What's the fastest way to take a screenshot on Windows 10 natively?

Martin Brinkmann
Apr 15, 2017
Updated • Aug 5, 2018
Windows, Windows 10
|
15

Microsoft added so many different ways to take screenshots to the company's Windows 10 operating system that it has become difficult to find the one that fits best in your workflows.

While you can use good old Print-key to capture the entire screen to the Clipboard, and go from there, for instance by pasting it into an image editor window, other methods are much faster than that.

Note: Please note that most screenshot taking methods below apply only to Windows 10. Some will work on Windows 8.1 as well, and only one, to my best of knowledge, works on Windows 7 or earlier versions of Windows.

As a rule of thumb: screen capturing methods that save the output to a file directly are faster than methods that save the capture to the Clipboard. You can still load the saved file in an image editor for post-processing if that is required. Also, any option that requires you to run a program first is slower than one that does not require you to do that.

So, how do you take screenshots on Windows 10?

The fastest way to take screenshots on Windows 10

Method 1: Windows-Print

fast screenshots windows 10

The keyboard shortcut Windows-key plus Print-key captures the whole screen, and saves the output directly as a file to the local system. Laptop users may need to use Fn+Windows+Print.

You find the screenshots under c:\users\username\Pictures\Screenshots\.  The images are saved as png image types, and are named Screenshot (1).png, Screenshot (2).png and so on.

The advantage of this method is that it saves the screenshot to the system automatically. Great if you want to capture the whole screen.

Alternatives that are not as fast:

  1. Print-key: This saves the full screen to the Clipboard. You need to process it somehow, for instance by pasting it in an image editor or other program.
  2. Windows-Alt-Print: A Game Bar feature that works with all programs. Please note that Windows will mark the application as a game if you make use of it.

Method 2: Alt-Print

capture window

If you use the keyboard shortcut Alt-key plus Print-key, you take a screen capture of the active program window on the desktop. The capture is copied to the Windows Clipboard from where you need to process it further. Laptop users may need to use Fn+Alt+Print.

The main advantage that this method offers is that it captures only a program window, and not the entire screen. If that is what you want, it may be the faster option when compared to the Windows Print method.

While the latter saves the screenshot directly, you'd have to edit the screen capture in an image editor to grab only the desired window (unless it is displayed in full screen mode). While you do have to load the captured window using Alt-Print as well in a suitable program, you may be able to save it directly using it.

Method 3: Windows-Shift-S

capture area

The third option, Windows-key plus Shift-key plus S-key, is a new option that Microsoft introduced in the Windows 10 Creators Update.

If you press the keyboard shortcut, the screen is turned into a drawing board that you can draw a rectangle on. This works similarly to how third-party screen capture programs such as SnagIt or Greenshot handle this type of screen capture.

The native Windows method saves the screenshot to the Clipboard. Advantage of the method is that you can capture an area other than the full screen or a window. Downside is that you need to process the screenshot, as it is copied to the Windows Clipboard.

Other built-in / Microsoft options to take screenshots

snipping tool

A handful of alternative options are available on Windows to capture screenshots on the system. The most prominent option is probably provided by the Snipping Tool. The program is available on all versions of Windows starting with Windows 7.

It resembles third-party screen capture tools in that it needs to be run before you can use its functionality, and that it supports different capture modes that you can switch between.

You can run the tool with a tap on the Windows-key, typing Snipping Tool, and hitting the Enter-key. You may pin the program to the Taskbar or Start on Windows for easier access. To do so, right-click on the icon after you have run it and select the pin to taskbar option.

The program supports the four capture modes full screen, window, rectangular, and free hand. You may also configure it to take the screenshot with a delay.

Screenshots are automatically copied to the Clipboard, but also loaded in the Snipping Tool interface for basic editing options.

You may use the editor to erase parts of the screenshot, highlight others, or add text to it. A save option is also provided to save it to the local system.

PowerShell

take screenshot

Microsoft created a PowerShell script to capture the entire desktop or an active window when run. It is not built-into Windows, but can be downloaded from the Technet script center website.

The script needs to be run with parameters; all parameters are explained in the script itself. It is definitely more of a specialized solution than something that is really practicable for fast use.

If you use a tablet, hybrid, or mobile device that runs Windows, you may also use the Windows button plus Volume Down combination to take a screenshot.

Windows Ink Workspace may provide another option. It is not as easy to reach as the direct shortcuts, but may be worth a try if you use a digital pen on the device.

