Stopped! Do not press the "Submit" button! I know, you're sending your friend instructions on how to operate the application you recommended to him yesterday; but take a good look at your message: it doesn't even have an image showing the functioning of the software in question! To overcome this, you can take a photograph of the screen of your computer, smartphone or tablet to show how it's done.
How do you say? You would love to but you don't have the slightest idea of how to take screenshots? Well, I don't see the problem… I can explain everything to you! If you allow me a few minutes of your precious time, I can in fact show you how to do this on your computer, smartphone and tablet. To do this, you can use both the "standard" functions available on your device and some software designed specifically for the purpose in question.
Choosing what to use is up to you, based on what your preferences are. In any case, you have nothing to worry about, it is a very simple operation to perform. Happy reading and have fun!
Index
- How to take screenshots on PC
- How to take screenshots on Mac
- How to take screenshots on android
- How to screenshot su iPhone
How to take screenshots on PC
Let's start this guide by seeing, together, how to make screenshots on a computer Windows using some suitable tools for the purpose.
Series function
All editions of Windows equal to or later than Windows 7 integrate a utility, called Snipping tool, capable of taking screenshots very easily. The operation of the aforementioned software, however, differs according to the edition of Windows in use: you will find everything explained below.
How to take screenshots on windows 11 pc
Lo Snipping tool integrated into Windows 11 allows you to "photograph" the desktop, a portion of it (rectangular or drawn freehand) or the contents of a given window with ease.
To recall it, press the keys simultaneously Win (the one depicting the windows flag), Shift ed S on the keyboard and use the small toolbar that appears at the top of the screen to define the type of selection to acquire: shape rectangular (l'icona del rectangle), form frees it (l'icona della curved line), single window (l'icona del rectangle with top edge) or entire desktop (l'icona del rectangle with the corners highlighted).
Once you have made your choice, draw the portion of the desktop you intend to capture, or select the window to "photograph" (if necessary) and release the selection, in order to copy the image obtained in the clipboard; you can paste the resulting photo into any graphics program you prefer and save it in the format you want (e.g. JPG, PNG or BMP) or, alternatively, you can edit it with the tools available within the built-in editor of the Image Editor. capture and save it directly from there.
To do this, click on thescreen preview that appears — remains visible for a few seconds — in the lower right corner of the screen; once you have made the desired changes, you can save the screen by clicking on the icon floppy disk located at the top right, or share it within another app, by pressing instead on the symbol sharing.
If you want the screenshot to be saved immediately after capture (and not just copied to the clipboard), you need to intervene in the Snipping Tool options: to do this, open the Start menu of Windows 10 (by clicking on the symbol of pennant located on the left of the taskbar), type the words snipping tool and then click on the first result received.
When you reach the "main" screen of the utility, select the button (...) at the top right, choose the item Settings from the menu that appears and moves up ON the lever placed in correspondence with the item Ask to save the catch.
Finally, I would like to point out that, using the extended screen of the Snipping Tool (that is, the one that can be recalled from the Start menu), you can ensure that the screenshot is captured by applying a "delay" between the click and the actual acquisition: to ensure that this happens , click on the symbol ofclock visible at the top (before even clicking on the button New) and choose whether to capture the image later 3, 5 o 10 seconds from click/release of selection.
How to take screenshots on Windows 10 and earlier
Even in Windows editions prior to 11 (e.g. Windows 10) is present Snipping tool, but it works a little differently: to open the utility in question, access the Start menu of Windows (by clicking on the icon of the pennant placed at the bottom left), type his name in the dedicated search field and open the first result obtained; then click on angular arrow placed next to the button New, or on the button Delays (if present) to define the type of screen to capture (entire screen, window or custom).
Premendo sul pulsating Newinstead, a snapshot of the screen will be created immediately, while clicking the button Delays (only on Windows 8.1 and later) and on the arrow located next to the latter you can set a timer after which the capture will automatically start.
Then select the area of the desktop or the window to capture (assuming you haven't chosen to capture the entire desktop) and possibly customize the screenshot obtained using the editing tools available in the window that you will then see appear.
