Screenshots are one of those deceptively simple tasks that end up being incredibly useful; whether you're documenting a bug, grabbing content for a presentation, or just saving something for later. Yet somehow, the process still confuses people. And no, taking a photo of your screen with your phone doesn’t count; we're in 2025, not 2005.
Fortunately, Windows 11 offers several efficient ways to capture your screen, no extra downloads required. In this guide, I’ll walk you through 5 smart methods to screenshot Windows 11 where each offers its own level of convenience, so you can screenshot like a pro, without breaking your flow.
How to Take a Screenshot on Windows
While searching for different methods for screenshots in Windows 11, I was surprised by the subtle differences each approach offers. Some include handy shortcuts for faster captures, others provide enhanced control over your image, and a few come packed with extra functionality. Regardless of the method you choose, they all get the job done; helping you screenshots Windows 11 interface when the moment arrives.
Method 1: Using the Snipping Tool (Windows + Shift + S)
The first method is something I'm currently using for screenshots in Windows 11, and that is the Windows Snipping Tool. This tool gives you a convenient shortcut to quickly capture your screen by combining the classic Snipping Tool with the Snip & Sketch Tool. Here’s how you can use the Windows Snipping Tool to take screenshots in Windows 11:
Step 1: Step 1: Open the screen or interface on your Windows 11 system from which you want to take a screenshot.
Step 2: Press the “Windows key + Shift + S” on your keyboard to activate the Windows Snipping Tool.
Step 3: Once the Snipping Tool is enabled, the entire screen will dim slightly, and you'll see a toolbar at the top of your screen.
Step 4: In the snipping tool menu (which appears as a rectangular box), choose from any of the four options: Rectangular, Freehand, Window Snip, or Full Screen Snip.
Step 5: To capture the screenshot, use the left mouse click to select the starting point of your desired area, drag to cover the area, and then release the click when you have encompassed the entire region you want to capture.
Pro Tip: By default, the screenshots taken using the Windows Snipping Tool are saved to the clipboard, allowing you to paste them into an application like Paint or simply insert the screenshot into WPS Office. For extra convenience, you can change these settings to automatically save the screenshot to a folder on your computer.
Method 2: Setting Print Screen to Open Snipping Tool
Microsoft recognizes the importance of taking screenshots as they are an integral part of daily professional routines for sharing work snippets. For this reason, it allows you to set your "PrtScr" key to quickly take a Windows 11 screen shot. To enable this, you will need to adjust your Windows 11 settings, here's how:
Step 1: On your taskbar, use the "Windows Search" to open "Settings" on your Windows 11 system.
Step 2: In the Settings window, click on the "Accessibility" tab on the left pane, or scroll down and click on "Keyboard" under the "Interaction" section.
Step 3: On the next screen, locate the option "Use the Print Screen button to open screen snipping" and toggle it “On” to enable taking screenshots using your "PrtScr" key.
With the shortcut enabled, you can now simply press the "PrtScr" key on your keyboard, and this will open the "Windows Snipping Tool", ready to take a Windows 11 screen shot. From personal experience, this feature has greatly streamlined my workflow. Instead of interrupting my focus to navigate menus or launch separate apps, a single key press allows me to quickly capture and annotate screenshots. This not only saves valuable time but also makes sharing work-related visuals much more efficient throughout the day.
Method 3: Using the Print Screen Key
The next method is using the "PrtScr" key to take a screenshot, and you might be wondering how it differs from the previous method. Before the Windows Snipping Tool was introduced, the primary function of the "PrtScr" (Print Screen) key was to quickly capture the entire Windows 11 interface—from the top left to the bottom right of your screen. The captured screenshot could then be cropped, adjusted, and annotated later. Let’s walk through the process:
Step 1: Simply open the application or screen you want to capture and press the "PrtScr" key on your keyboard.
Step 2: You will not receive a notification, but by default, a screenshot is taken and copied to your clipboard.
Tip: Press the "PrtScr" key firmly to ensure the screenshot is captured correctly.
