How to Take a Screenshot on Windows and Mac Without Additional Applications

A lot of people always wonder how to take screenshots on Windows and Mac. As you guys know, the screenshot feature on a laptop or PC is one of the tools that are often needed to screenshot images or record videos from a laptop or PC. There are various ways to screenshot on a laptop, either Windows or Mac OS, with different functions.

 

In case you don't know about it yet, today I'm going to explain how to screenshot on a laptop for Windows and Mac OS users without additional applications. The method below certainly makes it easier for laptop users to capture the screen.

How to Use the Screenshot Feature in Windows

The screenshot feature on Windows-based laptops (in this case, I'm using Windows 10) can be used by pressing the Print Screen (prtsc) button on the keyboard. The prtsc button is located on the top right row of your keyboard. However, some types of laptops usually require other function keys to perform screenshots. That's why there are still a lot of laptop users who don't know how to use them. Here's how:

1. Press the PrtSc Button

How to take a screenshot on some Windows 10 laptops can be done by pressing the PrtSc key on the keyboard. Then the screenshot will be saved on your clipboard. You can directly paste the image results in document applications such as Microsoft Word by using the shortcut CTRL + V to paste it.

2. Press Alt + PrtSc

Next, to take a screenshot on a laptop, you can use the Alt + PrtSc shortcut. This shortcut is very useful for capturing the active screen only. When you are opening YouTube with the minimized view, the screenshot result is only the YouTube window.

After that, the captured image will be saved on the clipboard and you can paste it inside the Paint app if you want to edit the screenshot image.

3. Windows Key + Shift + S

How to screenshot on a Windows 10 laptop can also be done with the Windows Key + Shift + S shortcut. This shortcut will take you to a built-in Windows application called Snip & Sketch. By pressing the shortcut, the laptop screen will dim and the mouse pointer will change.

Also, you can decide which part of the screen to screenshot. And then, you can edit the screenshot by using the Snip & Sketch app and save it by clicking the save icon at the top of the app.

4. Windows Key + PrtSc

The shortcut combination Windows + PrtSc can be used to perform a full-screen capture. You can also use other key combinations, such as Fn + Windows + PrtSc. The screenshot will be saved as a photo in the Pictures folder and inside the Screenshots subfolder.

How to Use Screenshot Feature on MacBook or Mac OS

Of course, there is a difference between how to take a screenshot on Windows laptop and MacBook. Because other laptops use Windows or Linux, while the Macbook uses their own operating system, Mac OS. So, how do you capture screenshot of your Mac OS screen? Check out how to do it below:

1. Shift + Command + 3

The first way to screenshot on a Mac OS laptop is with the Shift + Command + 3 keys. This shortcut is used to capture the full screen on a MacBook. After that, you can edit the screenshot by clicking the thumbnail in the corner of the screen.

To directly save without editing, you just need to wait a moment for the screenshot to be saved on your MacBook desktop.

2. Shift + Command + 4

Next step, there is a Shift + Command + 4 shortcut combination which is used as a way to screenshot a portion of the MacBook screen only. After pressing the shortcut keys, drag your pointer to select the area of the screen you want to screenshot.

If you want to move the pointer, just simply hold down the space bar and drag the pointer to redefine the screen area where you want to capture.

3. Shift + Command + 4 + Space Bar

I know, this is a little bit complicated, but trust me, it's very useful. Shift + Command + 4 + Space bar shortcut can be used to screenshot the screen of a particular window. Press the keyboard shortcut, then click the window or menu which screen you want to capture, and hold down the option key. You can edit the result or wait for it to be saved on your MacBook desktop.

Those are some methods that you can use to take a screenshot on Windows or Mac without additional applications or software. I hope you found these articles on how to take a screenshot on Windows and Mac useful.