The fastest way to take a screenshot on Windows 11 is using the Windows key + shift + S shortcut. Your screen will dim and a small toolbar will appear on the top of it. Click and drag the mouse to select the area of the screen that you want to capture. When you release the mouse button, the image will be copied to your clipboard, and a small notification will appear in the corner of the screen. You can click on it to open the Snipping Tool and crop the image, draw on it or save it. Alternatively, you can go to the application window and press Ctrl + V to paste it there. This action will work in most instant messengers and applications that have the paste function.
The four icons at the top of the toolbar indicate the screenshot modes. The default one is a dashed rectangle, which will appear when you click and drag to choose the area for capturing. The second mode also allows you to choose a region, but with a freehand selection; it may be useful if you want to capture an irregular zone. The third mode lets you capture a single window: simply click on it, and it will be saved as a screenshot. The fourth mode is the simplest: it captures the whole screen. In Windows 11, the last mode also includes the option to record a video.
If you want to capture the full screen, you can use the Print Screen key (often abbreviated as PrtScn). It will copy the image to the clipboard, from which you can paste it into a separate window. It could be Paint, Word, WhatsApp Web or simply an email. Another option to capture the entire screen with a keystroke is Windows key + print screen: in this case, the screenshot will be saved automatically in the Pictures > Screenshots folder in your computer. This may be a convenient solution when you want to take several screenshots one after another without pasting them into separate windows.
To capture only the single window in a screenshot, use Alt + Print Screen keys: the active window will be saved as an image in the clipboard. In this case, you will need to paste it into a separate window to see it (e. g. Paint). However, the borders of the window and its title bar will not appear in the screenshot. Additionally, using Alt + the Print Screen key is often required to hold the FN key simultaneously; it depends on the laptop’s keyboard design and Windows settings. For example, FN key is often active by default, and you may need to hold it to access the Print Screen function.
A similar option to capture one window is available through the Run menu. Press the Windows key and type “Snipping Tool,” then click the Enter key. It will open an additional window and allow you to capture either a selected region, window or full-screen. The advantage of using this tool is that it has a timer function - you can delay the screenshot by several seconds, which is sometimes required to capture pop-up elements or menus that disappear when you click outside of them. Furthermore, the tool is equipped with additional functions such as editing and annotating a screenshot. There is also an option to extract text from a picture in the latest version of the tool.
There are a few general tips and tricks regarding taking screenshots. First, if the Print Screen key starts to show the snipping toolbar and no longer makes the full screenshot immediately, you can change this setting. Go to the Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and turn off the “Show a snipping toolbar when I press Print Screen.”
