During a regular workday or during your classes, you will need to take screen shots in your laptop to capture your work, even before its final form. Whether it’s a Windows laptop / PC or Mac, you can capture a lot of images of everything on the screen and save them as JPG or PNG files for later use.
However, the steps to take a screenshot on a PC vary by software. Both Windows and MacOS laptops come with their own methods or set of commands to capture screenshots, and this can be a bit tricky if you’re not familiar with them. But not surprisingly, we’ve got you covered! Here are all the steps to take a screenshot on a Windows 10 / Windows 7 laptop or PC and Macintosh. These steps are simple and habitual.
How to take screenshots on Windows 10 laptop/ PCs
There are several ways to take a screenshot on a laptop / PC running Windows 10. The procedure for taking a screenshot on a Windows 7 laptop is the same. Take a look:
1. Take a screenshot on Windows 7/ 10 laptop using app
Both Windows 10 and Windows 7 come with a dedicated application called ‘Serpent Tool’ to capture any screenshot. The app captures the screenshot and saves it as an icon file without having to paste it into another program.
To do this, go to the Start menu and find the Collision Tool.
The application will open with options like “New”, “Mode”, “Delay”, “Cancel”, and “Options”.
The new button will allow users to take screenshots on the laptop in any format (without any format, freeform, any preset dimension or shape).
On the other hand, the ‘Mode’ option allows you to choose the format of the screenshot of your choice – you can choose anything from full screen to rectangular in a free format.
The ‘Cancel’ button will stop the process, while the ‘Delay’ option will allow you to set a timer to take a screenshot.
2. Print screen in Windows using this key
In addition to the app, Windows also allows laptop users to use the ‘Prt Scn’ key on the screen. You can use this option to print screens on both laptops running Windows 10/7.
The PrtScn key is mostly in the upper right corner of the keyboard.
Press the key to take a full-screen screenshot of the laptop in a clipboard, after which you can paste it into Paint, Microsoft Word, or any other program that displays the image.
On some laptops, the button will need help with the function key, which is named ‘FN’. Press Fn + PrtScn to take a screenshot on such computers.
3. Capture screenshot of the active window using Alt+PrtScn
This option only copies the active window ie the screen on which you are working to the clipboard, after which you can paste it into another program.
Use the Pert Skin button with the ‘Alt’ key to take a screenshot on a Windows 7 or Windows 10 laptop.
4. Windows key+Shift+S, to take a screenshot of a specific portion
If you want to capture a particular part of the capture, press all three keys – Windows + Shift + S completely.
This will dim the screen and turn the mouse pointer into a drag.
Select the part you want to occupy.
This screenshot will be copied to the clipboard, after which you can paste it into a program that supports an image.
How to take screenshots on a laptop: 10 ways to do it on any Windows/ macOS
5. Directly save the screenshot on PC using Windows key+PrtScn
If you do not want to copy the screenshot to the clipboard, use the Windows + Protein Skin Shortcut command on your Windows laptop to save it as an image file.
Pressing the keys will take a screenshot of the entire screen and save it in the “Images” folder in a subfolder called “Screenshots”.
6. Windows key+G
This option is for gamers who want to take a screenshot on a Windows laptop.
While playing the game, press the two keys: Windows and G, together to play a game overlay.
Click on the camera icon to take a screenshot or press the Windows + Alt + PrtScn keys.
The screenshot will be saved in the “Videos” folder in a subfolder called “Captures”.
People playing games on Steam press F11 to take a screenshot, after which you can get it from the ‘Steam’ folder.
How to take screenshots on macOS laptops/ PCs
You also have many options for taking screenshots and each of them has its own advantages.
1. Command+Shift+3
The easiest way is to take a screenshot on a MacOS laptop / PC. Simply press all three keys together, and it will capture the entire screen.
2. Command+Shift+4
This is a slightly advanced command that lets you capture specific areas of the screen. This will turn your cursor into a cursor, which you drag anywhere around the screen to take a screenshot.
Additionally, you can press and release the space bar, which will turn the crosshair into a small camera icon. Hover the icon over the window you want to hold so that it is highlighted, and then click on it or press Enter.
Press and hold the space bar with this command (after dragging to highlight an area but before releasing the mouse button or trackpad) Lock the selected area in shape and size and place it anywhere on the screen. This works best if the initially selected area is a short distance away.
Finally, you can hold down the ‘Shift’ key after dragging to highlight an area, but before releasing the mouse button, lock each part of the selected area, while keeping the bottom edge free. Of. Or put it down.
3. Command+Shift+5
This option basically gives you a freehand on screenshot.
Once the command starts, you see a box on the screen, which you can adjust to your liking, and a bunch of other options.
To take a screenshot of the selected area, you can simply press ‘Enter’ or grab the selected part from the small panel below
The panel also includes two video recording buttons with ‘Capture Fullscreen’ and ‘Capture Select Window’ buttons that let you select your full screen or a selection of them and an option button in which you want to save the drive. Can do Screen shots, set timers, among other things.
To close the screenshot panel there is an ‘X’ button on the left, which can be operated with the escape key.
3. Command+Shift+6
This option is only available for the MacBook version with the Touch Bar as it allows you to take a screenshot of the Touch Bar.
All screenshots taken on MacOS laptops will be saved (by default) on the desktop. However, you can change the location to whichever drive / folder you prefer. To do so, press Command, Command – Shift-5 -> Go to Options -> and select a safe location, this will save all your future screenshots to this folder or drive.
How to take screenshots on a laptop: 10 ways to do it on any Windows/ macOS
