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How to take a screenshot in Windows 11

Screen capturing, or taking a screenshot, is a valuable tool for sharing information, troubleshooting issues, or simply saving an essential moment on your computer screen. But it is not really clear on how you do this inside of Windows 11. So, in this article, we show you how to take a screenshot in Windows 11.

How to take a screenshot in Windows 11

Use a keyboard shortcut to take a screenshot

The most straightforward way to take a screenshot on Windows 11 is to use the keyboard shortcut Windows logo key Windows logo key + Print Screen / PrtScn. This will capture the entire screen and automatically save the screenshot in the Screenshots folder in the Pictures directory.

Use the Snipping Tool to take a screenshot

If you want more control over your screenshot, you can use the Snipping Tool. To open the Snipping Tool, do either of the following:

  1. Left-click on the Start button Windows logo to bring up the Start menu.
  2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps.
  3. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Snipping Tool.

Or you can open the Snipping Tool ready to start a capture using the keyboard shortcut Windows logo key Windows logo key + Shift + S. Once you open the tool, you can select the area of the screen you want to capture, annotate, and save the screenshot.

Use the Game Bar to take a screenshot

If you are a gamer and want to capture your gameplay, Windows 11 has a built-in Game Bar that allows you to take screenshots and even record your gameplay. To access the Game Bar, use the keyboard shortcut Windows logo key Windows logo key + G. From there, you can take a screenshot or record your gameplay.

The Game Bar has seven (7) Windows logo key Windows logo key shortcuts. For a list of all of the Windows logo key Windows logo key shortcuts, check out our blog, Windows logo key shortcuts for Windows 11.

Use Third-Party Apps to take a screenshot

If you prefer to use a third-party app for your screen-capturing needs, there are many options available for Windows 11. Some popular choices include LightShot, Greenshot, and ShareX. These apps offer more advanced features than the built-in Windows tools, such as capturing scrolling webpages, capturing specific windows, and sharing your screenshots directly to social media.

Now that you know the different ways to take a screenshot on Windows 11, it’s essential to organize your screenshots so that you can easily find them later. By default, Windows 11 will save your captures to a folder named Screenshots inside of either your Pictures or Videos folder. It just depends on what app you use.

In conclusion, taking a screenshot on Windows 11 is simple and can be done using various methods, including Windows logo keyboard shortcuts, built-in tools, and third-party apps. By following the tips and tricks outlined in this article, you can make the most of your screen-capturing experience and easily share important information with others.

How to use all of the Clipboard features in Windows 10 and Windows 11

Updated March 9, 2023

The Clipboard is one of the most widely used features inside Windows. It used to be just for copying a small amount of text, but not anymore. Let's look at all the Clipboard features inside Windows.

How to use all of the Clipboard features in Windows

In the early days of computing, users could store small amounts of data in the computer's RAM (Random Access Memory), which was called the Paste Buffer. You could only save one piece of data at a time, and every time you copied a new piece of data, the last piece was erased.

But over the decades, the Paste Buffer, now known as the Clipboard, has evolved into a valuable and essential tool for productivity. The Clipboard in Windows 10 and Windows 11 can hold multiple pieces of text and images. And how you access the Clipboard has changed over the years.

Before you can take advantage of the full capability of the Windows Clipboard, you have to do a couple of things. The first thing you need to do is to make sure that the Clipboard history feature is turned on.

With Clipboard history turned on, you can view and paste all of the different items you have copied to the Clipboard. You will need to go to Windows Settings to make sure that this feature is activated.

How to get to the Clipboard section of the Windows 11 Settings app

  1. Open the Windows Settings app by either:
    • Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Settings.
    • Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Power User menu. On the Power User menu, left-click on Settings.
    • Press the Windows logo key Windows logo key + I.
  2. Left-click on the System category in the left-hand column.
  3. Scroll down the right-hand column and left-click on the Clipboard category.

How to get to the Clipboard section of the Windows 10 Settings app

  1. Open the Windows Settings app by either:
    • Left-click on the Start button, which will bring up the Start menu. On the Start menu left-click on the gear icon (Settings).
    • Right-click on the Start button, which will bring up the Power User menu. On the Power User menu, left-click on Settings.
    • Press the Windows logo key Windows logo key + I.
  2. Left-click on the System category.
  3. Scroll down the left-hand column and left-click on the Clipboard category.

Once you are in the Clipboard section, make sure that the Clipboard history is turned on.
The Clipboard history switch inside of Windows 10 Settings
You can also clear all of the items on the Clipboard from here.

Now copying text to the Clipboard has always been pretty straightforward, but there may be times you want to copy images to it. The second thing to do is to make sure you have all the programs you can use to capture images.

The first screen capture program built into Windows is the Snipping Tool, and it has been in Windows since Windows 7, and it works well for capturing anything on-screen (if you can see it, you can capture it).
The Snipping Tool inside of Windows
And it automatically copies whatever you snip to the Clipboard. But it does prompt you to save your snip to a file when you close it.

And the second built-in app for capturing screen snips is the Snipping Bar.
The Snipping Bar inside of Windows
Microsoft included it in Windows 10 Version 1809, and few people know about it. That's because you have to use a combination of three (3) keys on the keyboard to bring it up (Windows logo key Windows logo key + Shift + S).

The downside of the Snipping Bar is that it only captures one snip at a time. Every time you want to capture a screen snip, you have to press the Windows logo key Windows logo key + Shift + S keys. The Snipping Tool will capture as many snips as you like until you close it.

We are now all set to start copying items to the Clipboard. Remember that you can paste text from the Clipboard into almost any program, but you can only paste images into programs that can display images.

For example, you can paste text from the Clipboard into Notepad but not images. But can paste both text and images from the Clipboard into Paint or Wordpad.

There are several different ways to copy and paste from the Clipboard. Here are a few of the most common ways to do it.

Ways to copy text to the Clipboard

Highlight the text you want to copy and then:

  • Press Ctrl + C on the keyboard
    Copying text to the Clipboard using the context menu inside of Windows 10
  • Right-click on the highlighted text and select Copy from the context menu

Ways to copy graphics to the Clipboard

Highlight the image you want to copy and then:

  • Press Ctrl + C on the keyboard

If you can not highlight the image then:

Copying an image to the Clipboard using the context menu inside of Windows 10

  • Right-click on it and select Copy.
  • Use the Snipping Tool or the Snipping Bar to capture a snip of it.

Ways to paste from the Clipboard

Select where you want to place the graphic or text in the program of your choice then:

  • To paste the last item copied to the Clipboard, press Ctrl + V on the keyboard.
  • To select an item on the Clipboard, press the Windows logo key Windows logo key + V to display the Clipboard history.
    Pasting an item from the Clipboard using Clipboard history in Windows 10
    Then use your mouse or keyboard arrows to scroll through the clips. When you find the one you want to use, left-click on it (mouse) or press enter (keyboard).

For more information on the keyboard shortcuts discussed in this article, follow the links below.

Windows logo key shortcuts for Windows 11

Windows logo key shortcuts for Windows 10

General keyboard shortcuts

Check out the following video for examples of copying to and pasting from the Clipboard inside Windows 10.

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