When you are satisfied with the result, press on floppy disk at the top left and choose the folder in which to save the screenshot. If you want, you can also set an output format other than the default one (PNG) by selecting one of the items found in the Save as type drop-down menu.
I point out that, on Windows 8.1, you can take a snapshot of the entire screen and save it immediately using keyboard shortcuts, pressing the keys simultaneously Win (the one with the flag of Windows) is Stamp (also called PrtScr o Print Screen) on the keyboard, Win+Ctrl+Stamp or Win+Fn+Stamp, depending on your computer model. On tablets and 2-in-1 devices, you can capture a desktop image by pressing the keys simultaneously Win+Volume Down. The screenshots thus obtained will be automatically saved in the folder Images / Screenshots di Windows, in PNG format.
Su Windows 10however, keyboard shortcuts will allow you to access the app Capture and annotate, which works similar to the Snipping Tool in Windows 11.
Note: On Windows 7, screen captures are not automatically saved but only copied to the clipboard. Therefore, to archive them, you need to paste them into another graphics program (eg. Paint), using the key combination Ctrl + V.
Third Party Programs
If, for some reason, the "standard" Windows tools do not perfectly meet your needs, know that there are many other software that allow you to obtain the desired result. Here are some.
To learn more about what are the best screen capture programs that can be used on Windows, consult the dedicated section of my specific guide on the subject.
How to take screenshots on Mac
Also on MacOS it is possible to make screenshots easily, both through the standard functions included in the operating system and with the help of third-party applications.
Standard features
The "standard" macOS application delegated to take screenshots is named Screenshot (Eg Screenshot) and can be called up from the menu Vai > Utility computer, or by pressing the key combination cmd + shift + 5.
The utility comes in the form of a superimposed toolbar at the bottom of the screen, through which you can choose the capture mode: the first three icons are dedicated to screenshots and allow, respectively, to capture entire Mac screen, catch a specific window or a portion of the screen.
Next, there are two icons relating to video recording, which allow you to record entire Mac screen o a portion of the Desk; finally there is the button options, which allows you to adjust some settings related to screenshots, such as the possibility to include the mouse pointer in catches, show the floating thumbnail of the screenshots after their realization or not and set a timer to delay the screen capture.
After adjusting your preferences, click the button Acquire and, if necessary, trace the portion of the screen to capture or click on the edge of the window to photograph; once the acquisition is complete, the app will automatically open Preview and you will be shown a preview of the screenshot you just obtained.
I point out that macOS also allows you to take screenshots "on the fly", without going through the Screenshot application, using a series of convenient keyboard shortcuts, which I list below.
- cmd + shift + 3: Capture the entire contents of the Desktop.
- cmd + shift + 4: allows you to draw a portion of the screen to capture, or to capture a single window. To perform this last operation, after having pressed the necessary keys, position the mouse cursor on the window of your interest and press the space bar on the keyboard, to take a picture of its content.
Captured images are automatically saved to your desktop in PNG. Also holding down the key control, together with the above combinations, the screenshot is saved to the clipboard instead of the desktop (or the folder set as the default location for screenshots).
If you wish, you can edit the screenshots taken “on the fly” by clicking on theimage preview that appears in the lower right corner of the screen and using the tools of the editor that appears on the screen. To save the changes, click on the button end placed at the top; to share it, press the button instead sharing.
Third Party Applications
Where the Screenshot application is not suitable for your needs, you can turn to one of the many alternative software suitable for the purpose.
- Cleanshot X: it is a utility that allows you to photograph the entire Desktop, part of it or the contents of a window (including the parts not immediately visible) in just a couple of clicks. The application is paid, with prices starting from $29 one-off, but can be used "free" by subscribing to the service Setapp, which allows you to freely access over 200 paid applications for macOS, in exchange for a monthly or annual fee (with prices starting at $9,99/month and a 7-day free trial). More info here.
- shottr: is an application that allows you to take screenshots of various types, including “scrolling” ones, and edit them in no time by adding annotations, speech bubbles and other graphics. It's free.
