next to the New button to delay the clip for 3 or 10 seconds.
clipping tool
The Snipping Tool has been around since Windows Vista. Windows warned for a few years that the Snipping Tool would disappear, but it’s still turned on in Windows 11. The Snipping Tool has been deleted from the Apps list in the Start menu, but it’s easily accessible via the search bar.
tap on new button to start the screenshot process. The default clip type is rectangular clip, but you can also take freeform, full screen, and window clips.
The Snipping Tool does not automatically save screenshots – you’ll need to manually save them to the tool before exiting – and automatically copies the screenshots to the clipboard.

Snipping Tool has been working with Windows for a long time.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
screen printing
To capture your entire screen, tap screen printing (sometimes called PrtScn) a key. Your screenshot will not be saved as a file, but will be copied to the clipboard. You’ll need to open an image editing tool (such as Microsoft Paint), paste the screenshot into the editor and save the file from there.
You can also set the PrtScn button to open the Snip & Sketch tool by going to Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard and switch in Use the PrtScn button to open the screenshot under Print Screen Shortcut.

You can adjust the print screen settings in Windows.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Windows key + Print Screen
To capture the entire screen And the Save screenshot automatically, tap Windows key + Print screen key. Your screen will briefly dim to indicate that you have just taken a screenshot, and the screenshot will be saved to a file Pictures > Snapshots Folder.
Alt + Print Screen
To take a quick screenshot of the active window, use the keyboard shortcut Alt + PrtScn. This will capture the currently active window and copy the screenshot to the clipboard. You will need to open the snapshot in the image editor to save it.
No Print Screen key?
If your computer does not have PrtScn key, don’t worry Microsoft He has another keyboard shortcut for you. You can press National Front + Windows logo key + space ribbon to take a screenshot. It will then be saved to a file Pictures > Snapshots Folder.
game bar
You can use the game bar to take a screenshot, whether you’re playing a game or not. First, you’ll need to enable Game Bar from the Settings page by making sure to toggle on Record game clips, screenshots and broadcasts using the Game Bar. Once enabled, tap Windows key + G . key To call up the game bar. From here, you can click the screenshot button in the game bar or use the default keyboard shortcut Windows Key + Alt + PrtScn To take a full screen screenshot. To assign a game bar screenshot keyboard shortcut, to Settings > Games > Game bar.
Windows logo + Volume Down
If you swing Microsoft Surface, you can use the physical buttons (sort of, physical) to take a screenshot of your entire screen — similar to how you’d take a screenshot on any other phone or tablet. To do this, press and hold the Windows logo touch button at the bottom of the Surface screen and press the physical volume down button on the side of the tablet. The screen will dim briefly and the screenshot will be automatically saved to a file Pictures > Snapshots Folder.
Want more Windows info? paying off Every big difference between Windows 10 and Windows 11 And the Every feature we wanted in Windows 11 but didn’t get.