Taking screenshots is an essential skill that every computer user should possess. If you recently switched to a Dell PC or laptop, you do not need to worry, as capturing a screen is not at all different from any other manufacturer.
Well, screenshots can help you save any relevant content for future reference and also when theSave Image feature isn’t workingor is unavailable. Interestingly, there are several ways to capture your display, and in this article, you will learn how to do this on your Dell PC or tablet.
Before You Begin
In this article, we will mainly cover the shortcut keys for taking screenshots using various methods. So, before moving ahead, it’s important to know about the following key combinations and their functions:
How Do You Screenshot on Dell?
Taking a screenshot on Acer, Dell, or any other manufacturer is incredibly simple. You can do it using dedicated keys, built-in Windows tools, or third-party applications.
Regarding the same, you can follow this section to learn the detailed process of taking a screenshot on your Dell PC or laptop.
Dedicated Hotkeys
First and foremost, the best way to capture a screen is by using the PrtSc or the PrintScreen key. However, this will only copy the screenshot on your clipboard; hence, you must paste it into any graphics editor to save it. Here’s a quick demonstration of how you’re able to do just that:
Unfortunately, the PrintScreen key on some Dell keyboards might be absent. In such a case, you need to use the combination ofFunction (Fn) and a specified key (usually End or F10)to capture your screen.
Moving on, if you’ve split your screen for multi-tasking, you may wish to take a snap of just the active window. In such a case, you’ll need to use theAlt + PrintScreenhotkey. While doing so, ensure that you are in the window where you’re trying to take the screenshot. Now, repeat the above steps to save the image.
Well, if you’re not planning to make any edits to your snap and wish to save it directly, we recommend pressing theWindows + PrtSchotkey simultaneously. This will slightly darken your display for a second to confirm that the screenshot has been taken. By default, the image is saved as a PNG file in the following directory:C:\Users[YourPCName]\Pictures\ScreenshotsKindly change the ‘[Your PC Name]’ to your PC’s name to navigate to the above location.
The above steps are only applicable if you’ve installed Windows on your Dell PC. But you’ll need to use different shortcut keys if you’re running another operating system. For example, to take or crop a screenshot on macOS, you can use the combination ofWindows + Shift + 3 or other keys.
You can check theBefore You Beginsection above to learn more about the shortcuts for macOS.
Snipping Tool
Another way to capture your Dell screen is using the Snipping Tool orSnip & Sketchutility (available on older Windows versions), which is a built-in Windows utility. You can either launch the application or use hotkeys to start a snip.
Now that you’re aware of the different snipping modes, kindly follow the below guide to take a screenshot on your Dell computer using the Snipping Tool:
Well, this was the manual way oftaking screenshots on Hp, Dell, and other models using the Snipping Tool. Alternatively, you may press theWindows + Shift + Shotkey to launch the snipping interface directly. Then, choose a mode from the menubar and proceed accordingly.
Once you’ve taken the snip of the Dell screen, you should receive a notification. Opening this will navigate you to the Snipping Tool app, where you’re able to edit and finally save the screenshot, as discussed earlier.
In Xbox Game Bar
Microsoft has included the built-in Xbox Game Bar application on Windows that lets you explore the widget menu, performance, resources, etc. So, if you are an avid gamer and wish to capture or record your gameplay, there are dedicated options to do it here.
Please follow the below instructions on how to take screenshots on a Dell computer or laptop quickly when you’re busy playing a game:
Well, you can easily view the captured pictures in the Gallery widget. To open this on a dedicated directory, simply press the folder icon. This will navigate you to the following path:C:\Users[YourPCName]\Videos\Captures
If you do not have the time to launch the Xbox Game Bar, you can directly use theWindows + Alt + PrtScto take a full-screen snap. Alternatively, you can directly press theXbox buttonif you’re using an Xbox controller. Now, you should get a notification confirming your action.
Use On-screen Keyboard
Sometimes, your keyboard may not work, and using the hotkeys might be a trouble. Interestingly, the built-in Windows On-screen keyboard should help you fix this. Here’s a quick guide on using this utility to take screenshots on Dell:
Using Dell Active Pen
If you use a Dell Active Pen, taking a screenshot becomes much easier. All you have to do ispress the top button of the stylus twice in succession. Once the snap is taken, the image is sent to Microsoft OneNote.
But there can be times when using this method doesn’t work. This is probably because you haven’t installed the Windows update KB2968599 on your Dell computer. So, we highly recommend downloading it from theofficial Microsoft website.
Use Reliable Third-Party Applications
The final method to capture your Dell screen is using a reliable third-party screenshot tool. Some of the popular ones include LightShot, Greenshot, ShareX, etc.
Well, these tools provide additional features like adding texts or shapes to the captured images, indicating dimensions, sharing to social media, and many more. Likewise, you can also install extensions if you’re trying to screenshot an entire page on a web browser.
