How to use Print Screen, Snipping Tool, Copilot, ShareX, and Much More!

How to make use of Print Screen, Snipping Tool, Copilot, ShareX, and Much More!.

What to know

  • Windows 11 allows you to take screenshots using the Print Screen key, the Snipping Tool, in addition to the Copilot app. 
  • Numerous third-party apps like ShareX can be used for taking screenshots. 
  • The default screenshot folder for screenshots captured using the Snipping Tool is Pictures > Screenshots.

Windows has at all times provided a devoted PrtSc key to seize your display. But as Windows has progressed through the years, so have the methods in which you’ll take a screenshot. You now have the flexibility to make use of numerous methods to seize your display be it the PrtSc key, the Snipping Tool, Copilot, or third-party software program. Here are all of the methods in which you’ll take screenshots on Windows 11. 

Method 1: Using Print Screen (PrtSc) key

Print Screen key or PrtSc, because it says in your keyboard, is a long-standing devoted bodily key on Windows keyboards that lets you seize your display with a easy press of the important thing. Here’s all it’s good to know concerning the PrtSc key and the way to take screenshots using it. 

What occurs once you press the PrtSc key?

Pressing the PrtSc key prompts Windows to seize your display. Depending on the important thing mixture utilized by you, you may seize your complete display, your lively window, or a portion of your display. Use the information under to simply take screenshots in your Windows 11 PC using the PrtSc key. 

Take a full screenshot using the Print Screen key (PrtSc button)

If you want to take a full screenshot of your total show, then press the Windows + PrtSc keys in your keyboard concurrently. This will seize your total display and the screenshot shall be saved within the following location.

C:/Users/<username>/Pictures/Screenshots

Your screenshots shall be routinely named and numbered and shall be saved in PNG format. 

Capture a portion of your display using the PrtSc key. 

If you want to seize a portion of your display using PrtSc, then press Windows + Shift + S in your keyboard.

You will now get an oblong choice instrument, which is a part of the Snipping Tool (more on this later). Simply drag the cursor in your display to seize the world. The screenshot will routinely be saved to the default location for screenshots as given earlier, that’s: C:/Users/<username>/Pictures/Screenshots

Capture the lively window to your clipboard with PrtSc

You also can seize the presently lively window in your Windows 11 PC by urgent the Alt + PrtSc keys concurrently. This will seize the presently lively window and replica it to your Clipboard. You can then use an utility like Paint to stick the copied screenshot and reserve it as a picture (proven under). If you want to add to a cloud storage website or use it in an IM then merely paste the copied seize within the desired location and it is going to be routinely uploaded to the servers. 

How to avoid wasting captured Print Screen key screenshots in clipboard as PNG or JPEG

  1. Capture any lively window or a portion of your display as you usually would. Once captured, open Paint and press Ctrl + V in your keyboard to stick the seize
  2. Click on ‘File’ within the high left nook and choose ‘Save as’.
  3. Browser to the situation the place you want to save your seize. Now enter the specified title and click on and choose the specified file format from the drop-down menu under it. 
  4. Once you might have made your selection, click on on ‘Save’.
  5. And that’s it! The seize will now be saved to the specified location in your chosen format. 

Method 2: Use the snipping instrument

In addition to the PrtSc key, Windows 11 additionally comes bundled with the Snipping Tool which has grow to be its native screenshot app. 

How to make use of the snipping instrument

  1. Press ‘Windows + S’ in your keyboard and seek for the ‘Snipping Tool’.
  2. Select the ‘Snip’ or the digicam icon. Then select from the obtainable snipping mode choices – Rectangle, Window, Full display, Freeform. 
  3. Then click on on ‘New’.
  4. Click and drag your mouse on the display to seize a portion of it relying on the instrument chosen by you.
  5. The screenshot shall be added to the Snipping instrument canvas and now you can edit and reserve it based on your preferences.
  6. You can use the next instruments under to edit and spotlight the screenshot within the Snipping Tool. 
  • Ballpoint Pen: Click and choose ‘Pen’ so as to add annotations to your display seize. You can click on the drop-down arrow to pick out one of many default presets for the pen instrument. You also can click on on ‘Customize’ to vary every side of the pen based on your liking. 
  • Highlighter: Click and choose this instrument to spotlight vital elements of your display seize. 
  • Eraser: Use this to take away annotations and shapes.
  • Shapes: Use this so as to add shapes, fill shade, change define size and description shade. 
  • Crop: Use this selection to crop your image.
  • Text actions: Use ‘Text Actions‘ to extract textual content or redact textual content in screenshots.
  • Paint: Edit the screenshot within the Paint app.
  • Save: Click this icon to right away save your present display seize within the Snipping Tool. 
  • Copy: This choice will assist you to copy your display seize to your clipboard which may then be pasted in any appropriate textual content area. 

Method 3: Use Windows Copilot

Windows Copilot also can take screenshots. Here’s how:

  1. Press Win+C or click on on the Copilot icon within the taskbar.
  2. Below the immediate field, click on on the Add a screenshot choice.
  3. Drag the cursor across the space that you just need to seize.
  4. You could make additional adjustments to the screenshot using the obtainable choices. To reserve it, merely click on on the down arrow.
  5. And select a location. 

Method 4: Using a third-party app (ShareX) 

ShareX is a complete screenshot app that lets you seize numerous types of content material – images in addition to GIFs –  and the flexibility to instantly add to Imgur is at all times welcome if you happen to share loads of images recurrently. Download and set up ShareX in your system using the hyperlink under and observe one of many guides relying in your present necessities for display capturing. 

