There are times when you may be working on your laptop and feel the need to quickly take a screenshot. Everyone is familiar with how to take a screenshot on their own smartphones, but what happens when using a laptop or computer? In this guide, I'd like to show you how to take a screenshot on a Windows computer or laptop.

All the techniques for taking a screenshot on a computer or laptop running Windows 10 and 11 are described below. This is a useful function that you might not know how to use.

It's not the most difficult thing to do, but taking an effective screenshot on a computer isn't always obvious or simple. Making screenshots is something that everyone should be able to do given their potential utility for work-related purposes or for demonstrating to friends what they should actually be viewing online.

There are various ways to do this when using a PC or laptop running Windows, and the options go beyond the traditional Print Screen key. On the keyboard for Windows, there are up to six screenshot commands. If you're interested, keep reading the following paragraphs.

How to take screenshots on Windows PC?

What exactly is a screenshot? A screenshot, also known as a "capture of the screen," is an image that is captured by a user of a computer, smartphone, or tablet while using the relevant device to record the visible elements displayed on the screen. The image is stored in memory as a graphic file. The screenshots may be obtained using a variety of programs or specific keyboard shortcuts or buttons.

To take a screenshot, press the Print Screen key. When using Windows, pressing the Print Screen button, which is located on top and to the right of the keyboard, will take a screenshot of the entire screen. One essentially copies an image from the screen when pressing this button. To view, edit, or save the image, you must launch an image-editing software such as Paint or Snipping Tool.

To take a screenshot of only the active window, press Alt + Print Screen. Open the window you want to capture, then press Alt + Print Screen. This will capture a screenshot of only the active window, not the entire screen. To view, edit, or save the image, you must launch an image-editing software such as Paint or Snipping Tool.

To capture the screen, press Windows + Print Screen If you want to take a screenshot of your PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11 and automatically save it, press Windows + Print Screen. The screen will dim, and a screenshot of the entire screen will be saved in the "Images" > "Screenshots" folder.

Please note that Windows + Print Screen will work only on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Using third-party apps to capture screens on your PC:
If the built-in screenshot tools provided by Windows are not sufficient for your needs, you can also use third-party apps to capture screens on your PC. Some popular options include PicPick, ScreenHunter, Droplr, CloudApp, and Screencast-O-Matic. These apps often have more advanced features and customization options compared to the built-in Windows tools.