Step 3: Next, open the application where you wish to use the screenshot—for example, if you are inserting the screenshot into a document in WPS Writer. Simply press the "CTRL+V" shortcut to paste the screenshot.
Pro Tip: WPS Writer, unlike many other office suites, allows you to edit your screenshot directly. You can annotate, markup, and enhance the image using the WPS Photos app without leaving the document.
Although using the Print Screen key method may bring back memories of the past, I prefer not to revert, as modern tools like the Snipping Tool provide a more comprehensive snipping experience. The Print Screen method can only capture the entire screen without offering additional options.
Method 4: Using Third-Party Apps (e.g., Snagit, Lightshot)
Apart from Windows’ capabilities to take screenshots, there are times when you might just want more—more accessibility through custom shortcuts, more control over what you capture, and additional editing tools. In such cases, third-party apps like Lightshot or Snagit are great alternatives. Here’s how you can use them:
Step 1: Lightshot and Snagit are both third-party tools, so you’ll first need to open your browser and download them.
Note: Make sure to download the Windows versions of Lightshot or Snagit, both tools also offer Chrome extensions, and users often confuse the extension with the desktop app.
Since Lightshot is free and easily accessible to a wider audience, we’ll be using it for this demonstration.
Step 2: Once installed, press the "PrtScr" key on your Windows 11 keyboard. This will activate Lightshot.
Step 3: You’ll see an on-screen prompt asking you to select the area you want to capture. Use your mouse to select the region of the screen you want to screenshot.
Step 4: Here’s where tools like Lightshot shine. Right after selection, you get built-in editing options; add arrows, text, blur, or highlight; all before saving or sharing the screenshot.
Step 5: Snagit works in a similar style, but it's a paid tool. You can capture screenshots with added functionality, including video recording, templates, and in-depth editing tools; ideal for professional documentation.
I’ve personally used Lightshot when preparing guides or explaining things to teammates. It saves time and effort by letting me annotate the screenshot the moment I take it, without having to switch between multiple apps.
Lightshot only offers basic annotation tools, which work well for quick sharing. However, if you're aiming for more detailed or high-quality screenshots, especially for professional documentation, it still has some room to grow.
On the other hand, Snagit provides a much broader set of features and is an excellent choice if you’re looking to create detailed guides or record your screen for tutorials. That said, the price felt a bit steep for me, especially since my use case mostly involves taking standard screenshots to share reports or highlight important details during my work routine.
Method 5: For Devices Without a Print Screen Key
Not all Windows devices come with a dedicated "PrtScr" key. If you're using an older machine or a Microsoft Surface tablet, you might be wondering how to take screenshots in Windows 11 without that key. Luckily, Windows still has you covered with a few alternate shortcuts.
Step 1: If your device has no "PrtScr" key, press the “Windows key + Fn + Spacebar” together. This will instantly take a full-screen screenshot.
Step 2: On tablets or devices with a physical Windows logo button (like some Surface models), press the “Windows button + Volume Down” at the same time to take a screenshot.
Step 3: Regardless of which shortcut you use, the screenshot will be automatically saved to your Pictures > Screenshots folder.
While I haven’t used this method regularly, I did come across it when helping a friend with their Surface tablet. The shortcut felt a bit unfamiliar at first, but once you know it, it works reliably.
Best Free Tool for Editing Screenshots – WPS Office
At this point, you’ve got your screenshots, but what’s next? Most of the time, a simple screenshot will do. But when you're working on a presentation, creating a tutorial, or writing a detailed report, those images need to be more than just snapshots—they need to be clear, polished, and ready to tell a story on their own.
That’s where WPS Office can be the savior to you as it is more than just your average productivity suite. Not only is it fully compatible with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, but it also comes with WPS Photos, a surprisingly powerful and free image editor designed to take your visuals to the next level.
There are several reasons why many users actively choose to put their trust in WPS Office. Some of the prime reasons include its ability to provide user-friendly features for annotating screenshots or enhancing product photos, WPS Photos offers AI-powered editing tools that are simple to use but incredibly effective. You can also seamlessly open and edit your Word docs, spreadsheets, and presentations all in one place, be it on Windows, macOS, Linux, or even mobile.
