If you have ever been asked to provide an image of your screen to someone else, what has been requested is called a “screenshot.” All modern devices have this capability, though some apps block this functionality for privacy purposes. For example, the app my doctor’s office uses will only produce a black square image when a screenshot is taken.
How to take a screenshot varies by device, and some devices have more than one method of generating a screenshot. Let’s take device types one by one.
Windows Computer
If you’re on a computer running the Windows operating system, there is a dedicated app to make screenshots easy. Depending on your version of Windows, it is either called Snipping Tool or Snip & Sketch. Some computers have both.
To open either tool, click on the Windows icon in the lower left of the screen and start typing “snip.” When the program appears in the options, click on it.
By default, the tool is set to make a square/rectangular image of the part of the screen you choose. When you select “New”, the screen immediately grays out, waiting for the user to highlight an area with a mouse to screenshot. If you need to show an open menu or other mouseover function that disappears when you click on the snipping tool, use the Delay function to allow yourself time after clicking New to make the item appear before the screen grays out.
At this point, I need to mention that it was difficult to take a screenshot of the screenshotting tool because the box moves out of the way if you select that part of the screen while it’s grayed out. Thankfully, I was able to open Snip & Sketch to screenshot the snipping tool. It was a little surreal.
After the screenshot is taken, more options appear in the toolbar that allow you to save, copy, mail, or mark up the image.
Snip & Sketch works the same way, but it has a different look and a more robust feature set:
If your computer is too old to use either of these tools or if you don’t like them, there is another option.
- Use Ctrl+Shift+S and use your mouse to select the area to capture. The image is sent to the clipboard when the mouse button is released.
- Use Ctrl+V to paste the image into your current document or email. If you want to save it as a standalone image, use Ctrl+V to paste it into the Paint program.
Mac Computer
Macs also have a utility for screenshotting. To open it, hold down Command+up arrow+5. This has all of the options of the Windows version and more! You can even use it to record a video of action on your screen.
If you’re not a fan of the Mac screenshot app, try these key combinations:
- Capture the whole screen- Command+Shift+3
- Capture part of the screen- Command+Shift+4 and use your mouse to draw the perimeter of the screenshot
No matter which method you use, the screenshot is saved as a PNG file on your desktop. If you want to save it to the clipboard, instead, add the Control key to the key combination. Paste it using Command+V.
Chromebook/Chromebox
Press Ctrl+F5 to get a screenshot of the whole screen and save it to the downloads folder. To take a partial screenshot, use Ctrl+Shift+F5 and use the mouse to draw the perimeter.
If the screenshot is successful, the confirmation box contains a link to copy the screenshot to the clipboard for pasting elsewhere.
Linux
Use the PrtScn (print screen) button to either screenshot the entire desktop or open a screenshot program (depending on the flavor of Linux). To capture a single window on the screen, use Alt+PrtScn. Note that your keyboard may abbreviate differently or use a symbol to mark this key.
Android Tablet/Smartphone
To take a screenshot, long press “volume down” and power at the same time until the screen flashes white and may show a thumbnail view of the screenshot. If this doesn’t work for you, your Android model may respond to a long press of the home button and power, instead. You can find your screenshots in the Gallery or Photos app.
If neither of these works, your device may be running an old version of Android. If your Android is that old, it is unlikely that a third-party app would be able to help.
iPhone/iPad
Hold down the sleep/wake button and press and release the volume up button. The screen will flash and the entire screen is captured as a photo in the photos app. If that doesn’t work, try holding down the sleep/wake button and press and release the home button.
Summary
Any modern device has the ability to take a screenshot, once you know the secret key combination to make it happen. This ability can be extremely helpful if you need to show someone your screen remotely. It can also be helpful if, like me, you make lots of tech training materials that need screenshots to make them easier to understand.
