You’ve Been Taking Screenshots on Your Laptop ALL WRONG - Check Out These Mind-Blowing Tips and Tricks for Dell, Lenovo, and Mac!

Screenshots have been around for a long time, and they have become an essential tool for many computer users. Not only are they useful for capturing images of your computer screen, but they can also be used to share important information or troubleshoot problems. However, not everyone knows the right way to take a screenshot. In this article, we will be exploring some useful tips and tricks for taking screenshots on Dell, Lenovo, and Mac laptops.

Dell

Dell laptops are quite popular due to their affordability and durability. If you’re using a Dell laptop and want to take a screenshot, there are several ways to go about it. One of the easiest ways is to use the “Print Screen” key. This key is usually located in the top right-hand corner of your keyboard. Simply press it once, and the screenshot will be saved to your clipboard. You can then paste it into any application, such as Microsoft Word or Paint, to save or edit the screenshot.

Another way to take a screenshot on a Dell laptop is to use the Snipping Tool. This tool is built into Windows and allows you to capture a specific portion of the screen. To use the Snipping Tool, simply click on the Start button and search for “Snipping Tool” in the search bar. Once it has loaded, click on “New” to capture a screenshot of a specific area. You can then save, copy, or share the screenshot.

Lenovo

If you’re a Lenovo user, you may be wondering how to take a screenshot on your laptop. Thankfully, it’s quite easy. Similar to Dell laptops, Lenovo laptops also have a “Print Screen” key that you can use. Pressing it once will save the screenshot to the clipboard, and you can then paste it into an application to edit or save.

If you want a more precise way to take a screenshot on a Lenovo laptop, you can use the “Snipping Tool” or the “Windows + Shift + S” shortcut. The “Windows + Shift + S” shortcut allows you to capture a specific area of the screen, and the screenshot will be saved to your clipboard. You can then paste it into any application to save or edit.

Mac

Mac laptops are known for their sleek design and high-quality performance. If you’re a Mac user and want to take a screenshot, there are several ways to do it. The easiest way is to use the “Command + Shift + 3” shortcut. This will capture the entire screen, and the screenshot will be saved to your desktop.

If you want to capture a specific area of the screen, you can use the “Command + Shift + 4” shortcut. This will turn your cursor into a crosshair, and you can then select the area that you want to capture. If you want to capture a specific window, press the “Spacebar” after using the “Command + Shift + 4” shortcut. This will turn your cursor into a camera, and you can then select the window that you want to capture.

Conclusion

Taking screenshots can be incredibly useful, and with these tips and tricks, you’ll be able to take them like a pro. Whether you’re using a Dell, Lenovo, or Mac laptop, there are several easy ways to take a screenshot, and you can choose the method that works best for you. So, the next time you need to take a screenshot, put these tips and tricks to use and capture your screen like a pro!

Also: How to take a full-page screenshot in Google Chrome Let us show you how to quickly and easily take a screenshot on everything from a Dell, Lenovo, or other Windows-based laptop to an Apple MacBook. 

How to take screenshots on any laptop

Requirements

You’ll need your laptop and, in some cases, basic image editing software. The entire process should two minutes or less, depending on which method and operating system you’re using.

Screenshotting on Windows-based laptops

While the process for taking a screenshot on every laptop varies somewhat, the biggest differences will be between Windows-based laptops, like those made by Dell, Lenovo, and others, and those made by Apple, which run MacOS. Let’s cover Windows-based laptops first.

Option 1: The old fashioned way

Option 2: The Snipping Tool and Win+Shift+S

Screenshotting on Macs

The process on Macs uses a less intuitive hotkey, but also doesn’t require any software or pasting.  In any case, it should be easy to find by looking for the key marked Prt, PrtSc, Prnt Scr, or something similar. Once you find it, just give it a quick tap. Don’t worry if it seems like nothing happened. Windows doesn’t show it very well, but you just copied an image of your display.  Just open this app, which has been included in Windows since time immemorial, and either hit Ctrl+V or click the clipboard button on the top left and click Paste. In either case, a capture of whatever was on screen when you hit Print Screen earlier will be pasted into the document.  From here, you can edit the image, resize it, crop it, and save it. You’ve now got a screenshot of your laptop. If you choose to open the full app, you’ll see a small menu with a + New button that will let you start a screen capture the same way Win+Shift+S would. Both methods of access allow you to create a marquee box or freeform shape you’d like to capture, or to capture your current window or entire screen. The main difference in using Windows+Shift+S is that windows won’t automatically provide the post-capture snipping tool interface. Instead, it will immediately copy your results to the clipboard for pasting AND save the resulting image to C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp (by default). If you prefer, you can click the notification that appears on the bottom right of your screen to open the full Snipping Tool interface and save the file elsewhere as well. 

Is there an easy way to record video of my laptop screen too? 

There sure is. For Mac users, we’ve already covered how to capture recordings of your system using MacOS’ built-in QuickTime player. While Windows will soon have a similar, built-in function that’s being added to the Snipping Tool mentioned above, you can use the Xbox Game Bar included in Windows 10 and 11 in the meantime to record not just your gaming, but any on-screen activity.  MacOS also has its own way to capture a portion of the display. Simply press Shift+Cmd+4 and your cursor will turn into a crosshair. You can then create a box by clicking and dragging. When you release the click, whatever was within the box will be saved. Finally, Shift+Cmd+4+Space bar will capture your entire current window.

What’s a good, free image editing software to use on my screenshots? 

At ZDNET we like Pixlr. It’s a free web app that handles most of the basic tasks you’ll want to apply to your screenshots, including cropping, resizing, and adding text. It even includes some more advanced effects like a liquify tool. If you need something even more advanced, but only occasionally, we have a guide on using Adobe’s free trial program to get short-term access to Photoshop.

Why does [insert on-screen item here] look weird in my screenshot? 

There’s a few reasons why things can look strange in your screenshots. Animated items like actively playing video can often look distorted or blurry because the single moment you captured was in fast motion, or shifting between frames. Similarly, some operating system assets and portions of apps include transparencies or overlays that don’t play well with screen capture tools. Always make sure everything on screen is as still as possible when taking your screenshot to produce the best results.