- Monosnap: This is an application, also available for Windows, that allows you to quickly capture images of the screen and apply arrows, lines, marquees and text to them. Basically, the application is free but has some limitations, which can be bypassed by subscribing to a paid plan (with prices starting from $2,50/month for personal and non-commercial use).
For more information, take a look at my tutorial on how to take screenshots on Mac, full of information on the subject.
How to take screenshots on android
In spite of what one might think, taking a screenshot on smartphones and tablets animated by the operating system Android it's very simple! I would like to point out that the indications herein apply to both telephones and tablets animated by the green robot: therefore, if you are wondering how to screenshot su tablet Samsung or on tablets from other manufacturers, I'd say you're in the right section.
Either way, all you have to do is open the app (or website) you want to “snapshot” and after that press the key combination Power+Volume down (on devices without a physical Home button), or Power+Home (on devices that have a physical Home button).
The images thus obtained are automatically saved in the device's photo gallery, usually in PNG or JPG format, and can be viewed simply by starting the integrated image management app (eg. Photo or Gallery). In some cases, it may be necessary to go to the tab relating to Collection or to Album and tap on the tile Screenshot, to view the screen captures.
On devices equipped with a relatively recent Android edition and with specific screen characteristics, it may be possible to take a photo of the screen even after performing a specific gesture, after having enabled the appropriate function.
For example, about Xiaomi smartphone equipped with the MIUI 13 operating system (and later), it is possible to obtain such a result by going to the menu Settings > Additional settings > Gesture functions > Take a screenshot: after moving up ON the lever corresponding to the wording Swipe down with 3 fingers, a screenshot can be obtained by swiping with three fingers, from the top of the screen to the bottom.
If necessary, it is also possible to activate the capture of a portion of the screen: to do this, go to the menu Settings > Additional settings > Gesture functions > Partial screenshot, activate the lever corresponding to the item Partial screenshot and, to "photograph" a specific part of the screen, perform a prolonged tap on the latter with three fingers and trace the part of your interest, using the cursor that is offered to you.
On some Samsung smartphone, however, you can take a screenshot by simply swiping the hand edge on the screen, with the palm open and with all four fingers extended, always maintaining contact with the display: to enable this function, go to the menu Settings > Advanced features > Motions and gestures of Android and move on ON the switch corresponding to the item Scan with palm drag.
To find out more about the subject, I refer you to reading my generic tutorial on how to take a picture of the screen on Android, or my specific guides dedicated to Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi devices.
How to screenshot su iPhone
Take a "picture" of the screen iPhone it's just as simple: if you have a phone equipped with Face ID (which therefore provides for unlocking via face recognition), simultaneously press the power button of the phone (the one on the right) and the Volume up key; if, on the other hand, you have an iPhone equipped with Home button physical or virtual, you must instead press the latter key and the simultaneously power button, placed on the side (or on top, on iPhone models equal to or lower than 5s). The latter procedure is also valid for taking screenshots of iPad.
Once the acquisition has taken place, you will see a preview of the image appear in the lower left corner of the screen: by tapping on it, you will have the possibility to make some changes to the image, adding underlining, annotations, shapes, drawings, cancellations and more. To confirm the changes made, just press the button end and choose whether to save the screenshot as a photo in your Camera Roll, to your device or iCloud Drive, or to discard it.
Starting with iOS 14, then, it is possible to take advantage of the feature Back touch, which allows you to perform certain operations (including taking screenshots) by placing your finger on the bitten apple logo on the back of the phone. To enable this feature, go to the menu Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back touch, tap on the item Double tap (if you want the screenshot to be taken by tapping the apple logo twice consecutively) or Triple tap (if you want the screenshot to be captured by tapping the apple logo three times consecutively) and select the item Screenshot give the menu to compare.
For further information on the procedures just explained, or to obtain further information on the acquisition of web pages, on merging multiple screenshots and on some third-party apps useful for this purpose, carefully read my guides in which you find explained how to take pictures iPhone screen and how to take screenshot on iPad.
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