Screenshots help us understand complex topics easily. Here are four ways to take a screenshot in Windows 11.
How to take a screenshot in Windows 11
Whether it's a screenshot of the entire screen or just the screen clip of a specific area, you have numerous options available. In this article, we will cover the different ways you can take screenshots in Windows 11.
Take the Windows 11 screenshot with the Snipping Tool
To capture the screen with the Snipping Tool:
- Go to bar of search for Start menu , type "snipping tool" and select the best match.
- The Snipping Tool app will launch. Now click on New and you will be directed to the screenshot overlay.
- At the top of the Snipping Tool overlay, you'll see several ways to take your screenshots: rectangle capture, freehand capture, window capture, full screen capture, and more.
- Choose your preferred screenshot method, select the area you want to capture and release the cursor. Your screenshot will be successfully captured.
On the main screen of the app, you also have a feature to delay the screenshot. Switch to option Time before snip (clock icon), click No delays and you will get a drop down menu with several options to choose from.
Use keyboard shortcuts
If you don't want to launch a tool every time you want to take a screenshot, try one of these keyboard shortcuts for a faster time.
Take a screenshot with the PrtSc button
If you want a quick and easy screenshot, press the PrtSc button . That's it - a screen clip of the entire Windows 11 will be captured. However, note that PrtSc will simply capture and save the image to the clipboard, instead of saving it as a PNG screenshot image.
This method is useful if you want to attach a screenshot image in an email or if you want to edit the image before saving it.
And when you want to convert this image to a correct screenshot, you need to open an image editing app first, paste the screenshot there and then save it.
Fai uno screenshot con Win + PrtSc
Use this shortcut when you want to crop the entire Windows 11 screen. Simply press the key Windows together with PrtSc and, as with all Windows screenshots, when you're done, you'll find the saved screenshots in the folder Images , inside the folder Screenshot.
Use Alt + PrtSc to capture the current window
If you are someone who likes to have multiple tabs and programs open on your screen, the methods described above for cropping the entire screen may not be for you. Not if you're looking for that particular effect itself, at least.
To get around this, you can use the shortcut Alt + PrtSc . This way, you'll only get a screenshot of one active window, instead of multiple tabs open on the screen.
Take screenshots with the Xbox Game Bar
Xbox Game Bar is another free tool from Microsoft, introduced in 2016 alongside the Vista update.
While Microsoft originally introduced the tool to help players record their plays, it also added a dearth of additional features, including screenshot capabilities.
- To start, press Win + G. This will open the game bar superimposed on the screen. Alternatively, you can also type "game bar" in the bar of search for Start menu and select the best match from there.
- From there, go to the section Capture in the upper left corner and click on the option Capture screenshot (the camera icon); your screenshot will be captured and you will also get a notification on the right side of the screen, indicating the same.
- By default, the screenshot will be saved in the Videos / Captures folder.
Take screenshots with third party apps
As good as Windows' built-in screenshot tools are, sometimes they are not enough. Thankfully, though, there's no shortage of handy third-party options for Windows users. Here we will focus on two open source apps: ShareX and GIMP.
ShareX
ShareX was first released in October 2007 as a free and open source screenshot tool for Windows computers. Since then, it has slowly and steadily grown in popularity. In fact, we even covered it in our best article on the Windows screenshot app a while back.
We delved into its features in the guide above, so here we'll just set up the app and take your first screenshot with it.
- First of all, go to the official website of, download and install the app from there.
- When you launch the app, you will find different shortcuts that screen your computer in the main menu, according to your choice and requirements.
- On the left side, you will find more settings to try from. For example, if you click Instruments , you will find a multitude of editing options to choose from: Color Picker, Screen Color Picker, Image Editor, etc.
Likewise, there is an Activity option after the acquisition , which allows you to preset the things you would like to do with your screenshot after they are captured.
Do you want to save the file or do you prefer to save it to the clipboard? Or, instead of saving them altogether, maybe you'd like to open the image in an editor?
You can do all this and more directly from the ShareX main menu.
GIMP
GNU Image Manipulation Program, short for GIMP, is another free and open source app that can help you take screenshots in Windows 11. Although, due to its demonstrable advanced features, it is often advertised as more of an editing tool, it doesn't you can go wrong in setting this as the default screenshot method, especially if the change is important to your needs.
To get started with GIMP, go to to download and install the app.
- Now launch the app and from the main menu, go to File> Crea> Screenshot.
- In the next window, choose the settings you want to use and click Snap
Also, make sure you delayed the screenshot by a few seconds. This allows you to switch screens and display the window you actually want to capture; otherwise, you'll end up with a screenshot of the GIMP app itself.
- You can save the screenshot from File> Export As , choose a location, set the image name and type, and click Export. Your screenshot will be saved successfully.
