Things You'll Need:
- Windows
- PC
-
Step 1
First, locate two very important keys on your keyboard. The first is your ‘Print Screen’ key. It is usually located on the top row, on the right side. The abbreviation on the key may vary, so it may appear as ‘Prt Scrn’ or ‘Prnt Scrn’
The second key to find is your ‘ALT’ key. This one is likely familiar to you! Look on your bottom row of keys and that area for this one. -
Step 2
Next, decide what your capture target will be. Are you trying to capture a pop-up window that appears to show others what to expect? You likely don’t want to have to just grab a screenshot of the entire screen – just what you want to show without distractions of background.
On the other hand, you may want to capture the entire screen. Either way, just a little knowledge will go a long way. -
Step 3
IF YOU WANT THE WHOLE SCREEN: take a moment to open all pieces you want to appear on the screenshot. Arrange them so that it will make sense to your audience by making secondary screens less than full-screen size (by using the upper right icon between the dash and x – it looks like two boxes layered) and drag the window with your mouse where you want it to be.
Once the windows are where you would like them, click the ‘Print Screen’ button. Next, go to step 5. -
Step 4
IF YOU ONLY WANT ONE WINDOW WITHIN THE SCREEN (such as a pop-up window), open the window you would like to get a screenshot of, making sure it is on top of any other windows.
Hold down the ‘ALT’ key. While holding the ‘ALT’ key down, press the ‘Print Screen’ button once. Go to step 5. -
Step 5
Now you have your screen shot on your ‘clipboard’ – you can do one of two things – either PASTE it into your application (such as a Word document, excel spreadsheet, email message, etc.) by choosing Edit > Paste from the program, OR holding the ‘Ctrl’ key and hitting the ‘v’ key for the paste function. OR – you can save it to a file.
Go to the ‘Start’ menu in the lower left corner of your screen. Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > and choose ‘Paint’. (NOTE: if you have another imaging program you prefer, like Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop, you can paste your screenshot there!)
Once Paint opens, choose Edit > Paste. Now you can choose File > Save As, enter a name, and choose WHAT TYPE of file you would like to save it as. TIP: .jpg is a much smaller file size than .bmp, and has better quality as well.
Comments
csmarie said
on 11/13/2009 Great article! 5*
veryirie said
on 11/2/2009 Thank you for this article! Now I FINALLY understand exactly how to do this. Great info and very helpful!
tikrit01 said
on 11/18/2008 Great Tip 5 Stars!