How to take a screenshot on Windows 11

Several years ago I wrote about using the Snipping Tool in Windows 10. Now that Windows 11 is available I wanted to give an update on how to take a screenshot on Windows 11 using the newest version of the Snipping Tool.

I use screen shots, or images of the actual computer interface in a lot of my documentation, including when I create my blog posts. I therefore want to make sure that I’m creating these images in the quickest way possible.

How to screenshot the entire screen

If you need to capture the entire computer screen, you need to create a full screenshot. This ensures that the image will include everything you see on your screen, including any open programs, the Start button and the system clock information.

To screenshot the entire screen using the keyboard:

1. Display the content on the screen which you want to take a full screen shot of.
2. Press the Print Screen, or PrtScr button on your keyboard.
3. A screenshot has now been created and saved to the clipboard.
4. Open a photo editing program such as Paint and use Ctrl + V to paste in the image.
5. You can then save the file.

If you need help to crop the image, check out my post to get you started.

To screenshot the entire screen using the Snipping Tool:

1. Display the content on the screen which you want to take a full screen shot of.
2. Click the Start button and click in the Search box:

3. Type in Snipping Tool. You shouldn’t need to type the entire name, the computer will find the app after a few letters are typed.
4. As a shortcut for future use, click the arrow to open the additional options:

5. Choose Pin to taskbar.
6. The icon will now appear on the bottom taskbar area so you can quickly open the app in the future.
7. Click the Snipping Tool icon from the taskbar.
8. The app will appear.

9. Click the Snipping mode button and choose Full screen.

10. Click the + New button.
11. A screenshot of your screen will be created and displayed in the Snipping Tool.
12. You can now click the Save button to save it as an image file.

To use the screen shot in a document, presentation or email:

1. Open the document, presentation, or email and place your cursor in the correct spot and press Paste from the ribbon
2. The full screen shot will be inserted into your file

If you want to save the screen shot as an image file:

1. Open any graphics editing program such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Paint
2. Choose Paste from the menu
3. The full screen shot will be inserted into the program
4. Save the file as a .jpg or suitable file format to your computer for future use

How to screenshot just the active window

Where you want to take a screenshot of a single open window or program, this is where we take a screenshot of the active window. You will see in the example below, it does not include the Start button or taskbar area, only the active Microsoft Word window.

To create a screen shot of the active window you have displayed:

1. Click into the window or program you want to take a screen shot of, it must be the selected or active window on the screen.
2. Press Alt + PrtScn button on the keyboard.

TIP: Some keyboards are set up differently by different manufacturers. For instance, my DELL keyboard has the Print Screen button displayed with blue text. This tells me that to use the Print Screen key, I need to hold down the Fn, or Function key, and then press the Print Screen key. This can mean that a 3rd key must be added to the above combination.

3. You have now copied the active window screen shot to the clipboard of your computer.

To use the screen shot in a document, presentation or email:

1. Open the document, presentation, or email and place your cursor in the correct spot and press Paste from the ribbon.
2. The full screen shot will be inserted into your file.

If you want to save the screen shot as an image file:

1. Open any graphics editing program such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Paint.
2. Choose Paste from the menu.
3. The full screen shot will be inserted into the program.
4. Save the file as a .jpg, .png or suitable file format to your computer for future use.

How to screenshot only one section of the window

Now that you know how to take a screenshot on Windows of the full screen and active window, what about when you just need an image of a small section of the screen? This is where the snipping tool goes to the next level. The snipping tool will allow you to “snip” any part of your screen and use the image however you want.

1. Open up a window or location on your computer where you can see something that you’d like to snip.
2. Click the Snipping Tool icon from the taskbar (if you pinned it in the last exercise, otherwise search for it via the Start menu).
3. The Snipping Tool will be displayed:

4. You can change the snip mode (or shape of the snip) using the Snipping mode drop-down menu.

5. I am just going to select Rectangle.
6. Click the New button.
7. The majority of your screen will now be greyed out and your cursor will appear as a cross.
8. Use the cursor to draw a rectangle around the area of the screen you want to snip.
9. The snipped area will now be displayed in the Snipping Tool window:

10. You can now click the Save icon from the top right corner, to save the file as an image or click the Copy button to copy the image and Paste it into any program you choose.

So that shows you the three different ways you can create a screenshot or screen grab and how you can utilise the Snipping Tool included in Windows 11. For some other great tips check out these posts:

• How to use Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge
• How to create a folder shortcut on the taskbar
• How to crop an image using Microsoft Paint
• Easy ways to move between windows

Comment below with any questions or extra tips you’d like to add.