For years, I used the tried and trusted method of taking screenshots in Windows: tapping the Print Screen button, then pasting the resulting image into Paint. Save, and move on.
Then I went and did something stupid. I bought this fancy looking and very nice keyboard when I went freelance and was sprucing up my office. I’m actually very happy with it, but even a glance at it will show you the main issue: there is no Print Screen button.
Turns out there’s an easy way to take screenshots in Windows 10, and it’s far simpler than my old ways. Enter the Snipping Tool.
How do I take a screenshot in Windows 10?
Windows 10 has introduced a function called ‘Snip & Sketch’. Simply press Shift + Windows Key + S and the screen will go dark. Use the on-screen cursor to highlight the area you want captured in screenshot form, and you’re done. The image will be immediately saved to your clipboard ready to be pasted into a photo editing app or, if you’re quick, you can press the pop-up box in the bottom-right hand corner of the screen to annotate and edit instantly.
But for me, I use screenshotting so often that I need something more convenient – which is why I’ve pinned the Windows Snipping Tool to my taskbar.
Windows Snipping Tool
You can find the Snipping Tool by pressing ‘Start’ and then typing in “Snipping Tool” – it will appear after a few letters. Open it up, and you can immediately take screenshots of your desktop as you’re seeing it.
Note that Microsoft has “deprecated” the Snipping Tool, and now encourages people to use the Snip & Sketch app, but I still prefer the original for its simplicity.
It also has a couple of neat features. Most notably, if you need to catch something happening on screen that needs your interaction – activating a submenu, for example – then the “Delay” mode is worth playing around with. Pressing this lets you start a countdown between one second and five, giving you time to get things in place before the screenshot is taken.
Once done, the screen will grey out, and you can simply highlight the area of the screen you want saved, and annotate it to your hearts’ content.
READ NEXT How do I take a screenshot on a Mac?
Add Comment