Select screen sketch to get started, and use the editing tools that are provided then to edit the screen capture. Once done, hit the save as button to save the image to the local system.

Tips

onedrive-automatically save screenshots

Some file syncing programs, OneDrive or Dropbox, may tap right into the screen capture functionality of the Windows operating system.

You can configure the automatic saving of screenshots to OneDrive, which ships with newer versions of Windows, in the following way:

  1. Right-click on the OneDrive icon in the Windows system tray, and select Settings from the context menu that opens.
  2. Switch to the Auto Save tab when the program window opens.
  3. Check the Automatically save screenshots I capture to OneDrive option on the page.
  4. Click ok to save the change.

Screenshots that you take from that moment on -- using the Print-key, or the Alt-Print-key shortcuts for instance, are saved automatically to the Pictures\Screenshots folder of the OneDrive folder. Similar functionality is built-in to the Dropbox client for instance.

Comparison of Windows 10 screen capture options

Method Capture Area Save Location Remarks
Print-key Variable Clipboard Needs to be activated, opens Screen Sketch, only on Windows 10 version 1809 and newer
Windows-Print Full Screen \Pictures\Screenshots fastest fullscreen method
Windows-Alt-Print Full Screen \Videos\Captures Game Bar feature
Print-key Full Screen Clipboard
Alt-Print Active Windows Clipboard
Windows-Shift-S Rectangle Clipboard
Snipping Tool Variable Clipboard, Local Manual Needs to be started first
PowerShell Full Screen, window Clipboard, Local Needs to be run
Windows Ink Workspace Full Screen Save As Needs to be run

Now Read: The best Windows Screenshot programs.

Summary
What's the fastest way to take a screenshot on Windows 10 natively?
Article Name
What's the fastest way to take a screenshot on Windows 10 natively?
Description
A comparison of all native screenshot taking options of the Windows 10 operating system, and tips on how to get the most out of the functionality of each.
Author
Publisher
Ghacks Technology News
Logo
Advertisement

Tutorials & Tips


Previous Post: «
Next Post: «

Comments

  1. Dan Donx said on January 15, 2023 at 10:29 am
    Reply

    What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?

    Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.

    If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.

  2. Dexter said on January 15, 2023 at 11:14 am
    Reply

    5. Rufus
    6. Ventoy

    PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.

    1. cdr said on January 15, 2023 at 3:32 pm
      Reply

      I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.

  3. sv said on January 15, 2023 at 6:40 pm
    Reply

    bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.

    ps…. time travelling?
    written. Jan 15, 2023
    Updated • Jan 13, 2023

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on January 16, 2023 at 5:49 am
      Reply

      This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.

  4. Anonymous said on January 16, 2023 at 8:24 am
    Reply

    Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.

  5. basingstoke said on January 16, 2023 at 11:18 am
    Reply

    I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:

    1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)

    2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)

    3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””

    4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows

    5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss

    Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:

    6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now

    Have I missed any group off this list?

    1. Heinz Strunk said on September 19, 2023 at 3:57 pm
      Reply

      You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.

      Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.

  6. ilev said on August 24, 2023 at 7:34 pm
    Reply

    Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update

    1. EP said on August 24, 2023 at 9:21 pm
      Reply

      only from windows update though
      KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site

  7. Anonymous said on August 24, 2023 at 11:05 pm
    Reply

    1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.

    2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.

    3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.

    This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
    Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.

    Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.

  8. john said on August 24, 2023 at 11:17 pm
    Reply

    Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.

    1. John G. said on August 25, 2023 at 12:08 pm
      Reply

      Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.

  9. EP said on August 25, 2023 at 3:10 pm
    Reply

    motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
    https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215

  10. EP said on August 29, 2023 at 7:32 pm
    Reply

    check out the following recent articles:

    Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
    https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/

    BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
    https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/

  11. Leonard Britvolli said on August 30, 2023 at 10:33 pm
    Reply

    While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.

  12. sembrador said on September 5, 2023 at 9:32 pm
    Reply

    My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.

  13. EP said on September 6, 2023 at 11:55 am
    Reply

    motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):

    https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277

  14. Raphael Benzo said on September 24, 2023 at 9:52 pm
    Reply

    I try to disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service (Connected Devices Platform User Services) but it wont let me disable it, any help will be greatly appreciated.
    Tank you for your help

Leave a Reply

Check the box to consent to your data being stored in line with the guidelines set out in our privacy policy

We love comments and welcome thoughtful and civilized discussion. Rudeness and personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please stay on-topic.
Please note that your comment may not appear immediately after you post it.