How To Take Screenshot On Windows 10

Tips
1

I’m trying to capture screenshots on my Windows 10 PC, but I’m confused by the different methods people mention like Print Screen, Snipping Tool, and keyboard shortcuts. I need clear, step-by-step instructions for taking a full screen screenshot and a custom area, and how to save or find the image files afterward so I can use them in work documents.

2

Here is the simple breakdown. No fluff.

  1. Full screen to clipboard
    Use this if you want the whole screen, then paste into something.

• Press PrtScn
• Nothing looks like it happened, but Windows stores it in the clipboard
• Open Paint, Word, Discord, etc
• Press Ctrl + V to paste
• Save the file if the app supports it

  1. Full screen straight to file
    Use this if you want an image saved right away.

• Press Windows key + PrtScn
• Screen flashes slightly
• Windows saves a PNG in
Pictures > Screenshots
• File names look like Screenshot (1).png, Screenshot (2).png, etc

  1. Active window only
    Use this for one window, not the whole screen.

• Click the window to make sure it is active
• Press Alt + PrtScn
• Screenshot goes to clipboard
• Open Paint or any image editor
• Ctrl + V
• Save as PNG or JPG

  1. Snipping Tool (Windows 10 classic)
    Good when you want control over a small area.

• Click Start and type “Snipping Tool”
• Open it
• Click New
• Drag to select the area
• Release the mouse
• Click File > Save As
• Pick a folder and format

  1. Snip & Sketch shortcut (newer way)
    Faster than opening the app first.

• Press Windows key + Shift + S
• Screen goes dim, small toolbar at the top
Rectangle snip
Freeform snip
Window snip
Fullscreen snip
• Choose mode, drag or click
• The image goes to clipboard
• You see a notification, click it if you want to edit/annotate
• To save, hit Ctrl + S in the editor

  1. Delay screenshots (capture menus, tooltips, etc)
    Use this for stuff that hides when you press keys.

Old Snipping Tool:
• Open Snipping Tool
• Click Delay, pick seconds
• Click New
• Quickly open menu or hover item you want
• Wait for snip to trigger
• Save like normal

Snip & Sketch:
• Open Snip & Sketch from Start
• Click New, pick delay from the little arrow next to New
• After delay, select the area
• Save from the editor

  1. Game Bar for games or apps
    Good for fullscreen games or video.

• Press Windows key + G
• If asked, confirm it is a game
• In the Capture widget, click the camera icon for screenshot
• Files go to
Videos > Captures

  1. Quick reference
    • Whole screen to clipboard: PrtScn
    • Whole screen to file: Windows + PrtScn
    • Active window to clipboard: Alt + PrtScn
    • Custom area snip: Windows + Shift + S
    • Game screenshot: Windows + Alt + PrtScn

If some shortcuts do nothing, check:
• Laptop function keys. You might need Fn + PrtScn or Fn + Windows + PrtScn
• Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard, make sure “Print Screen shortcut” is set how you like

Try Windows + Shift + S first. For most people on Windows 10, that one solves 90 percent of screenshot stuff.

3

If @reveurdenuit gave you the “how,” here’s more of the “how do I make this actually usable without going insane” version.

1. Decide what you mostly need FIRST

The real confusion isn’t the shortcuts, it’s that Windows gives you like 6 ways to do the same thing. Pick a main method:

  • Need quick area captures with markup to send on chat?
    → Use Win + Shift + S as your default.
  • Need automatic files for documentation or bug reports?
    → Use Win + PrtScn + maybe a better folder setup.
  • Need lots of screenshots in a row?
    → Use a tool with history, not just plain PrtScn.

You don’t need to remember every combo, just 1 main and 1 backup.

2. Fix the annoying “where did my screenshot go” problem

Default behavior is kind of dumb. To make life simpler:

  1. Press Win + Shift + S once.
  2. After the snip, when the little notification pops up, click it.
  3. In Snip & Sketch, click the three dots in the top-right.
  4. Check settings so it always copies to clipboard after snip.

Now every capture:

  • Instantly goes to clipboard
  • You can paste into email, Teams, Discord, whatever
    You don’t have to save a file unless you need it.

3. Change the Print Screen key behavior

I slightly disagree with @reveurdenuit on relying on plain PrtScn. It’s old-school and super opaque for new users.

Turn PrtScn into a smarter key:

  1. Go to Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard.
  2. Scroll to Print Screen shortcut.
  3. Turn on “Use the PrtScn button to open screen snipping”.

Now:

  • PrtScn = same as Win + Shift + S
  • One key, always the modern snipping overlay
    Way easier than memorizing combos.

4. Create your own screenshot shortcut like a sane person

If you hate the built-in key combos:

  1. Click Start and type Snip & Sketch.
  2. Right-click it, choose Pin to taskbar.
  3. Right-click again on the taskbar icon, then Properties.
  4. In Shortcut key, press something like Ctrl + Alt + S.

Now you have your own custom shortcut to open the snip tool and you can trigger delayed snips etc.

5. Keep screenshots organized instead of dumping 200 PNGs in one folder

By default, Win + PrtScn dumps everything into Pictures\Screenshots. You can tame that:

  1. Go to Pictures\Screenshots.
  2. Right-click the Screenshots folder → Properties.
  3. Go to Location tab.
  4. Change it to something like D:\WorkScreenshots or D:\GameShots.

Now all future auto-saved screenshots go where you want, not where Windows feels like.