Default ShareX Keyboard shortcuts

  • Capture a selected space: Ctrl + Print Screen 
  • Capture total display: Print Screen
  • Capture lively window: Alt + Print Screen
  • Start/Stop display recording: Shift + Print Screen
  • Start/Stop display recording in GIF format: Ctrl + Shift + Print Screen 
  • You can create many more as you need

Note that ShareX will take over the shortcut keys from Windows. If you had been copying screenshots to the clipboard as talked about in Method 1 above, it wouldn’t work anymore. Unless, after all, you alter the shortcut mixture in ShareX hotkey settings and use completely different keys.

Take a screenshot and instantly add it to Imgur

  1. Launch ShareX in your system and click on on ‘After Capture Tasks’ in your left.
  2. Now click on and choose ‘Upload Image to host’.
  3. Click on ‘Destinations’ in your left.
  4. Now spotlight ‘Image Uploader’ and choose ‘Imgur’.
  5. You can now seize your display using ShareX and you must get a window confirming your add. Click on ‘Yes’ to substantiate your selection.

Once the add is full, you may entry its shareable hyperlink by clicking on the notification you get or from the historical past part in ShareX. 

How to display report using ShareX

  1. Use the shortcut ‘Shift + PrtSc’ to start out display recording using ShareX in your PC. You will get a notification sound indicating that the display recording has been began. Carry on together with your work and report your display as desired. ShareX will now open up and immediate you to put in ‘FFmpeg on your device. Click on ‘Yes’ to proceed with the set up.
  2. Once the set up is full, it is possible for you to to display report any lively window by clicking and deciding on it. Press the identical key mixture once more to cease the present recording. Once the recording finishes, you will see it within the following listing: Documents/ShareX/Screenshots/Date

How to display report to a GIF using ShareX

MP4 shouldn’t be an excellent video-sharing format in as we speak’s day and age in case you are seeking to save information. Instead, you may go for GIFs which cannot solely assist you to save information but additionally time. ShareX lets you simply display report any window in your display after which routinely reserve it in GIF format. To begin recording your display as a GIF, press ‘Ctrl+Shift+PrtSc’ in your keyboard.

Click and choose the window you want to report and ShareX ought to routinely begin recording. Press the identical key mixture in your keyboard to cease recording. You also can click on on ‘Stop’ within the backside left nook of the window to cease the recording.

How to display copy textual content from display using ShareX OCR characteristic

You also can use the OCR characteristic in ShareX to seize textual content from nearly anyplace on the display. This could be fairly helpful in case you are seeking to copy textual content from images, OS parts, or more. Sadly, by default, OCR doesn’t have a devoted hotkey and as an alternative, you will have to make use of the taskbar icon to make use of it.

  1. Right-click the ShareX taskbar icon.
  2. Select ‘Capture’ and click on on ‘Text Capture (OCR)’.
  3. Click and draw on an space the place you want to supply the textual content.
  4. ShareX will now routinely establish the textual content within the chosen space and current it to you in a textual content editor.
  5. This textual content can now be copied to your clipboard and could be pasted in any appropriate textual content area. 

How to seize the final area once more using ShareX

You can simply seize your final area once more in ShareX, The program provides you a devoted choice for a similar. Follow the information under to seize your final captured area using ShareX.

  1. Right-click on the ShareX icon in your taskbar.
  2. Select ‘Capture’ and click on on ‘Last Region’.

And that’s it! Your final area shall be routinely captured and saved in your default Screenshots folder location. 

Windows 11 Screenshots: Tips to know

Here are some further ideas which will assist you to concerning taking screenshots on Windows 11.

Where is the PrtSc key

Well, this could be a bit tough relying on the kind of keyboard that you’re using. You can use a piece under related to your device to seek out the PrtSc key in your keyboard. 

  • Full-Sized Keyboards: It’s the best to seek out your PrtSc key on a full-sized keyboard. Look in the direction of the highest of your arrow keys close to the ‘Delete’ key and you will see the PrtSC & SysRq key on the high beside the Scroll Lock key. 
  • Compact Keyboards: On most compact keyboard, you will see the PrtSC key situated close to your arrow keys on the backside, often wedged between your RAlt & RCtrl. If you don’t discover your PrtSc there, then it’s seemingly wedged within the Fn key row or the Number key row. 
  • Laptops: This is the trickiest part. Each laptop computer has its personal barely completely different keyboard until you opted for an industry-standard particularly. In most circumstances, you will see the PrtSc within the high proper nook of your keyboard but when you don’t, you will have to look your complete keyboard. In some circumstances, the PrtSc is clubbed with one other key beneath a single keycap and also you may be required to press the Fn key to activate it.

: How to Take a Screenshot on Windows 11 on 60 Keyboard

I can’t discover the PrtSc key on my keyboard

Well, if you happen to can’t discover the PrtSc key in your keyboard then you’ll have to get in contact together with your OEM. While it’s extremely unlikely that the important thing was omitted out of your keyboard, there’s a slight likelihood of this in case you opted for an especially compact keyboard in your setup. In addition to this, many keyboards are likely to membership the PrtSC with one other key so that you would possibly discover it clubbed along with one other key in your keyboard like scroll lock or more. Hence we suggest getting in contact together with your OEM to seek out the PrtSc key in your particular mannequin.  

We hope this information helped you study all of the methods in which you’ll take a screenshot in Windows 11. If you face any points or have any more questions for us, be at liberty to succeed in out to us using the feedback part under.  


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