Screenshot Windows PC Screen without Installing External Programs

Using windows PC, there are several methods through which you can screenshot and save the picture of anything on your Windows 10 PC screen without using any external programs or application. From using the keyboard shortcuts to the built-in Snipping Tool, you can quickly and easily capture the whole screen, a portion of your screen or specific window of your Windows 10 PC's screen.

In this post, I discuss a few ways through which you can take a screenshot on your Windows 10 PC and how to save the captured screenshot image on a folder on the PC.

Different Ways to Take Screenshot on Windows PC

As earlier hinted, there are several ways to capture anything on your Windows 10 PC and save an image copy of the captured screen onto a folder on your PC. In the step by step guides detailed before, I shall provide you with illustrated tutorial on how to take a screenshot of your Windows 10 PC screen using Windows built-in tools and keyboard shortcuts.

How to Screenshot Windows PC Screen Using Print Screen Key



This method takes a screenshot of your entire Windows PC screen and saves a copy of the captured image onto a folder on your PC's clipboard for re-use.




To do this;

1. Ensure your Windows PC is Turned On

   First, you need to be sure that your Windows PC is turned on and operational for this method to work.

   
   

2. Press "Print Scr" or "PrtSc" Key

   The Print Screen key is labeled as Print Scr or PrtSc on your Windows PC's keyboard.

   
   

   To capture or screenshot any Screen of your Windows PC, while on the screen whose picture you want captured; simply press the Print Scr or PrtSc key on your Windows PC's keyboard once.

   
   

   Pressing the PrtSc or Print Scr would save an image copy of that screen in your Windows PC's clipboard.

   
   

3. Save the Captured Screen in A Folder on the PC

   To save the captured image onto a folder on your PC, you'll have to open or launch an application such as Paint, Microsoft Word, GIMP or any other similar applications. Then, on any window in either of the applications, press CTRL + V together - this will paste the captured image from the clipboard onto the application.

   
   

   You can then press CRTL + S or click SAVE. Once clicked, a dialog box should pop up. In it, you can choose any of the available image format to save the image to and the folder where you want the image saved.

   
   
   

4. Done. You Now Have Windows PC Screenshot

   Congratulations! You now have successfully saved a copy of the captured image from the screenshot onto a folder on your PC.

   
   

NOTE:

Depending on what version of Windows you are using, and what kind of keyboard you have, these shortcuts might vary and work differently. For example, if you’re using a laptop, your PrtScn key might do more than just take screenshots. Therefore, in order to take a screenshot on a laptop, you might also need to press the “Function” key which is usually labeled as Fn.

How to Capture Windows PC Screen Using the "Windows" + "Print Scr" Keys



This is the method you need when you need to screenshot your entire Windows PC screen and save the captured image directly to a folder without using any external program such as Paint or any other similar programs.




To do this;

1. Ensure your Windows PC is Turned On

   First, you need to be sure that your Windows PC is turned on and operational for this method to work.

   
   

2. Press "Windows" + "Print Scr" Keys on your Keyboard

   Now, press the Windows + Print Scr or Windows + PrtScn keys simultaneously on your Windows 10 PC's keyboard.

   
   

   Pressing these keys automatically and immediately takes a screenshot of your Windows 10 PC's entire screen. And you will know that you have taken a screenshot when you see your PC's screen flashed.

   
   

   These method automatically saves the captured screen onto your PC's clipboard and then, to a folder on your PC.

   
   

3. Locate the Captured Screenshot

   To locate the captured screenshot image whenever you have a use for the captured image, launch or open Windows Explorer and go to ThisPC >> Pictures.

   
   

   Alternatively, a copy of that image is also saved in the Windows 10 PC's Drive folder. To locate the folder, you can just browse to:

   C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\OneDrive\Pictures

How to Capture Windows 10 PC Screen Using the "Alt" + "Print Scr" Keys



This method will screenshot and save a copy of the current window you are using to the clipboard so that you may re-use the captured image later.




To do this;

1. Ensure your Windows PC is Turned On

   First, you need to be sure that your Windows PC is turned on and operational for this method to work.

   
   

2. Press "Alt" + "Print Scr" Keys

   Now, simultaneously press the Alt + Print Scr or Alt + PrtSc keys - depending on how it is labeled on your keyboard. The Print Screen key is often labeled as Print Scr or PrtSc on most Windows PC's keyboard.

   
   

   Pressing the Alt + PrtSc or Alt + Print Scr keys simultaneously would save an image copy of your PC's current window onto the PC's clipboard.

   
   

   This method also gives you an option to screenshot a window other than your current window. For example, if you are surfing the web while working on PhotoShop, you can click on your internet browser and take a screenshot of just that window instead.

   
   

3. Save the Captured Window in A Folder on the PC

   To save the captured image onto a folder on your PC, you'll have to open or launch an application such as Paint, Microsoft Word, GIMP or any other similar applications. Then, on any window in either of the applications, press CTRL + V together - this will paste the captured image from the clipboard onto the application.

   
   

   You can then press CRTL + S or click SAVE. Once clicked, a dialog box should pop up. In it, you can choose any of the available image format to save the image to and the folder where you want the image saved.

   
   
   

4. Done. You Now Have your PC's Window Screenshot Saved

   Congratulations! You now have successfully saved a copy of the captured image from the screenshot onto a folder on your PC.

   
   

How to Screenshot Specific Area on Windows PC Screen Using "Windows" + "Shift" + "S" Keys



The method allows you to take a screenshot of an area you specified on your Windows PC's screen and saves the captured image onto your PC's clipboard.

NOTE:

This method works only if you are running Windows 10 on your Windows PC.

Okay. To use this method;

1. Ensure your Windows PC is Turned On

   First, you need to be sure that your Windows PC is turned on and operational for this method to work.

   
   

2. Press "Windows" + "Shift" + "S" Keys

   Now, while on the window in whose portion you want captured, simultaneously press the Shift + Alt + S keys.

   
   

   Pressing the Shift + Alt + S keys would immediately make your PC's screen go dark and your mouse pointer would turn to cross.

   
   

   Now, to take a screenshot with this method, use your mouse to click and drag a box around the portion of the screen that you want to capture. Once you have the image that you want inside the box, release the mouse button to save the image to your PC's clipboard.

   
   

3. Save the Captured Image in A Folder on the PC

   To save the captured image onto a folder on your PC, you'll have to open or launch an application such as Paint, Microsoft Word, GIMP or any other similar applications. Then, on any window in either of the applications, press CTRL + V together - this will paste the captured image from the clipboard onto the application.

   
   

   You can then press CRTL + S or click SAVE. Once clicked, a dialog box should pop up. In it, you can choose any of the available image format to save the image to and the folder where you want the image saved.

   
   
   

4. Done. You Now Have your PC's Window Screenshot Saved

   Congratulations! You now have successfully saved a copy of the captured image from the screenshot onto a folder on your PC.