Taking a screenshot can be very useful for various purposes, whether it is having evidence of something, sharing an image of our screen with someone and much more. Below we will explain step by step how to take a screenshot on Windows PC and Mac in a simple way.
Learn how to take a screenshot on Windows PC and Mac with the keyboard
There are several ways to take a screenshot on your computer; it can be simply with the keyboard, with an application, and even with options or browser extensions (the latter would only work to capture what is seen in the browser itself).
In addition to the above, you can record the screen of a Gameplay with Bandicam, being the ideal option if what you want is to make a video at the time of playing. On the other hand, the process that we will show next is basic and only to make an image.
Now, if you don’t know which key to press to capture what is seen on your screen, pay attention to the following instructions:
How to take a screenshot with the keyboard
- First of all, it is extremely important that you keep in mind that not all keyboards have the same layout of the keys. Even so, each keyboard has a special key to take screenshots.
- This key can contain the inscription ‘ImpantPetSis’, ‘ImprPant’, ‘PrtSc’ or something similar and is usually located on the right side of the keyboard.
- Once we press the aforementioned key, the screen will be captured as it was when the capture was made.
- The image of the screenshot will remain on the clipboard, being able to paste it almost anywhere on the computer. To paste the image we can press the key combination Ctrl + V, or right click and select ‘Paste’.
- In case you want to edit the image, you will have the opportunity to paste it directly into an editing program, and you can even edit it in Paint if you just need to crop, add text or other simple modification.
It is important to note that keyboards can vary on desktop computers, laptops, and more, therefore the key to capture the screen may be different or require a combination of keys. For example, if you have a Mac, the key combination to take the screenshot would be Shift + Command + 4 ($).
On the other hand, the above method will not display the cursor, so we recommend that you learn how to capture the mouse cursor in a screenshot.
Other alternatives to take a screenshot on Windows PC and Mac
If for some reason the ‘PrintPant’ key on your keyboard does not work, there are other alternatives that you can apply to obtain a screenshot on your computer. One of them could be to use the virtual keyboard and click on ‘PrintPant’. If you use this method, keep in mind that the virtual keyboard will also be visible.
Another way to capture the screen of our PC is using external applications. These applications allow us to adjust the area we want to capture, and even add arrows, circles, lines, texts, among other elements. For example, there is the OBS Studio application to record your screen, which without a doubt is positioned as one of the best programs for this purpose.
On this occasion, one of the applications that we can recommend is LightShot; It works well, it is simple and intuitive to use. Of course, there are many other applications to take screenshots, so if you are not convinced by the one we have presented, you can explore other options.
As is the image that we show you next, this form being a method to capture screen in MAC
If you want to take a screenshot in the browser, you should know that there are a large number of extensions that allow you to perform this action. Some browsers, like Opera, have their own function to take screenshots and even edit, add certain elements and more.
As you can see, taking a screenshot is quite simple and has no major complications. You just have to remember that not all keyboards have the same layout of the keys and they do not have the same inscription. Do not forget that, once the screen capture is made, you can paste the image in an image editor to edit them.