How To Take A Screenshot-Take A Picture Of Your Computer Screen
By PhoenixV
Sometimes you might need to take a picture of what is on your computer screen for any number of reasons, such as to aid in the diagnosing of some computer or website problem. Or possibly to verify a transaction or as proof of some email received or sent. There are a variety of reasons why you may want to print exactly what you are seeing on your computer screen.
What you will need is a photo in your documents or pictures, stored in your computer that you don't need or that you don't mind altering. It will be used to paste your screen shot onto.
On the top right area of your computer keyboard (noted in red on the above photo) most computers have a "print screen button". You will need to have on your computer screen exactly what you want to take a picture of. Keep in mind that you might want to close some tabs and/or hide anything on your screen that is personal or something that you don't want to be included ie: an open tab to your email or something. Remember, what you see on your screen, is exactly what will be in the screen shot, including your browser, address bar and everything else.
Once you have your screen ready to take a screen shot, just push that "print screen button" and hold it down a second. Then go to Start (bottom left of your screen) then Documents on the menu. Then find a photo in your photos or documents and click the edit button shown in red below.
You then click on the area outlined in red below (it's called select) and then right mouse click on the photo and select paste from the menu. This should paste your screen shot on to that photo.
This is Windows Paint. If you can find that to begin with you really won't need to paste your screen shot over an existing photo, you can just paste it there in the white area. Just click on the area outlined in red below (it's called select) and then right mouse click on the white area and select paste from the menu. Then save.
You can also edit irrelevant or personal information on your screen shot while you are there in Paint. You can do that by using the brush and brushing over personal information in black.
Comments
Most keyboards have it as shown at the top photo and if you are using Windows. If you have a Mac you are on your own :)
for Mac's, press [COMMAND] [SHIFT] [4]
I have a Dell laptop with Vista and IE. I hate it.
This came in handy for me, I used the tips and it worked, thanks so much! I have a laptop, and the button you initially hold down and press says PrtSc, and on that same button the word "Break", is underneath the PrtSc. On my computer, its right above the backspace button and += button. Thanks for the help!
Thanks Alucard_1990!
My nephews computer had Vista, LindaSmith1 and we had lots of problems with it. Maybe oceansnsunsets' comment will help you find it. My computer is a basic emachine, but its been very reliable.
Thanks Phoenix and Alucard. I found print screen next to delete button, Yeah!!!
I stumbled across this tactic by coincidence. Funny that there are still lots of people out there who believe that they need to get an expensive screen capture software. And by the way.... if you want to take screenshots of websites... my favorite place is thumablizr.com.
Thank you so much for sharing this info ehow101.
I really needed to know how to do this in a simple way, and i found it here.
Thank you for this timely information (for me). I was having a problem with a work application and my employer told me to take a screen shot. Hadn't the faintest idea what she was talking about. Voted up, marked useful and interesting.
This just came up for me a couple of days ago! Thanks for the instructions. The person who was trying to explain it to me didn't do a very good job, so this is excellent! Very easy to understand.
This is a very useful info, because I have a mac laptop and only in MacBook Pro I can make a screenshot, but I always wondered hot to make it in a Windows system.
Thank You
LindaSmith1 5 months ago
Great hub if I could find the print screen button.