Pressing PRINT SCREEN captures an image of your entire screen and copies it to the Clipboard in your computer's memory. You can then paste (CTRL+V) the image into a document, email message, or other file. Where is the PRINT SCREEN button? The PRINT SCREEN key is usually located in the upper right corner of your keyboard. Pressing Windows + Print screen: This command automatically captures the current screen in front of you and stores the PNG file to Pictures Screenshots. This is an effective way to instantly capture the current screen without any delays or having to save the picture one by one. In laptops, you have to press Fn + Windows Key + Print Screen.

• Windows 10 provides several ways to take screenshots of your entire computer screen, or just select parts of it.
• The fastest way to take a screenshot on Windows 10 is by pressing the 'PrtScn' button on your keyboard. There are various key combos to take screenshots of portions of the screen.
• Microsoft also provides a Snipping Tool to take custom screenshots, and draw on the images.
• You can take screenshots within games by opening the Game Bar with the Windows + G keyboard shortcut.
• Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

If you need to capture a screenshot of something on your computer screen, Windows 10 offers a variety of methods for doing just that.

Whether you want to save the entire screen, or just a piece of it, we've rounded up all the most common techniques for taking a Windows 10 screenshot.

How to take a screenshot on Windows 10 with the PrtScn key

The simplest way to save a copy of whatever is on your computer screen is to simply press the 'Print Screen' key on your keyboard. It's usually labeled 'PrtScn' (or something very similar) and is located in the top row, among or near the Function keys.

On some keyboards (particularly laptops) you might need to trigger the Print Screen using the Function key (in other words, hold the Function key and then press PrtScn).

© Dave Johnson/Business Insider The PrtScn key copies the entire screen to the clipboard, so you can paste it elsewhere, but there are several modifier keys you can use to change the way this key works. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

Windows features several PrtScn variations:

Windows Key Print Screen

• Press PrtScn. This copies the entire screen to the clipboard. You can paste the screenshot into any program that displays images, like Paint or Microsoft Word.
• Press Alt + PrtScn. This copies the active window to the clipboard, which you can paste into another program.
• Press the Windows key + Shift + S. The screen will dim and the mouse pointer will change. You can drag to select a portion of the screen to capture. The screenshot will be copied to the clipboard, which you can paste into another program. (This shortcut only works if you have the latest version of Windows 10 installed, called the Windows 10 Creators Update.)
• Press the Windows key + PrtScn. This saves the entire screen as an image file. You can find it in the 'Pictures' folder, in a subfolder called 'Screenshots.'

How to take a screenshot on Windows 10 with Snipping Tool

Microsoft includes a much more flexible screenshot utility with Windows 10, called Snipping Tool.

You can use Snipping Tool to grab a screenshot and save it as an image file without first pasting the screenshot into another program.

1. Start the Snipping Tool from the Start menu.

2. In the 'Mode' drop down, choose the kind of screenshot shape you want - you can choose anything from full screen to rectangular to a free-form shape.

© Dave Johnson/Business Insider You can choose the kind of screenshot that Snipping Tool takes with the program's menus. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

3. Click New, and your screen will freeze. You can then use the mouse to create the screenshot. The screenshot will then appear in the Snipping Tool window.

4. If you want to include something like a tooltip, which only appears after a mouse movement, you can specify how long to wait before taking the screenshot using the Delay menu.

5. If you want to, once you've taken your screenshot, you can use the drawing tools to annotate the screenshot.

6. When you're done, click 'File' and then click 'Save As' to save the completed screenshot to your computer.

7. You can also click the copy button in the Snipping Tool window - it looks like two pages laid over one another - to copy the image to your clipboard.

How to take a screenshot on Windows 10 with the Game Bar

The Game Bar is an overlay you can use within most Windows games to take screenshots and record video. Here's how to use it:

1. Start a game from the Start menu or the Xbox Console Companion program.

2. While playing the game, press the Windows key + G. The Game Bar overlay should appear.

© Dave Johnson/Business Insider The Game Bar has a screenshot tool that appears as an overlay on top of games. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

3. Click the camera icon to take a screenshot, or you can use the keyboard shortcut: Windows key + Alt + PrtScn.

The screenshot will be automatically saved to the 'Videos' folder in a subfolder called 'Captures.'

If you're playing a game on Steam, you can also press F11 to take a screenshot. It will be added to your screenshots folder on Steam.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

Have you been told to take a screenshot using the Print Screen key on your Windows 10 computer? And now you are left wondering where the Print Screen button is? Even if you found the button and pressed it, nothing would have happened. So you are more confused now. Don’t worry. We are here to help. By the end of the post, you will be a champ in using the Print Screen button to take screenshots on Windows 10.

Questions like where is the Print Screen button, how to enable Print screen, and how to use the Print screen button are answered in this post. We have also covered how to take a screenshot in Windows 10 without the Print screen button.

