How to Take a Screenshot on Windows PC or Tablet Without External Software

In this windows tutorial, I will demonstrate how to take a screenshot on windows based devices. Sometimes you need to capture the windows screen and save it as a file for a number of reasons. You might need to share some sort of error on the screen to tech support center or email the current windows screen to your friend or need to print it. So capturing whatever is on the screen and save it in a image format is what you call a screenshot or snapshot or just a screen capture. If you have a windows PC, you can easily take a screenshot of all screen or the active window without needing any third party software. Yes, I am correct. Windows has some inbuilt keyboard shortcuts to capture the screen.

5 Different ways to take a screenshot in windows 10,8 or 7 OS

1-PrtSc (Printscreen) command

In windows 8 and Windows10, if you press Windows Logo+PrtSc keys on keyboard, the screen will blink for a second and the current screen on the monitor will get captured and saved in screenshots folder in Pictures folder.

You can also take a screen shot in windows 10, 8, 7 and XP by just pressing the PrtSc To save this screenshot, you need to open Windows Paint application and press Ctrl+V on the keyboard to copy it in MSPaint. Finally, you can save it in any image format at your preferred location in hard drive.
If you intend to capture the screen of only single active windows, press Alt+PrtSc keys and copy it in paint app to save it.

Note: On some keyboards, Printscreen might be represented by PrintScrn, PrtScrn, PrtSc, PrntScrn, PrtScr or just PrSc.

2- Snipping Tool to take screenshot in windows

Windows has its own utility to not only capture the screen but add notes or annotates to the captured screen and email it from the snipping app window. You can also save the screenshot in different image formats that include HTML, PNG, JPEG and GIF file. To open the snipping tool, just type snipping tool in the search box in all windows 7,8 and 10. The various modes to capture the screen are.

Free-Form Snip. This option lets you capture that much of screen that you will draw with an online pencil around the content.
Rectangular snip. You can draw the cursor around the content you want to capture only in rectangular shape.
Window-snip. You can select a window of your choice that you want to capture.
Full-screen snip. As the name suggested, this option is best to capture the whole screen on monitor.

3- Using Game Bar in Windows 10

If you are gaming freak you might be well versed with “how to take a screen shot in windows with a game bar”.

Press Windows logo key+Alt+PrtSc keys on the keyboard. Alternatively you can press Win+G and press camera icon on the screen.
Click the option “Yes this is a game”.

Screen shot will be captured and saved to C:\Users\user-name\Videos

4- Selecting the area of screen with keyboard shortcut

If you have updated the windows 10 with Windows 10 build 15002, only then this method will work to take a screenshot of any area on the screen.

Press Win+Shift+S on the keyboard.
A cross sign will appear on the screen.
Select the area of your choice and release the cursor.
The screenshot will be copied to clipboard.
Copy and save the screenshot to onedrive or mspaint app.

5-Bonus TiP-How to take a screenshot in windows Surface tablets

The windows based devices which have virtual keyboard need different method to take a screen shot. In surface Pro, you have to press Windows logo button and Volume down button together to capture the current screen.