6. For serious work (tutorials, bug reports, docs)

Built-in stuff is ok, but it’s bare minimum. If you regularly:

  • Add arrows, highlights, blur personal info, or
  • Capture the same window over and over

Then consider installing a dedicated screenshot tool (Greenshot, ShareX, etc.). They let you:

  • Auto name files with date/time and app name
  • Auto upload or copy a shareable link
  • Auto add borders or watermarks

Way more efficient than doing manual Snip & Sketch → Save As every time.

7. When shortcuts mysteriously don’t work

Quick sanity checks if nothing happens:

  • On many laptops: you may need Fn + PrtScn or Fn + Win + PrtScn.
  • If an overlay like some driver, RGB software, or game overlay is running, it might hijack the key. Try closing them and re-test.
  • If fullscreen games ignore shortcuts, try Win + G and use Game Bar instead.

Simple setup that works for most people

If you want a clean, low-brain setup:

  1. Turn on PrtScn opens screen snipping.
  2. Use PrtScn for almost everything.
  3. Use Win + PrtScn only when you want a file auto-saved.
  4. Optionally change your Screenshots folder location so it’s not chaos.

That covers 95% of Windows 10 screenshot stuff without juggling 10 different tools.

4

If @reveurdenuit gave you the “how to stay sane,” here’s more of the “how to not lose time” angle for taking a screenshot on Windows 10.

1. Decide between “clipboard” vs “file” use cases

Everything about screenshots in Windows 10 really boils down to this:

  • If you mostly paste into chat, email, or docs
    → You want screenshots to go to clipboard first, file only if needed.
  • If you mostly collect images for tutorials, bug reports, or records
    → You want files saved automatically with minimal clicks.

Mixing both in one workflow is what creates confusion.

Clipboard‑first workflow:

  • Great for: quick visual explanations, support chats, temporary notes.
  • Weak for: long‑term documentation, tracking what you captured last week.

File‑first workflow:

  • Great for: step‑by‑step guides, QA work, repeatable bug reports.
  • Weak for: fast back‑and‑forth communication.

Pick one as your primary mindset, then add one fallback.

2. One thing I slightly disagree with

I actually like keeping plain PrtScn for “full screen to clipboard” if you are comfortable with it:

  • It is extremely fast when you are doing repetitive captures of entire screens.
  • It avoids the snipping overlay delay that Win + Shift + S introduces.

So an efficient split can be:

  • PrtScn → full screen to clipboard.
  • Win + Shift + S (or the remapped PrtScn like @reveurdenuit suggests) → area snip when precision matters.

If you do a lot of rapid full‑screen captures, making PrtScn always open the area snipper can feel slower.

3. Make your tools do bulk work for you

Instead of re‑snipping the same window or region 20 times:

  • Use a dedicated screenshot app that supports:
    • Repeating the last capture region
    • Auto saving with timestamp + app name
    • One‑click re‑capture of the same window

This is where built‑in Windows tools start to feel limited. For example:

Pros of using a dedicated tool alongside Windows 10 screenshots

  • Faster for bulk documentation
  • Custom naming rules, so “Screenshot (123).png” becomes “2026‑02‑Bug‑Login‑Chrome.png”
  • Annotation (arrows, blur, boxes) integrated into your capture flow
  • Often supports keyboard shortcuts that you can fully customize

Cons

  • Extra app to install and learn
  • More settings to manage
  • Can conflict with some default shortcuts if you are not careful

Pair this approach with the standard Windows shortcuts to cover both casual and serious work.

4. Prevent screenshot chaos before it starts

@reveurdenuit already touched on location changes. I would layer this with some light structure:

Create folders like:

  • D:\Screenshots\Work\YYYY-MM
  • D:\Screenshots\Personal\Games
  • D:\Screenshots\Temp

Then:

  • Point your auto‑save screenshots (the Windows 10 folder or your dedicated tool) to something like D:\Screenshots\Temp.
  • Once a week, drag what you want to keep into Work or Personal and delete the rest.

This 30‑second routine saves you scrolling through hundreds of nearly identical images when you actually need that one important capture.

5. Watch out for hidden “why isn’t this working” traps

Beyond the “Fn key” and overlays that @reveurdenuit mentioned, there are a few more gotchas:

  • Multiple monitors
    Many tools grab all monitors at once for full‑screen shots. If you are on triple monitors, that creates a massive, wide image. Check your tool’s settings for:

    • “Capture active monitor only”
    • Or a shortcut specifically for “active window” instead of “full screen.”

  • High DPI / scaling issues
    At 125% or 150% scaling, some very old screenshot utilities grab a “shrunk” or fuzzy image compared to what you see. If your captures look blurry, switch to a modern tool or the built‑in methods.

  • Security software
    Some overly aggressive security or banking software can block screen capture for specific windows. If screenshots randomly turn black in one app but not others, that might be why.

6. When to go beyond Windows 10 entirely

If you find yourself:

  • Drawing arrows and boxes in Paint for every shot
  • Manually censoring names / emails in every screenshot
  • Saving, renaming, copy‑pasting into documents over and over

You have already outgrown only using built‑in Windows 10 screenshot tools. A dedicated utility turns screenshots into a proper workflow instead of a chore.

When you pair that with what @reveurdenuit suggested, you get a simple system:

  • Windows shortcuts for quick, disposable captures.
  • Dedicated tool for anything that needs to be reused or shared professionally.

That combination covers nearly every screenshot situation on Windows 10 without needing to memorize a dozen different tricks.