Let’s get started on discovering the superpowers of the Print Screen button in Windows 10.

Where Is the Print Screen Button

The Print Screen button is usually present at the upper right side of your keyboard. You will see one of the text labels on the key:

• Prt sc
• PrtSc
• PrtScn
• PrntScrn

If something else is mentioned along with the print screen button, then you will have to trigger it with the function key (fn) on your keyboard. That is, hold the fn key and the Print screen buttons together to take a screenshot.

Tip: If your keyboard doesn’t have the Print Screen button, use the Function (fn) + Windows key + Spacebar to take a screenshot. In case the Print screen isn't working, check out various ways to fix it.

How to Use Print Screen Button to Take Screenshot in Windows

There are several ways to take a screenshot using the Print screen button on Windows 10. Let’s check them out.

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Method 1: Capture Entire Screen With Print Screen

This is the simplest method to take a screenshot on Windows 10. Pressing the Print Screen key on your keyboard copies the entire (active) screen to your clipboard. Even though a screenshot is technically captured, it’s not saved anywhere on your computer.

The screenshot resides in your computer’s clipboard for a temporary period till you copy something else. You need to paste the copied content (the screenshot) in a supported app such as MS Paint, Paint 3D, etc. Use Ctrl+V keyboard shortcut to paste the image. Once pasted, save the image using the app’s save button. It’s not necessary to paste the screenshot in photo-editing apps, you can even paste it in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

Note: Use fn + Print screen combination if nothing is copied to the clipboard.

Typically, when you take a screenshot on your mobile phone, the screen will dim for a second, which indicates that a screenshot is taken. However, nothing will happen to the screen using this method. The screen won’t dim when you simply press the Print Screen button. So don’t get scared, just open any supported app and paste the copied screenshot.

Tip: If you use OneDrive, your captured screenshots will automatically be saved in your OneDrive folder. In case you are notified that screenshots are saved in OneDrive, find out how to turn off that notification and how to disable storing of screenshots in OneDrive.

Method 2: Capture and Save Entire Screen Using Print Screen

The above method doesn't save the screenshot directly to your computer. To save screenshots on your PC without pasting them first, press the Windows key + Print screen button simultaneously. The screen will dim for a second, indicating that a screenshot has been taken. In this method, the entire screen is captured.

You will find the captured screenshots in the Pictures > Screenshots folder. If you don’t find that, follow this path C:UsersusernamePicturesScreenshots.

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Method 3: Capture Active Window With Print Screen

Instead of capturing the entire screen, this method will help you take a screenshot of an active window. Let’s say you want to take a screenshot of the minimized Word screen. You can do it by using the Alt + Print screen keyboard shortcut. Press both buttons simultaneously to take a screenshot of your active window.

Similar to method 1, the screenshot will not be saved directly. You will need to paste it into a supported app such as MS Paint and then save it.

Method 4: Assign the Snipping Tool to Print Screen Key

If the above methods do not meet your requirements, you can assign the Windows 10 Snipping tool to the Print screen key. When you do so, the Snipping tool will get activated when you press the Print screen key on your keyboard.

With the Snipping tool, you can take custom screenshots. You can choose the area whose screenshot you want to take, capture the selected window, and perform other advanced tricks. The screenshots will open in the Snipping Tool where you can annotate and draw on them. Finally, save the screenshot. Check out various tips and tricks related to the Windows 10 Snipping Tool.

To assign the Snipping tool to the Print screen key, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Settings on your Windows 10 PC from Start Menu. Alternatively, use Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open settings. Go to Ease of Access.

Step 2: From the left sidebar in Ease of access, scroll down and click on Keyboard. On the right side, you will find Keyboard settings. Scroll down and enable the toggle for Print Screen shortcut.

Bonus: How to Take Screenshot Without Print Screen on Windows 10

If you don’t want to remap the Print screen key to the Snipping tool or use Print screen to take a screenshot, you can still open the Snipping tool using the Windows key + Shift + S keyboard shortcut. Alternatively, open the Snipping tool from the Start Menu. You can also use the Snip and Sketch tool of Windows to take a screenshot without the Print screen button. Find out what’s the difference between the Snipping Tool and Snip and Sketch on Windows 10.

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The Best Method

Print Screen Windows 10 Desktop

Methods 2 and 4 are convenient for taking and saving screenshots both. I mostly settle for Method 4 on my computer where I use the Snipping tool with the help of the Print screen button. It lets me take a screenshot with the ability to draw on them.

Next up:If for some reason, you are unable to take screenshots on your Windows 10 PC, check out 4 ways to fix it from the next link.

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read Next4 Best Ways to Fix Windows 10 Not Taking ScreenshotsAlso See#screenshots

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