Step 1: To download WPS Photos, start by opening your browser and navigating to the official WPS Office website.
Step 2: Click on the “Free Download” button to download the WPS Office installation file.
Step 3: Once the download is complete, head over to your Downloads folder and open the WPS installer.
Step 4: Before beginning the installation, check the “Terms and Agreement” box, then click on “Install Now” to start the installation process.
Step 5: After installation is complete, WPS Office will be available on your system, and with it, WPS Photos will be installed as part of the suite.
WPS Photos allows you to edit images directly within your documents—or separately, if needed. Let’s walk through how you can use it to view, crop, annotate, and enhance your screenshots.
Step 1: Right-click on your screenshot and choose “Open with” from the context menu. From the list, select “WPS Photos” to open your image.
Tip: You can set WPS Photos as your default image viewer to quickly open and edit screenshots without switching tools.
Step 2: Your screenshot will open in the WPS Photos viewer. To begin editing, click on the “Edit” button at the top-right corner and select “Crop” from the dropdown menu.
Step 3: The screenshot will now open in the WPS Photos Editor. From here, you can use various image editing tools to prepare your screenshot before sharing.
Step 4: To crop, drag the blue borders around the area you want to keep, then click the “Checkmark” icon to apply the crop.
Step 5: For adding annotations, click on the “Annotation” tab on the right-hand panel. You’ll be able to mark up your screenshot using arrows, shapes, and text.
Step 6: If your cropped image looks a bit unclear, you can improve its clarity using the “AI Enhancer” tab, which sharpens and enhances the overall quality of your screenshot.
Step 7: Once you're done editing your photo, click on the "Save" button at the top right corner to store your edited screenshot.
These are some of the most notable WPS Photos features that makes editing incredibly easy:
AI Background Remover: Isolate your subject in one click.
AI Eraser: Remove unwanted objects with precision.
AI Background Blur: Focus attention exactly where you want it.
AI Handwriting & Watermark Remover: Clean up your content effortlessly.
Auto Enhancers & Upscalers: Instantly upgrade image quality without lifting a finger.
Even in my own workflow, I have been consistently using WPS Office to annotate screenshots for tutorials, sharpen visuals for client decks, and even clean up photos for blog posts—all without needing a design background. It saves time, looks professional, and works across all my devices. If you care about clarity and presentation, WPS is absolutely worth trying.
FAQs
1. Where Are My Screenshots Saved?
The default location for screenshots is the Screenshots folder within the Pictures folder. Here’s a straightforward guide for finding your screenshots on Windows 11:
Step 1: Open the File Explorer.
Step 2: Go to the Pictures folder on the left side panel of File Explorer.
Step 3: Inside Pictures, open the Screenshots folder to find your saved screenshots.
Alternatively, if you used the Print Screen key to capture a screenshot, it is copied to your clipboard. You can then paste it using the “Ctrl + V” shortcut into an application like Paint or WPS Writer.
2. How to Screenshot Only One Window?
Here’s how you can take a screenshot of a specific window:
Step 1: Click on the window you want to capture to make it the active one.
Step 2: Press “Alt + PrtScr” on your keyboard.
Step 3: This will copy the screenshot to your clipboard.
Step 4: Open an application like Paint, Word, or any image editor, and paste the screenshot (Ctrl + V) to save or modify it.
Make Photo Editing Accessible with WPS Office
It's great that Windows lets you take screenshots directly without needing any third-party tools; no extra hassle, just quick and simple. In the same way, WPS Office makes sure you don’t need to install any extra apps either. Everything you need is built right in. Take WPS Photos, for example, it comes with so many powerful editing features that you can handle everything in one place. Say you're working on a presentation, you can use WPS Photos to edit your pictures on the spot and then drop them right into WPS Presentation. It’s all connected, which makes things super convenient and saves you tons of time.
